Covered Karst

Mantled Karst


	Image: The entrance to Škocjanske Jame is located in a green dolina, a few hundred meters from Škocjan.

In covered karst, the vegetation covers the limestone. This has two important effects on the geology:

The vegetation produces CO₂ in the earth, which fastens the corrosion (dissolution) of limestone. The growth of caves is faster than in bare karst.

On the other hand, the vegetation covers the limestone from the air, so there is much less erosion depending on weather. E.g., in covered karst no frost erosion appears.

It is rather difficult to see, if a certain area is a karst region, if it is a covered karst area. But if you know the signs, it is pretty easy:

Are there caves?
Are limestone or dolostone rocks visible, maybe exposted at the valley of a river?
Are there many springs around? (This one is not a secure sign, but a good hint)
Any river? Large areas without rivers are always some sort of Karst! You will often be able to spot riverless areas on a good map.

Karst areas have a typical soil and vegetation. There is no ground water, so there will be no vegetation that depends on it. The soil may dry regularily, so the vegetation will be used to this and be able to store some water.

The soil is formed by the residuals of limestone dissolution, which are silt minerals. If there is any iron in the limestone, which is rather common, the soil will first have the colour of the iron oxide. But there are two different chemical reactions, depending on the temperature. In tropical and subtropical climates, the colour is red (terra rossa). In colder climates the colour is beige, a very typical yellowish brown.

Covered Karst

Mantled Karst

See also