Kársticas

Kársticas refers to a specific geological and geomorphological phenomenon related to karst topography. Karst is a landscape formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks, most commonly limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. This dissolution process, primarily driven by water, creates distinctive surface and subsurface features. Kársticas, therefore, describes features or processes that are characteristic of or occur within such karst environments.

The formation of kársticas landscapes begins with rainwater, which is slightly acidic due to absorbed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. As this water percolates through the soil, it absorbs more carbon dioxide and becomes a stronger carbonic acid. This acidic water then slowly dissolves the soluble bedrock. Over geological time, this chemical weathering enlarges existing fractures and bedding planes, eventually leading to the formation of underground drainage systems.

Common kársticas features include sinkholes (also known as dolines), which are depressions or holes in the ground caused by a collapse of the surface layer into an underground cavity. Other features include caves, underground rivers, disappearing streams (streams that flow underground), and uvalas (large, irregular depressions formed by the coalescence of several sinkholes). The presence of kársticas features indicates a landscape highly susceptible to erosion and groundwater contamination due to the porous nature of the underlying rock and the interconnected underground drainage systems.