karstified

Karstified is an adjective used in geology and speleology to describe rocks, landscapes, or features that have undergone karstification—the dissolution and sculpting of soluble rocks by mildly acidic waters.

Karstification begins when meteoric water absorbs atmospheric CO2 to form a weak carbonic acid. This acidic water percolates through fractures and joints in soluble rocks such as limestone, dolostone, or gypsum, gradually dissolving calcite, dolomite, or gypsum minerals.

Over time, dissolution creates subsurface conduits, caves, and a drainage network, and may produce surface features such as sinkholes (dolines), poljes, and tower karst. The result is a karstified terrain characterized by closed depressions, underground streams, and a hierarchically organized cave system.

Rock types commonly karstified include limestone and dolostone; gypsum karst also occurs where evaporites are present. Karstification is favored by fractured rock, sufficient rainfall or groundwater flow, and a relatively long time span, as well as geochemical conditions that expose fresh surface material.

Karstified landscapes host important groundwater resources through aquifers in soluble rocks, but they also pose hazards such as sudden sinkhole collapse and groundwater contamination. Notable karst regions include the Dinaric Karst of the Balkans, the Karst Plateau of Slovenia, and karst terrains within Kentucky, USA around Mammoth Cave; China's extensive Guilin karst displays extensive surface karstification.