Limestone Landscapes

Question 1

What is Carbonation?

Answer 1

When Carbon Dioxide in the air mixes with rainwater to form a weak carbonic acid 🧪.

Question 1

What are the 2 processes of erosion in limestone areas?

Answer 1

• Carbonation
• Solution

Question 2

What is Solution?

Answer 2

When acids 🧪 in the water💧 dissolve minerals in the rock 🤨 and then carry them away.

Question 3

Name 3 Surface features.

Answer 3

• Limestone pavement
• Intermittent Drainage
• Swallow Holes 🕳️

Question 4

Name 2 Underground Features?

Answer 4

• Cave/Cavern
• Stalactites and Stalagmites

Question 5

Explain the formation of a limestone pavement.

Answer 5

• During glaciation, the ice 🧊 scrapes away the topsoil, exposing the rock 🤨 beneath.
• [Carbonation]
  -[Solution]
• Limestone is a permeable rock 🪨, meaning water💧 is able to seep into the rock🤨.
• Rainwater seeps into the vertical🚦 joints and widens them, forming grykes.
• In between the grykes, there are rectangular blocks of limestone called clints.

Question 6

Explain the formation of Intermittent Drainage.

Answer 6

• [Carbonation]
• Water💧 flows over impermeable rock 🪨 until it reaches limestone.
• [Solution]
• Water💧 flows down vertical🚦 joints and along horizontal bedding 🛏️planes ✈️.
• Streams reemerge when the water💧reaches impermeable rock 🪨.

Question 7

Explain the formation of a Swallow Hole 🕳️.

Answer 7

• [Carbonation]
• Water💧flows over impermeable rock 🪨 until it reaches limestone, which is permeable.
  -[Solution]
• Water💧seeps through the permeable limestone, widening vertical🚦joints until the stream is able to fall through, creating a swallow hole 🕳️.