Karst in Indiana - Solution Features Characteristic of Karst Terrains

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Caves & Karst > Karst in Indiana

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Solution Features Characteristic of Karst Terrains

Photo showing view of sinkhole plain taken from an airplane.
Karst sinkhole plain developed on limestone in southern Indiana.
Photo by Richard Fields

1. Springs are places where subsurface water flows from rock or soil onto the land surface.

2. Sinkholes are funnel- or bowl-shaped basins on the land surface that formed where the limestone is dissolved and the soil layer above slopes into the resulting depression.

Cross section diagram showing solution features.
Diagram concept by R.L. Powell; drafted by R.S. Taylor

3. Sinking or disappearing streams are surface streams in karst areas that flow directly into the ground-water system at a place called a swallowhole.

4. Underground drainage systems, composed of conduits dissolved in the rock through which water may flow, are common in karst areas. Surface streams in a karst area are generally short and lose their water during dry periods.

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