Karst terrains - irregular limestone regions characterized by sinkholes, underground streams and caverns - have long been of interest because of the dramatic landscapes and the challenge of cave exploration. But the geomorphology and hydrology of karst drainage systems are now of interest to water supply specialists, urban planners, and environmental engineers. This graduate-level text discusses the chemistry of karst waters, the processes of sedimentary in-filling, the origins of caves, and the evolution of karst systems through geologic time. Since karst develops predominently by chemical processes, this text is written from the point of view of the chemistry of limestone solution. The approach is more quantitive and process-oriented than that of existing textbooks, and the author includes material on environmental problems in karst regions, including land use and land management, water supply, and pollution control.
"Several sections are included that are generally neglected in geomorphology texts and their inclusion by White will be valuable and of interest to teachers and students . . . . Discussion of evaporite karst as well as karst and karst-like features in slightly soluble rocks and ice add to the all-inclusive nature of the text." --Journal of Geological Education
"The most comprehensive text in the field in any language ...covers many technical and environmental aspects not found in any other textbook. The author has contributed innovative research in most of the major topics; he is the most appropriate person in the U.S. to write such a book."--Arthur N.Palmer, State University of New York at Oneonta
"An excellent summary of both the forms and processes involved in the development of caves and related features." --Choice
"To write a book on karst hydrology and geomorphology is a major undertaking. William B. White has done an excellent job in selecting material from