13.9.3 Where are karst landscapes found? As shown in FIGURE3 , karst landscapes are found all over the world.
FIGURE3 Karst regions of the world
ARCTIC OCEAN
Arctic Circle
PACIFIC
ATLANTIC
Tropic of Cancer
Yuxi cave
OCEAN
OCEAN
Equator
INDIAN
OCEAN
Tropic of Capricorn
Karst regions of the world
Karst
0
4000 km
2000
Source: World Map of Carbonate Rock Outcrops v3.0
SkillBuilder discussion Geographical inquiry 1. Which hemisphere has the most karst landscapes? 2. Suggest a reason why that is the case.
In tropical regions, with high levels of rainfall, karst mountains may develop as rain erodes the soluble rock much faster than in areas with lower rainfall. Examples of tropical karst mountains include the peaks of Halong Bay in Vietnam and the Guilin Mountains in China. Australia’s Nullarbor Plain is home to the Earth’s largest arid limestone karst cave system, spanning 270 000 square kilometres. It stretches 2000 kilometres from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia to Norseman in Western Australia’s Goldfields–Esperance region, and from the Bunda Cliffs on the Great Australian Bight in the south to the Victoria Desert in the north. The extensive cave system provides a unique habitat for a variety of native flora and fauna. Within the caves are fossils that reveal much about our distant past; fossils of thylacines (Tasmanian tigers) have been found in the cave systems south of Perth. Additionally, these caves are important Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander heritage sites.
TOPIC13 Landforms and landscapes – diversity, significance and management 329
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