Karst

Karst , Ital. Carso, Slovenian Kras, limestone plateau, W Slovenia, N of Istria and extending c.50 mi (80 km) SE from the lower Isonzo (Soča) valley between the Bay of Trieste and the Julian Alps. It is characterized by deep gullies, caves, sinkholes, and underground drainage—all the result of carbonation-solution. The best-known caves are at Postojna. The barren nature of the plateau deters human settlement. Rough pasture or forest covers much of the surface, and there is little arable land. The term karst is used to describe any area where similar geological formations are found.

karst Specifically, an area of the Dinaric Alps of Bosnia Hercegovina that is underlain by limestone. By extension, any region that is underlain by limestone and characterized by a set of land-forms resulting largely from the action of carbonation or of other processes produces similar types of land-forms (e.g. thermokarst in the periglacial environment).

karst
1. Area of the Dinaric Alps of Yugoslavia underlain by limestone.

2. Any region underlain by limestone and characterized by a set of land-forms resulting largely from the action of carbonation.

3. By extension, regions in which other processes produce similar types of landforms, e.g. thermokarst in the periglacial environment.