Karst is a type of landform that results from the dissolution of rocks. It is usually associated with cave systems and landscapes characterised by rocks sculpted by dissolution with large surface depressions, disappearing rivers and major springs. Karst processes occur in all soluble rocks, resulting in high vulnerability to pollution. Karst rocks are also impacted by sinkholes.
Map showing the distribution of the Chalk and Jurassic and Permian limestones in England. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown Copyright and database rights 2016. BGS © ʦ.
UK karst aquifers
In the UK, karst is usually associated with Carboniferous-aged limestone, in which there is extensive cave development. The longest-known cave is more than 80 km in length and there are more than 170 explored caves that are more than 1 km long.
In contrast, caves are uncommon in the Chalk and the Jurassic and Permian limestones of England. The longest known cave in the Jurassic limestones is around 3.8 km, although many areas of Jurassic limestones have no known caves. The longest known cave in the Chalk is 360 m; the longest in the Permian limestones is 290 m.
A chalk cave in Berkshire, England. Approximately 0.4 m wide and 2.5 m deep. BGS (c) ʦ.
Jurassic limestone cave, Yorkshire. Photo © John Dale and Carl Thomas.
Carboniferous limestone cave, south Wales. © Tim Guilford.
Despite the limited cave development, complex networks of smaller-scale dissolutional voids occur in these aquifers, enabling rapid or long-distance pollutant transport.
Evidence for karst in the Chalk and Jurassic and Permian limestone aquifers includes the presence of:
- stream sinks
- dolines (sinkholes)
- solution pipes
- conduits (observed in quarries or boreholes)
- large springs
- tracer tests
- microbial contaminants and turbidity
Karst information and resources
The BGS karst report series provides an overview of the evidence of karst in different regions of England with Chalk or Jurassic or Permian limestone geology. The new understanding of karst in the Chalk is presented in Maurice et al. (2021), with additional information on the karst hydrogeology of the Bedhampton and Havant springs.
Karst in the Chalk and Jurassic and Permian limestones is also discussed by BGS’s Lou Maurice in this presentation to the Thames Valley Regional Group of the Geological Society, ‘Karst ʦ an unexpectedly widespread phenomenon in England’.
Presentation to the Thames Valley Regional Group of the Geological Society.
Further reading
References related to different karst topics are provided. These reference lists are not comprehensive but provide a starting point for scientists interested in the karst hydrogeology of the UK karst aquifers in which cave development is limited (the Chalk and the Jurassic and Permian limestones). Some more general references on karst are included for context. Further references can be found in the BGS karst reports.
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More information
Maurice, L, Farrant, A R, Mathewson, E, and Atkinson T. 2021.. 39ʦ62 in The Chalk Aquifers of Northern Europe. Farrell, R P, Massei, N, Foley, A E, Howlett, P R, and West, L J (editors).Geological Society of London Special Publications, Vol. 517. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1144/SP517-2020-267
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Find out more about our research
Karst features
The distinctive features of karst landscapes.
Karst hydrogeology of the Bedhampton and Havant springs
One of the best examples of Chalk karst springs in the UK.
Karst report series
An overview of the evidence for karst in the Chalk and Jurassic and Permian limestones in different areas of England.
What causes sinkholes?
Explore the different types of sinkhole encountered in the UK.
Sinkholes research
Our research extends beyond the distribution and processes associated with sinkhole formation to the broader subject of karst.