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Although groundwater is an extremely important part of the hydrologic cycle, most areas of the earth's surface are not substantially modified by the direct action of groundwater.  Two conditions are necessary for erosion by groundwater to dominate the landscape: 1) the bedrock must be soluble in a weak acidic solution (and thus typically must be composed of carbonate minerals); 2) the climate must be sufficiently humid that there is a net flow of groundwater through the system and out into a river or ocean (this carries away the dissolved material).

If the surface morphology of a region is dominated by the effects of groundwater dissolution, the region is considered to exhibit Karst topography.  Other areas may have underground caverns caused by groundwater dissolution, while the surface topography is dominated by other processes.

• Click here to review Karst topography
• Click here to review terms describing underground caverns

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06/25/0313 Oct 2009 09:18:38 -0700