Rate processes: chemical kinetics and karst landform development

Karst landscapes are the result of the dissolution of the bedrock, usually limestone or dolomite, by runoff, by infiltration and by deep circulating groundwaters. The theoretical denudation rate based on chemical equilibrium will represent an upper bound since it assumes that the waters discharging from the karst drainage basin are saturated at the local temperature and at the pressure of Carbon dioxide provided by the local environment. The overall rate processes in the system have a chemical part and a hydrodynamic part. The chemistry of carbonate rock dissolution in turn has an equilibrium part and a kinetic part. The dissolution chemistry of calcite and dolomite has been worked out in detail and has been applied to problems of karst landform development, carbonate groundwater geochemistry, cave development and the deposition of secondary minerals in caves. The low solution rates at finite undersaturation allow the “kinetic trigger” mechanism proposed to account for the development of conduit systems in karst aquifers.