Tag

Karst

All articles tagged with #karst

science17 days ago•95 min saved

Surface Trenches on Australia's Nullarbor Plain Mark Collapsed Ancient Cave Systems

New research confirms that mysterious, linear trenches across Australia's Nullarbor Plain are not river channels but surface scars from the collapse of massive underground cave systems. Led by Matej Lipar, the study utilized electrical resistivity tomography and digital modeling to reveal that these shallow depressions sit atop deep, sediment-filled cavities. The findings challenge previous assumptions about the region's hydrology and offer a diagnostic method for identifying similar hidden cave structures on other planets, such as Mars.

via Live Science|

#australia #caves #geology

science3 months ago•12 min saved

Mars Caves Hint at Water-Formed Karst, Not Lava Tubes

A new study identifies eight accessible Martian cave-like features in Hebrus Valles that could be karstic—formed by water dissolving soluble rock rather than by lava tubes—potentially revealing a subsurface record of past fluids and offering sheltered spaces for future exploration, though the evidence is orbital and multiple formation processes could explain the shapes, so confirmation awaits in-situ observations.

via Space Daily|

#caves #hebrus-valles #karst

science6 months ago•8 min saved

Limestone caves in Cambodia reveal a treasure trove of new species

A Fauna & Flora-led survey across more than 60 caves in Battambang Province's karst landscape uncovered multiple previously unknown species, including several geckos (Gehyra, Dixonius noctivagus and Cyrtodactylus kampingpoiensis), a new pit viper, and other cave-dwelling creatures such as millipedes, a reticulated python, a brown tree frog and an ornate flying snake, underscoring Cambodia's karst ecosystems as a hotspot for biodiversity and undiscovered life.

via The Guardian|

#biodiversity #cambodia #gecko

earth-science6 months ago•4 min saved

The Burren's Gray Limestone Carpet

NASA’s Earth Observatory highlights Ireland’s Burren region, where gray limestone pavement formed about 325 million years ago during the Carboniferous and was later folded in the Variscan Orogeny. Erosion and glacial activity carved terraces and exposed karst features called grikes, creating a rugged landscape with pockets of vegetation such as shamrock. The image, captured by Landsat 8’s OLI on May 16, 2025, showcases how tectonics, weathering, and ice shaped this distinctive Irish terrain.

via NASA Science (.gov)|

#burren #earth-science #geology