Karstbase Bibliography Database
Karstbase Bibliography Database
Paleokarst consists of solutional features from a prior geomorphic phase that have been preserved by burial or by a substantial change in local environment. The two major paleokarst horizons in North America are of Early-Middle Ordovician (post-Sauk) age and Mississippian-Pennsylvanian (post-Kaskaskia) age. There are also several less extensive paleokarst zones. They all differ in detail but typically include remnants of surface karst features, caves, breccias, hypogenic porosity, and related mineral suites. In places they provide high-permeability zones significant to water supply, or serve as hosts to petroleum, ores, and later karst development. Studies of paleokarst give significant evidence for past geologic and hydrologic conditions, both surficial and deep seated.