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3 Water in Limestone Slides
3 Water in Limestone Slides
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FORM 3 GEOG--- ACTION OF WATER IN LIMESTONE AREAS
UNDERGROUND/GROUND WATER
water.
a) Rain Water
When it rains, a lot of water infiltrates
(enters) the ground through available
openings on the surface. It percolates to the
lower parts of the rocks due to gravity.
Excess rainwater however, flows over land
and ends up in streams and rivers and flows
to the lake or sea.
b) Melt Water
Regions which experience winter, snow accumulates on the
surface. During summer, the snow melts and the water infiltrates
into the ground and eventually percolates through the rocks.
c) Surface Water
Water exists on the surface of the earth in different forms such as
rivers, seas, swamps, oceans, lakes and ponds that seep into the
ground and percolates through the rocks to become groundwater.
d) Magmatic/Plutonic Water
This is the water that is trapped in the rocks beneath the surface
during vulcanicity.
Two types
a) Porous - Those with pores/airspaces between
rock grains through which water passes. Rock
particles are generally large (coarse) e.g.
sandstone, limestone, chalk and conglomerate.
b) Pervious – are rocks with cracks, fractures and
joints or fissures through which water enters and
passes e.g. granite, limestone and chalk.
N/B chalk and limestone are both porous and
pervious.
FORM 3 GEOG--- ACTION OF WATER IN LIMESTONE AREAS
Impermeable rocks
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a) Zone of Non-saturation
It is a zone of rock layers immediately below
the surface.
It is a zone of permeable layers through which
water.
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They are deep holes which are dug to the
ground, often with a purpose of getting water.
Permanent wells have to be sunk until they
reach the zone of permanent saturation, but
when just sunk until the zone of intermittent
saturation or non-saturation, it will contain
water during the rain season only and dry up
later
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b) Swallow/Sink Holes
Deep vertical holes formed on limestone rocks
when solution extends the grikes. The water widens
and deepens the joints, developing vertical holes.
Referred to as swallow/sink holes because surface
runoff or river water may disappear through them
as a waterfall and come out of the ground as a
Vauclusian spring further downhill.
Vertical shaft from the surface of the sink hole
down into the ground is called ponor.
c) Dry Valley
It is part of the River valley in which water is no longer flowing.
They have no permanent streams on limestone surface at the
section between the swallow hole and where the river emerges.
d) Karst Window
Small outlet to the surface from a cavern formed when
continuous carbonation at the surface causes the roof of the
cave to collapse.
e) Limestone Gorge
Deep steep sided river valley in limestone rocks formed when
the swallowed river causes solution to continue underground
causing the roof of underground water course to collapse.
f) Karst Bridge
Small section left joining the roof between the Karst window and
gorge.
g) Dolines (dolina)
It is a round or Elliptical hollow on the surface of the limestone
region with gently sloping sides formed when several small holes
collapse and merge.
Small holes are formed when water starts acting on the points of
convergence of joints on the surface. They are then widened by
solution which completely dissolves the rocks between the
hollows. This leaves a continuous round depression. A sink hole
may form on the floor of a doline in which surface water may
disappear.
FORM 3 GEOG--- ACTION OF WATER IN LIMESTONE AREAS
doline
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Positive
Features in Karst scenery are a tourist attraction e.g. caves,
gorges, stalactites, stalagmites, etc. they attract many
tourists who in turn bring foreign exchange to the country.
Limestone rock is used in the manufacture of cement e.g.
cement factory at Bamburi in Mombasa and Athi River.
Limestone blocks are also used for building.
Limestone regions are very good for grazing particularly
sheep because the surface is dry.
Large villages called spring line settlements form at the
line of Vauclusian springs due to the availability of water.
Negative
Limestone landscape discourages settlement
because the surface is rocky, soils are thin and
unsuitable for agriculture, surface is rugged
with features like grikes and Clints and the
water supply is inadequate due to rivers
disappearing into swallow holes.