karstification

1. The processes of solution and infiltration by water, mainly chemical but also mechanical, whereby the surface features and subterranean drainage network of a karstland are developed to form a karst topography, including such surface features as dolines, karren, and mogotes and such subsurface features as caves and shafts. An area currently or formerly undergoing karstification, and thus characterized by karst landforms, is said to be karstified [19]. 2. The process by which karst is formed. The term has been given a wide range of meaning, from almost a synonym or corrosion of soluble rocks by water to a term comprising all processes responsible for the development of karst features including, besides corrosion, such phenomena as mechanical erosion, jointing, and faulting [20]. Synonyms: (French.) karstification; (German.) Verkarstung; (Greek.) apokarstosis; (Italian.) carsificazione; (Russian.) karstoobrazovanie; (Spanish.) karstificacion; (Turkish.) karstlasma; (Yugoslavian.) okrsavanje, zakrasevanje, karstifikacija.