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 A glossary of terms pertaining to sinkholes and karst formations Aquifer – an underground reservoir of water Aquitard – an obstruction that stops water flow Artesian well – a well in which pressure from the aquifer below pushes the water up above the level to which the well was dug Banana hole – a collapse sinkhole into a shallow cave, usually found in tropical regions Barrier well – a well used to pump out seawater to prevent saltwater intrusion into an aquifer Bedrock – solid rock exposed on the earth’s surface Blind valley – a karst valley that ends abruptly where a stream disappears underground Blue hole – a solution sinkhole in the bottom of the ocean; a sinkhole spring where water rises with a bluish tint caused by dissolved limestone Caleta – ocean inlet in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico Cave – a natural open area under the ground, caused by erosion or dissolution of rock Cenote – water-filled sinkhole in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico that intersects the aquifer Cockpit karst – rounded gumdrop-shaped karst hills, found primarily in the tropics Corrosion – a chemical attack on a rock, such as dissolution Dewatering – the pumping of water out of a mine to keep the mine tunnels dry Dissolution – the process of dissolving Doline – international term for sinkhole, often used to refer to broad, shallow bowl-shaped sinkholes Dye tracing – technique used to determine where water flows by adding a known quantity of dye and searching for where it ends up, and in what concentration Epikarst – the top layer of karst bedrock, often exposed to the elements Estavelle – a sinkhole that reverses water flow Ground water – water existing and/or flowing beneath the surface of the Earth Haystack hill – a perfectly rounded hill formed by karst erosion, typically in the tropics Hydrologic – involving water Hydrologist – scientist studying the existence and flow of water Joint – a natural linear crack between two pieces of rock that used to be a single slab of rock Karren – small karst formations created by surface dissolution of the bedrock Karst – collectively, all landforms created primarily by the dissolution of rock by natural waters Karst window – a downward opening into karst showing a stream flowing below Kettle hole – a small bowl-shaped depression Limestone – a sedimentary rock primarily formed from the remains of sea creatures and maritime ooze Littoral – the shoreline area between low and high tide Losing stream – a stream that seeps down into its karst bed until it finally disappears Microclimate – the climate that forms in a confined area, such as a sinkhole or cavern Mogote – rounded hill created by erosion of karst, usually found in tropical regions Natural bridge – a rock bridge formed by erosion or dissolution Oasis – a spring in the desert Pepino – rounded hill created by dissolution, usually found in tropical regions Permeability – the ability of soil or rock to sponge up water Phreate – zone of ground water where water fills all the voids; the saturated zone below the water table Pocket valley – valley opening up from a large spring Polje – a low, broad depression draining underground Ponor – a swallow hole through which water passes to or from an underground passage Pseudokarst – terrain with landforms that look like the product of dissolution, but which formed through other processes Ravelling – a particle-by-particle movement of soil down into cavities in the rock below Recharge – the movement of water into an aquifer Remediation – filling a sinkhole properly so it doesn’t reopen Resurgence – a spring that brings water back to the surface after the water has flowed into a swallow hole on higher ground Sink – a place where a stream or river disappears underground, also called riversink Sinkhole – a closed depression on the surface of the Earth, formed by dissolution of the bedrock beneath and the downward movement of material into cavities or fractures Solution hole – a sinkhole that forms through gradual dissolution rather than collapse Solution pan – a broad, shallow depression in karst Solution pipe – a vertical pipe-shaped shaft formed by gradual dissolution of karst Spring – a natural flow of water out of the ground onto the surface of the earth Subsidence – the downward movement of soil and rock into cavities in the earth Swallow hole – a sinkhole that swallows a flowing body of water Thermokarst – an irregular karst-like landscape caused by the melting of permafrost Tower karst – steep rounded mountains formed by erosion of a karst plain Troglobite – a creature that can only survive inside of a cave Troglophile – a creature that prefers to live inside of a cave Trogloxene – a creature that lives mostly outside of caves, but visits caves for shelter and food Uvala – a depression created when more than one sinkhole joins together Water table – the level at which water completely fills the rock below it; the plane of separation between the vadose and phreate zones of groundwater Vadose – the zone of groundwater where not all voids are filled with water; the unsaturated zone above the water table |