You can read others in the series:
A: Sidney Altman, Canadian Scientist.
B: Beavers!
C: Chant National/O Canada.
D: Dog Sledding.
E: Edgewalk.
F. Tailed Frogs.
G: Greats of Canada.
H: Henry Hudson.
I: Igloos and Inukshuks Work
Karst is "a distinctive topography in which the landscape is largely shaped by the dissolving action of water on carbonate bedrock (usually limestone, dolomite, or marble)." (source)
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source: http://www.cancaver.ca/docs/karst.htm |
Karst is a geological process that takes a long time to form, it is the result of "the carbon dioxide cascade". The result of this process is the formation of sinkholes, vertical shafts, streams that disappear, and complex underground drainage and caves.
As rain falls through the atmosphere it picks up carbon dioxide, and when it lands on the ground it picks up more carbon dioxide... this causes it to form a weak acidic solution called carbonic acid.
This weak solution filters into cracks and crevices, naturally exploiting them.... overtime this leads to the formation of subsurface caves.
This happens in areas where there is a lot of limestone, dolomite and/or marble.
Karst is found in large quantities in Quebec at Ile d'Anticosti, the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island, large patches beneath glacial-lake clays like Lake Agassiz (Winnipeg area) and in the Northwest Territories. Small patches can be found in Hamilton, Montreal and Ottawa. The mountains in British Columbia can also host Karst.
See this site for more information.
A protected cave system in British Columbia. It became protected because of vandalism issues. Cavers asked the government to help protect the cave system, thus leading to the guided tour system today.