Limestone Landforms
Geography: KS3, topic 2.2.2
Limestone Landforms
Limestone can form landforms that appear on the surface of the Earth or underground.
Properties of limestone
- Limestone is a sedimentary rock.
- Limestone is mostly made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3).
- Limestone is dissolved by carbonic acid (carbon dioxide and rainwater).
Surface features
- Limestone pavements are a surface feature of some areas of limestone e.g. above Malham Cove, Yorkshire.
- Swallow holes or sinkholes are where surface streams disappear underground, often for several kilometres, e.g. Gaping Gill near Ingleborough in Yorkshire.
Underground features
- Caves are a common underground feature of many limestone areas.
- Caves are formed by the limestone being dissolved by acidic water.
Underground features cont.
- Stalactites are deposits of limestone hanging down from the ceiling of a cave
- Stalagmites are deposits of limestone growing upwards from the floor of a cave.
- If a stalactite joins to a stalagmite, a column is formed.
Test yourself on Limestone Landforms
What do we call deposits of limestone growing upwards from the floor of a cave?
What type of rock is limestone?
Gaping Gill in Yorkshire is an example of which limestone landform?