Castles & karst |
CASTLEGUARD
![Picture](/uploads/5/0/4/5/50450907/1430343522.png)
Situated in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta and British Columbia, the Castleguard karst area is a classic example of alpine karst, characterized by high relative relief and being partly overlain by glacier ice. The karst is developed upon a limestone benchland bordering the eastern side of the Columbia Icefield and extending beneath it.
Castleguard Mountain is about at its center – the mountain was named because of its castle-like appearance, as it seemed to stand guard over the southern portion of the Columbia Icefield.
Different karst landforms can be located in the Castleguard area, such as Karren, sinkholes, and cave systems. More than 100 sinkholes have been counted in the Castleguard karst; almost all of them specific to glaciated karsts of high elevation. One significant cave system has been explored in the area, and there are indications of several others.
Castleguard Mountain is about at its center – the mountain was named because of its castle-like appearance, as it seemed to stand guard over the southern portion of the Columbia Icefield.
Different karst landforms can be located in the Castleguard area, such as Karren, sinkholes, and cave systems. More than 100 sinkholes have been counted in the Castleguard karst; almost all of them specific to glaciated karsts of high elevation. One significant cave system has been explored in the area, and there are indications of several others.
Characteristics of alpine karst systems:
Vertical solution development
Thick unsaturated (vadose) zone
Steep hydraulic gradients
Spring discharge that responds primarily to snowmelt runoff
Pit development in high-altitude meadows
Cold-temperature dissolution of carbonate rocks
Vertical solution development
Thick unsaturated (vadose) zone
Steep hydraulic gradients
Spring discharge that responds primarily to snowmelt runoff
Pit development in high-altitude meadows
Cold-temperature dissolution of carbonate rocks