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Glossary of Cave and Karst Terminology
A Lexicon of Cave and Karst Terminology
with Special Reference to Environmental Karst Hydrology
Malcom S. Field, PhD
National Center for Environmental Assessment
U. S. Environmental Protection Agency
Several attempts to classify karst terminology in an organized manner have been attempted in the past. The last few glossaries of karst terminology were organized in the late 1960's and published in the early 1970's. Since that time, many new terms related to karst in general have come into use throughout the world while other older karst terms are seldom used nowadays. This glossary provides an up-to-date reference for modern definitions of karst terms both currently in usage and now defunct. Many of the more recent karst terms are related to the upsurge in environmentalism and the recognition among karst cognoscenti that karst terrains are much more sensitive to man-induced effects on the environment than are other types of landscapes. In an attempt to be as broad as possible in this glossary, terms related to general hydrology and hydrogeology, common karst rock and mineral types, and many of the descriptive terms used in speleology even where they relate to specific localities have been included. A list of references for the definitions are included and citations provided when appropriate.
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