Limestone Flashcards
What is Limestone?
Limestone is a sedimentary rock which consists largely of calcium carbonate.
What are the types of limestone?
Coralline
Oolites
White limestone/chalk
Yellow Limestone
Describe the coralline limestone
It is made up of the remains of coral polyps.
Describe the Oolites limestone
Its a calcium precipitate which is formed from a solution in sea water
Describe the white limestone/chalk
It is made up of 95% calcium carbonate. Its soft and know as pure limestone. Its not suitable for settlements. (Its weak)
Describe the yellow limestone
It is made up on mud and other impurites. (strong limestone)
What are the characteristics of limestone?
Porous- The spaces in the sediments allow water to enter/ pass through
Previous- Joints, faults, bedding planes
Good aquifiers- 40% and 25% of Jamaica’s ground and surface water comes from the aquifier in Trelawny
Where is cockpit country?
Rugged areas of peaks, valleys and caves located in western Central Jamaica
In which parishes are cockpit countries found?
Trelawny, St. Ann, St James, St. Elizabeth and Manchester
What are some countries dominant in limestone?
Cuba
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Belize
Trinidad
Bahamas
Barbados
What are some headwaters of major rivers in CC?
Martha Brae
Black River
Great River
Rio Bueno
What gives you calcium bicarbonate?
Carbonic acid and calcium carbonate
What gives you carbonic acid?
water and carbon dioxide
What gives you sulphuric acid?
water and sulphur dioxide
What are the 2 theories of the formation of cockpits?
Solution- Heavy rains washing through falted limestone, dissolving and eroding the faults. The debris washes through the sinkholes.
Collapse- The collapse of cave systems
What are poljes?
Poljes are a flat floored depression in a limestone area surronded by a steep side hill.
What are poljes used for?
Drainage basins
What are poljes caused by?
Carbonation in the joints or crack in the limestone
What are limestone pavements comprised of?
Large rectangular rocks called clints and large grooves that seperated them called grykes
What is a sinkhole?
Depression in the land surface
How are sinkholes formed?
They are formed by the dissolving of underlying limestones and the collapse of the surface material.
When does the river return to the surface?
At the resurgence point
What are Dry Valleys?
Steep sided valleys that no longer have water flowing over the surface.
What forms from below a dry valley?
Underground caves.
