Chen Mengxiong (China)

The  IGCP  299, "Geology, Climate, Hydrology and Karst Formation",  is  very important  for  promoting the karst study around the world. There are a  lot  of karst areas in China, distributed in different geological, geomorphological  and climate units.

The latitude zoning controls the dividing of the South and North China,  the influence  of  the  Pacific monsoon causes the  longitudinal  zoning  appearance between  the East and West China, and the vertical zoning is predominant in  the Qinghai-Xichang (Tibet) Plateau.

In  the  North China, there are three zones divided from  the  coastland  to inland, which  indicate three different karst types: (1) the  semi-humid  karst type  of North Border Area of the Sea, the Shandong Peninsula and  the  Liaoning Peninsula  as representative and Jinan, Weifang, Dalian and  Benxi  as  typical regions;  (2)  the semi-arid karst type of Huabei, the Shanxi  Plateau  and  the Taihang  area as representative and Taiyuan and Beijing as typical regions;  (3) the   arid  karst  type  of Northwest  Inland  Basin,  the  Tianshan  area   as representative and Urumqi as typical region.

The coastland to inland of South China can be divided into three zones.  (1) the Southeast  and  South-Middle humid karst type,  the  Hubei  Yangtse  Gorge, Nanjing and  Hangzhou as typical regions; (2) the Southwest humid  karst  type, Guilin  and Liuzhou of Guangxi, Guiyang and Anxun of Guizhou, Kunming and  Lunan of Yunnan and Chongqing and Hechuan of Sichuan as typical regions; (3) the Qing-Hai-Xizhang Plateau karst type of frozen area.

The  six  karst  types in six areas can be subdivided  furtherly.  The  type regions can be used as basic of correlation in all the country.

The  main  topics of correlation of the karst type consist  of  geotectonic, geomorphology,   rock-strata,   climate,   vegetation,   hydrology,   ecological environment, karst texture, karst development, vertical developmental regular of karst, karst development history, paleokarst, burried karst, karst hydrology and geology, karst  resources  (including mineral resources,  water  resources  and tourist resources), karst environmental geology, karst disaster, etc. The  main correlation topics of the different regions are different due to the  different condition of each region.

Lu Yaoru (China)

A lot of comparative researches related to the karst developments and  karst hydrogeology  in  South  China and North China have  been  proceeded,  and  many results  have been put forward by author in some papers and the work  [KARST  IN CHINA---LANDSCAPES.  TYPES. RULES ]. The main contents include the lithological characters   of   carbonate  rocks,  main  paleo-karst   developmental stages, combinative  karst  phenomena, karst types, different  climatic  conditions and their  influences  upon karst forms, different structural conditions  and  their controlling on karst types, karst hydrodynamic conditions and basic features  of karst hydrogeology.  The  paper summarizes,in one  way,  the  recognitions  and progresses about the comparative researches, and in another way, discusses  some main problems, which are need to take more attention and to study deeply.  This paper  also indicates the favourable conditions  in  China  for  international comparative studies about karst developments and karst hydrogeology.

Lu Yaoru (China)

Karst  in  both  China  and Yugoslavia are fascinating  in  the  world.  The carbonate rocks widely distributed in China belong to the geologic periods from the  Pre-sinian to the Quaternary; the major karstifications  proceeded  before Tertiary  will  be named as 1.the Proterozoic, 2.the  Pre-sinian,  3.the  Middle Guizhou   Caledonian, 4.the  North  China  Caledonian,  5.the   North   Guizhou Caledonian,  6.the Northeast Yunnan Variscian, 7.the Middle  Yunnan  Variscian, 8.the  North  Guizhou Variscian, 9.the Middle Guangxi-Yenshan  and  10.the  East Yunnan-Yenshan  fossil karstified stages etc., but the ones, since  Tertiary,are called  11.the Plateau, 12.the Stone forrest (or peak forrest etc.) and  13.the Gorge  (Sanxia,Yujiang etc.)karst stages. In Yugoslavia, most of  the  carbonate rocks were deposited in the geologic times from Triassic to Tertiary;  according to  the  writing of M.Herak et al,the fossil karstifications  proceeded  before Tertiary   will   be  adopted  the  following  names: a.the   Middle   Permian Variscian,b.the Pfalzian Variscian, c.the Montenegrian Variscian, d.the  Labinian Variscian,  e.the  Cimmerian Variscian fossil karstified stages  etc.,  and  the neokarst will be divided into f.the Laramian Alps, g.the Basin Alps,h.the  Polje Dinaric and i.the Danube (or Sava) karst stage (fig.1)

By comparing the karst development of strong uplifted Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in China  with that of Dinaric Plateau-Mountains in Yugoslavia, it is  able  to understand their  similarity of features. That are,many  fault  basins,  either developed  in Yunnan with each area of 45-825 sq km and altitude  between  1250-1945 meters or formed in Dinaric with each area of 44-365 sq km and its location at 100-1278 meters a.s.1,are all arranged into several steps by the influence of rhaegmagency,originated from strong but differential uplifting.

The  climatic  changes  and  the  glaciations  in  Quaternary  had   clearly influenced the karst development in the two countries. The dissolution rates  of some typical regions in both countries are summarized in table 1.

Fig.1 The Comparative Map Showing The Karstified Stages In China and Yugoslavia
1.fossil karstified stage 2.continued fossil karsified stage
3.neo-karstified stage 4.continued neo-karstified stage

In  this  paper,  several common problems about  karst  water  movement  are discussed,that  are:  1)  uniform  features of karst water  in  three  kinds  of mediums(it  means that the pore, fissure and cavern or large passage-ways  water with  different  features usually exist together in a karstified  rock  body  as three  kinds  of  mediums,  and so varied characters  of  cavern  water  can  be indicated  by a few of large karst springs in the two countries listing  in  the table2, 2) percolating and flowing speeds of different karst water, 3)  porosity and  ratio of fissure and cavern space, 4) amount of water or grout  absorption, 5)  dispersive motion and connection of karst water flow,6)posibility  of  karst water  movement with the case of flow net, 7) interrelationship  among  multiple dynamic states about karst water movement, 8) tendency to the formation of  huge cone  of  depression  in karst groundwater being pumped,  9)  specific  case  of turning fresh karst water into brackish by sea water intrusion and 10)  features of removing the karst watershed.

The  three major types of cropping karst, i.e. corrosion,  corrosion-erosion and corrosion-structure, as well as several sub-types may also be classified  in Dianric and other regions of Yugoslavia.

Tab.1 Dissolution Rates of Some Typical Regions in China and Yugoslavia

(The  dissolution  rates in Yugoslavia are caculated on  the  basis  
of  the writings of M.Herak et al.)

Tab.2 Some Large Springs in China and Yugoslavia

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