Distribution and development conditions of karst phenomena in Estonia

Abstract

Nearly half of Estonia’s territory is underlain by Silurian and Ordovician carbonate rocks, which host extensive shallow karstified aquifers that contribute nearly a third of the annually abstracted domestic groundwater. Due to glacial erosions, the short duration of the post-glacial evolution of the territory and for other reasons, karst topography has generally modest dimensions in Estonia. Despite of the relative youth of the majority of the karst formations, karstification is widespread and affects a large fraction of the population daily mostly by means of shallow groundwater quality. Moreover, Estonian karst, with its peculiarities, offers a rare glimpse into the (re)initiation phase of karst in intensively eroded topography, which can still surprise with occasional remnants from the previous times. In this paper a brief overview of the distribution and development of Estonian karst are presented.