Karst Development Research Articles

Study of the karst development rate of the Jinping porous carbonate rock formation based on porosity analysis of rock images

Study of the karst development rate of the Jinping porous carbonate rock formation based on porosity analysis of rock images

Genesis Analysis and Stability Evaluation of Karst Area in the Mudengdong Village Based on the Geological Investigation and Numerical Simulation Methods

The large-scale mining of underground mineral resources will lead to the formation of mined-out areas, which will lead to a series of geological and environmental problems. By selecting the Mudengdong village as a case study, this paper uses geodetic satellite remote sensing technologies to perform qualitative analyses and summarize the geological engineering conditions of the factory. Afterwards, the predominant factors that affect the stability of foundation are determined based on the geological survey of karst in goaf structures. Finally, the finite element software ANSYS is used to comprehensively study the karst problem. The results indicate that (1) the karst development pattern in the study area is controlled by the Beiyin mountain fault, in which case the karst in the basin, in the foot slope, or in the pass section is more widespread than in the slope section. Moreover, the karst generally has a vertical form and is in the early karst stage of development; (2) surface rainwater infiltration, earthquakes, and load pressure are the three major factors that affect karst collapse in the study area; (3) by simulating the development of karst caves and the bearing capacity of the karst roof in the goaf structure under different conditions, it is recommended that only civil buildings with not more than three floors can be built in the village. Overburdened soil thicknesses between 6 and 10 m and civil buildings with heights less than 6 m are not suitable parameters for construction activities. If there are hidden soil holes under the overburden layer, dynamic consolidation needs to be applied in order to destroy the structure of the soil layer and to ensure the safety of personnel.

Characterizing the hierarchical groundwater flow systems in Karstic Xiangxi River Basin, West Hubei, Central China

Karstification degree is a key factor in controlling the characteristics of karst GFP. In this study, hydrogeology, karst development, hydrograph, artificial and natural tracers and hydrochemistry were integrated to characterize the groundwater flow patterns (GFP) in the Cambrian-Ordovician karst aquifer in Xiangxi River Basin. Groundwater samples were collected from three karst groundwater points: Wulongdong spring (WLD), Shuimoxi spring (SMX), and groundwater exposed by Borehole ZK03 (ZK03), which have different discharge variations. The hydrogeological analysis and the artificial tracer tests showed that groundwater runoff channel for WLD, SMX and ZK03 are dominated by conduits, fracture networks and micro fissures-matrix, respectively. The natural responses (discharge, electrical conductivity and temperature) of WLD to rainfall indicated that flow in this system is discharged by conduit, fracture and matrix, respectively. Stable isotopes (2H, 18O) of precipitation and groundwater suggested that the WLD and SMX recharge at the adjacent zone with mean elevations of 878 m and 676 m, respectively; while ZK03 recharge at mean elevations of 1338 m from thousands of meters away. Mean residence times calculated by artificial and natural tracers (18O, CFC) of conduit flow in WLD (7–19 h), fracture flow in WLD and SMX (243 and 600 days), and matrix flow in ZK03 (41 years) were obviously increased gradually. Hydro-chemical analysis shows that ZK03 has higher concentrations of ions that related to carbonate dissolution, indicating groundwater in ZK03 has longer time to interact with rocks. The results show that GFP in study aquifer are characterized by local fast conduit flow, local intermediate fracture networks flow and regional slow matrix flow with progressively slower groundwater refresh rate. The conceptual model was also proposed to enable a better understanding of groundwater circulation, water resources and vulnerability of the karst system in Central China.

Genesis Analysis of Ground Collapse in Wuhan Based on 3D Geological Model

Ground collapse has been one of the main types of geological disasters in Wuhan City. It can be characterized by complex disaster-inducing environment, diverse disaster-causing factors, fragile disaster-bearing bodies, and serious consequences. In this study, a 3D geological structure model of the area was established by collecting data from major ground collapse incidents in Wuhan that have occurred over the years and by combining them with geological data obtained from boreholes. The model was used to analyze the distribution of ground subsidence in the city and reveal the geological causes of ground subsidence accidents in this area. The results showed that ground collapse is mainly distributed in the karst development area along the Yangtze River in Baishazhou. The karst was most developed at the intersection between the Yangtze River fault and the Hanyang fold belt. The ground collapse incidents showed two main characteristics in terms of their spatial distribution. Most of the collapse areas developed in the central third limestone belt. Most of the collapses are located on the first terrace of the Yangtze River. Most collapse points were controlled by geomorphic units (first terrace), stratigraphic age (Holocene) and stratigraphic combination (a binary structure composed of clay as the upper part and fine sand as the lower part, and the bottom is a gravel layer, containing pore confined water). The karst collapse in Fenghuo Village was selected as a case study to analyze the evolution process and disaster-causing mechanism of the karst collapse. Groundwater extraction was found to be the main reason for the karst collapse. The research results provide a geological basis for the planning layout and urban construction in Wuhan City.

Experimental study on karst development characteristics of calcrete and analysis of its dissolution mechanism

Experimental study on karst development characteristics of calcrete and analysis of its dissolution mechanism

Surface control techniques for tunnels in karst areas under airport taxiways

Under the conditions of karst development and soft upper and hard lower strata, ground-settlement control for tunnels under airport taxiways is stricter than for ordinary tunnels. Tunnel construction methods and karst disposal measures are also important. These are engineering problems that need to be solved urgently to ensure the safe passage of tunnels under airport taxiways. Taking the intercity railway tunnel under taxiways T3 and T4 of Guangzhou Baiyun international airport as a case study, theoretical analysis and field tests on karst treatment measures and ground-settlement control measures were conducted. Karst treatment measures and a pile support plate (PSP) structure have been proposed to support the taxiways. The effect of the system was analysed numerically method and on-site surface settlement was monitored. The maximum monitored settlement of T3 and T4 taxiway surfaces was 5.90 mm and the differential settlement was 0.12‰. The numerical results provided a similar value and did not exceed the settlement control standard for airport taxiways. The key technologies for the construction of tunnels under airport taxiways in karst areas and upper soft and lower hard strata are presented, karst disposal measures are summarised and the PSP protection system is described. The results provide reference information for similar projects.

Karst Collapse Monitoring and Early Warning Evaluation Method Based on Multisensor Internet of Things.

The international community has paid extensive attention to the numerous engineering problems faced by karst areas caused by the increasingly frequent human activities. China has a wide variety of karst forms. Among them, carbonate karst is the most widely distributed, and the development of carbonate karst is relatively strong in many areas. Countless property losses are caused by karst disasters every year. This article aims to study the real-time monitoring and timely early warning of karst collapse through the use of multisensor Internet of Things technology. To this end, this article proposes an improved method for multisensor data fusion. It optimizes and improves the transmission and delivery efficiency of its data. This makes the improved multisensor more in line with the research content of this article in terms of monitoring efficiency. At the same time, related experiments and analyses are designed to compare and analyze the karst collapse and the monitoring efficiency of the sensor. The experimental results of this article show that after the improvement, the anti-interference ability of the monitoring system is increased by 34%. The frequency of early warning has also been improved by 24%, which has high practical application value.

Risk Assessment of Water Inrush from Coal Floor Based on Karst Fractal-Vulnerability Index Method

Hidden karst structures are developed irregularly in the Middle Permian Maokou Formation aquifer from the northern part of the Guizhou coalfield, China. Mining operations associated with the exploitation of coal seams from the lower part of the Upper Permian Longtan Formation are threatened by karst waters from the underlying strata. To improve the accuracy of water inrush risk assessment of the karst aquifer floor in the northern Guizhou coalfield, the karst fractal quantification technique is implemented. In this study, the karst aquifer of the Maokou Formation located under the floor of the No. 15 coal seam from the Honglin Coal Mine is considered as the research object. Based on the karst results predicted by geophysical exploration methods, the fractal theory is used to quantify the degree of karst development, while the risk of water inrush from the floor of the coal seam is evaluated by applying ArcGIS information processing technology combined with the vulnerability index method. The results indicate the following observations: the mean fractal dimension of karst in the study area is 1.53, the karst structures are highly developed, and the overall distribution of karst is characterized by an irregular NW-SE direction; the main controlling factors affecting water inrush from the floor of the No. 15 coal seam are expressed by the water pressure of the aquifer, the abundance of water in the aquifer, the degree of karst development, the thickness of the effective impermeable layer, the mining depth, the coal seam dip angle, and the degree of fault complexity; the areas with the highest risk of floor water inrush are predominantly concentrated in the northwestern and central parts, but there is also a risk of floor water inrush in the first mining area of the No. 15 coal seam. This study takes into consideration complex factors such as the typical karst aquifer and the hydrogeological conditions in the northern part of the Guizhou coalfield, which results in a more realistic interpretation and can provide further guidance for water control activities in the mining area.

Spatiotemporal Impact on Vegetation by Tunnel Discharging in the Jinping II Hydropower Station: Evidence From the NDVI and GPP Monitoring Dataset of 2001–2019

An impact on vegetation by tunnel discharging has been a critical point for underground constructions around the world. The Jinping II hydropower station in China possesses the world’s largest karst diversion tunnel group and discharged massive groundwater during the construction period. This study assessed the effects on vegetation in the karst and non-karst areas at different stages before construction (2001–2003, BC), during construction (2004–2014, DC), and after construction (2015–2019, AC) based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the gross primary productivity (GPP) dataset of the moderate resolution-imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS). The regional median results of the NDVI and GPP showed that the whole vegetation was little changed by massive tunnel drainage throughout BC, DC, and AC. The NDVI and GPP were locally decreased in the first 3 years, and then recovered to the original level within next several years. Notably, the NDVI and GPP of the karst area (20 and 50% in the total area) were decreased more significantly than those of the non-karst area (8 and 20% in the total area). The factors controlling vegetation change are the development of karst and fractures, which are the conduits of groundwater flow. Therefore, massive groundwater discharge is the primary influence leading to the vegetation deterioration in the Jinping II hydropower station. The research would provide a vital reference for vegetation protection of large-scale underground construction in the world.

Looking Into the Entanglement Between Karst Landforms and Fault Activity in Carbonate Ridges: The Fibreno Fault System (Central Italy)

The entanglement between active tectonics and karst systems is well-known in the literature. Karst systems are sound recorders of continental deformation in terms of brittle structures and seismic features and have been successfully used as markers for reconstructing tectonic stresses and assessing preferential directions of increased permeability in oil and gas fields. Karst systems could also be exploited to evaluate the past activity of faults bounding karst hydrostructures, thus providing useful data for the assessment of the seismic hazard of a specific area. In this work, we look into the complex relationship among karst development, recent tectonics and groundwater flow, which appear to be strongly interconnected with each other, to assess the activity of faults bounding karst hydrostructures. We focused our attention on an active karst area located in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic carbonate reliefs of the Italian central Apennines. In this context, the morphological and morphometric features of the karst landforms (dolines, dry valleys, and cave entrances), identified with geomorphological surveys, and their mutual relationship with fractures and fault segments, identified employing geostructural analysis, document stasis and deepening events in karst evolution. Such events are related to changes in the groundwater table and the consequent variation of the paleokarst base level associated with the Quaternary fault activity. A comprehensive evaluation of the evolution of karst systems at local and regional scales, considering the hydrogeological influence on base levels, allows us to use karst landforms as a proxy to unravel fault activity and evolution in Italy and in other similar karst environments.

Incipient karst generation in jointed layered carbonates: Insights from three-dimensional hydro-chemical simulations

We develop a hydro-chemical model to simulate incipient karst generation in three-dimensional (3D) jointed layered carbonates. The discrete fracture networks consist of fractures that are represented by two-dimensional (2D) planes. The numerical model couples the important physical processes of fluid flow, reactive transport, and dissolutional growth of fracture aperture. We represent the typical layered joint systems by the synthetic fracture networks composed of two jointed layers separated by a horizontal bedding plane. By considering a wide range of initial flow rates and aperture distributions of the joints and bedding plane, the combined effects of the penetration length and the flow localization on karst evolution are systematically investigated. The simulation results confirm that different flow regimes (i.e. joint-dominated, transitional, and bedding plane-dominated) may induce distinct features of incipient karst morphologies observed in nature (i.e. pipe-like, stripe-like and sheet-like), which is attributed to the flow reorganization and the scale alteration of effective flow region. We further found the diversity of morphologies also depends on the initial penetration length, which plays a primary role in controlling dissolution patterns in joint-dominated systems. In addition, introducing the second joint set results in distinct 3D flow structure and dissolutional behavior comparing to single joint system. Our findings highlight the importance of 3D hydro-chemical modeling for realistic engineering applications as the structural complexity of 3D fractured rocks may be underrepresented by the previous studies using simplified conduit networks.

Development and structure of karstification of the Dong Van Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark, North Vietnam based on cave survey data

This paper presents a quantitative study of the relationship between the cave system and the tectonic and karst evolution of the Dong Van Karst Plateau based on analysis and statistics of geometric parameters and orientation of cave passages. The region is located in northern Vietnam and belongs to the extended part of the South China karst belt (Yunnan karst plateau), which is composed mainly of carbonate rocks. Cave classification based on cave conduits geometric parameters shows that caves developed mainly in the vadose zone (27 vadose branchwork caves, 10 mixed caves developed under the control of fault systems, and 12 water-table caves). The degree of correlation between cave levels and planation surfaces suggests that the development of horizontal cave passages is related to two levels of planation surfaces, including one at 1250–1450 masl (equivalent to cave level at 1350–1450 masl), and at 1000–1250 masl (corresponding to cave level at 1200–1250 masl). Additionally, cave passage orientation shows that the cave system formed and developed under the influence of tectonic activities in the Cenozoic. The dominant orientation trend is roughly in the East–West direction and occurred in the early phase (Eocene–Miocene). Next is a trend roughly North–South that occurred in the late phase (Pliocene–Quaternary). The last orientation trend follows the NW–SE direction due to the reactivation of paleo-fault systems in the same direction. Although there are limitations due to accessibility and the level of cave exploration, this research suggests that analysis and statistics of the geometric parameters and orientation of cave passages based on cave survey data can be one of the effective approaches used to identify the development and structure of karstification in the karst region.

Karst relief of the Mali me Gropa Massif, central Albania

The mid-altitude mountain massif of Mali me Gropa is located in the central part of Albania, rises to an altitude of 1500–1800 m a.s.l., is composed mostly of Mesozoic limestone, and is characterized by extensive surface karst development. The karst relief is dominated by “doline” morphology including “polygonal” karst. Detailed geomorphological analysis of the western part of the Mali me Gropa massif (so-called Western Massif) by means of GIS methods is used to determine and explain the morphometric and morphological diversity of the area’s topography. Based on a homogeneity criterion, a number of geomorphological units with specific kinds of karst relief have been distinguished within the massif. The differences in karst sculpture concern the size (diameter) of dolines and depressions, their depth, shape and symmetry, orientation, density of occurrence and spatial pattern, which provide the basis for distinguishing geomorphological units. The spatial differentiation of the karst relief is explained by the influence of factors which are evolutionary (geological and geomorphological evolution of the massif), hypsometric (altitude difference of terrains) and geomorphologic-structural (inclination of the slopes and layers). The relatively poor expression of open karst conduits (i.e. caves and vertical shafts) on the surface of the massif may result from the relative immaturity of the epikarst zone, the widespread occurrence of residual cover on the plateau, and the accumulation of large amounts of clay material in dolines and depressions. Detailed hydrogeological studies show, however, high karst permeability and dominance of conduit flow. Considering the high geomorphological landscape and ecological value of the area, it should be granted the status of a nature reserve or national park. Geomorphological and karstological research within the massif should be continued as it represents a type of karst found also in other parts of Albania. This type of karst area is of great economic (groundwater reserves) and natural protection (environmental) importance.

Identification and Evolution of Different Genetic Types of Deep Karst Caves Controlled by Faults—A Case Study in Huanjiang Sag, Guangxi Province, South China

In recent years, it has become more and more common to drill deep karst caves as a part of deep shale gas resource exploration and engineering construction in South China. However, the amount of research on the genesis and development mechanism of deep karst caves is relatively low. Based on drilling core karst morphology analysis and two-dimensional (2D) seismic and wide-field geophysical exploration methods, it is revealed that the deep karst in the Huanjiang area is mainly composed of net cracks, holes expanding along cracks and dolomite honeycomb pores, and that large karst caves are also developed, which are related to NW-trending faults. The deep karst is developed in the hanging wall of the fault, with a width of 500 m and a height of 1500 m, and a linear distribution along NW faults in the region. Based on Th-U dating, inclusion testing and rare earth elements from cave fillings, it is revealed that the development of deep karst space is related to two deep karst genetic types: The first is the hypogene hydrothermal karst, which developed in the Yanshanian period and is related to regional magmatism. The second is the groundwater deep circulation karst, mainly developed after the Himalayan period, which is related to the deep circulation of meteoric water. The genesis of deep karst space is the result of multi-stage karst superposition and is mainly controlled by faults. It is difficult to determine the specific time points of these two types of deep karst transformation, but according to regional tectonic evolution, we speculate that the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau has been uplifted since the Himalayan period (>3.54 Ma), and the Carboniferous carbonate rocks and early faults in the Huanjiang area have been exposed, leading to the change and evolution of deep karst. Through comprehensive analysis, a fault-controlled hypogene hydrothermal karst pattern and a meteoric water deep karst pattern are established. The genetic pattern of deep karst provides theoretical support for predicting this kind of karst in southern China and for avoiding drilling deep karst caves as a part of resource exploitation.

Characteristics and Research Direction of Triassic in the South Yellow Sea Basin, China

To advance oil and gas exploration in the South Yellow Sea Basin, characteristics of Triassic, including its correlation with regional strata, distribution, lithology characteristics, and karst development characteristics, are studied by geological mapping. Results show that there exist Zhouchongcun Formation and Qinglong Formation in the Triassic. Zhouchongcun Formation corresponds to Dongma Formation in the lower Yangtze Region, Badong Formation in the middle Yangtze Region, and Lekoupo Formation in the upper Yangtze region. The upper Qinglong Formation corresponds to the Nanlinghu Formation and Longshan Formation in Xiyanzi district, and Jialingjiang Formation in the middle and upper Yangtze region. Its lithology is limestone, intercalated with marl, mudstone, and argillaceous siltstone. The lower Qinglong Formation corresponds to the Yinkeng Formation at the lower Yangtze group. The lower Qinglong group has the complex lithologic characteristics, which can be divided into six categories from top to bottom, including limestone weathering crust layer, limestone, marl with mudstone, mudstone with limestone, marl with limestone, and mudstone interbedding limestone and mudstone. Karst phenomenon is well developed in the lower Qinglong Formation, and the thickness of weathering crust, revealed by cz35-2-1 well, reaches 60.5 m. Triassic in the South Yellow Sea Basin is mainly distributed in the central uplift and southern depression, showing the regional differences in distribution. Karstification is probably the main reason for this significant difference. Identification of karst phenomenon and stratigraphic division method towards Triassic drilling coring are two important directions of Triassic study in the South Yellow Sea Basin.

Age of the epigenetic karst from the central region of Sierra de los Órganos, Pinar del Río, Cuba

The epigenetic karst age in the central region of Sierra de los Órganos, is defined from the moment the carbonated sequences are uncovered and denudation processes begin at the end of the Oligocene and early Miocene (approximately 25 Ma). Although the karstic forms in this region originated at different times, they all coexist in today’s landscape. While the area was rising up slowly and sea level changes were taking place, the regional erosion base level descended giving rise to leveling surfaces desiccated by numerous sinkholes. At this time, surface currents disappear to become underground streams, which have carved out an extensive network of galleries. Satellite images and aerial photos interpretation, geological survey, measurements of morphostructures and multivariate statistical analysis, were the methods used to establish the epigenetic karst evolution model for the region. The model includes nine surfaces of erosion base levels, in a range that goes from the 410 m a.s.l., coinciding with the older erosion base levels conserved in the area (23 Ma before the present), until the 50 m a.s.l., corresponding to the surface of current erosion.

Engineering-geological zoning of the central area of the Upper Kama Potassium–Magnesium Deposit in view of salt karst propagation

With a view to geological and environmental safety of the central area of the Upper Kama Potassium–Magnesium Salt Deposit, the engineering-geological zoning is performed to identify karst-sensitive land. The zoning is based on two most fundamental factors: hydrogeology and neotectonics. Evaluation of the first factor consisted in determining the thicknesses of suprasalt deposits and the size of fresh groundwater zone by analyzing the data of exploration wells and other geological and hydrogeological materials, as well as calculating the thickness of the separating stratum corresponding to the interval of deposits from the top of the salt stratum to the lower boundary of the zone of fresh groundwater. The analysis of the second, neotectonic, factor was associated with the identification of increased fracturing zones in rock mass based on the grouping of faults and lineaments obtained from the interpretation of cosmic and aerial photographs, as well as from the construction and analysis of digital elevation models during field route observations. The comparison of two factors made it possible to zone the territory of research into areas with different degrees of protection of the salt stratum from the potential development of karst: high, medium and low. Within the areas with a low degree of protection, the further detailed studies of the hydrodynamic regime of groundwater and their interaction with the host rocks are necessary. The described method of engineering-geological zoning can find application to provide natural and technological safety in underground mining areas. The results obtained can be used in design of systems of special-purpose geodetic and hydrogeological monitoring.The research was carried out under the state contract, Topic No. AAAA-A19-119021190076-9.

Vulnerability Assessment of Karst Underground Waters in the Territory of Non-Centralized Water Supply

This paper considers an individual approach to assessing the vulnerability of karst groundwater. It is based on the allocation of such indicators as the geological structure of the observed territory, the concentration of runoff entering the karst channels, and the precipitation regime. Due to regional climatic, hydrogeological and landscape features, a private methodology for assessing the vulnerability of karst groundwater has been developed. To assess the vulnerability of sources of non-centralized water supply, a factor is taken into account, including such indicators as lithology, soil thickness, and the presence of a karst base. The most intense karst processes occur on river terraces, valley slopes. For this purpose, a factor is taken into account, including the level of river flow by hydrogeological posts, underground flow, karst craters, tectonic faults, and vegetation. The development of karst is also promoted by high gradients of the underground flow and underground water outlets in riverbeds and coastal slopes. For this purpose, the factor is taken into account, which is formed on the basis of the criterion of the development of the karst network and the hydrographic network.A relatively large amount of precipitation, especially in the form of rain, and low evaporation determine the increased values of surface and underground runoff and, accordingly, the development of dissolution and leaching processes. Among the external factors, the solubility of minerals is significantly affected by the total mineralization and chemical composition of the dissolving waters. As a result of the observations, spatio-temporal dependencies were identified in the controlled territory.

Inferring subsidence characteristics in Wuhan (China) through multitemporal InSAR and hydrogeological analysis

Wuhan (China) is facing severe consolidation subsidence of soft soil and karst collapse hazards. To quantitatively explore the extent and causes of land subsidence in Wuhan, we performed multitemporal interferometry (MTI) analysis using synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from the TerraSAR-X satellite from 2013 to 2017 and the Sentinel-1A satellite from 2015 to 2017. MTI results reveal four major subsidence zones in Wuhan, namely, Hankou (exceeding −6 cm/yr), Xudong-Qingshan (−3 cm/yr), Baishazhou-Jiangdi (−3 cm/yr), and Jianshe-Yangluo (−2 cm/yr). Accuracy assessment using 106 levelling benchmarks and cross-validation between the two InSAR-based results indicate an overall root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 2.5 and 3.1 mm/yr, respectively. Geophysical and geological analyses suggest that among the four major subsiding zones, Hankou, Xudong-Qingshan, and Jianshe-Yangluo are located in non-karstic soft soil areas, where shallow groundwater (< 30 m) declines driven by engineering dewatering and industrial water depletion contribute directly to soft soil compaction. Subsidence in the Baishazhou-Jiangdi zone develops in the karst terrain with abundant underground caves and fissures, which are major natural factors for gradual subsidence and karst collapse. Spatial variation analysis of the geological conditions indicates that the stage of karst development plays the most important role in influencing kart subsidence, followed by municipal construction, proximity to major rivers, and overlying soil structure. Moreover, land subsidence in this zone is affected more via coupling effects from multiple factors. Risk zoning analysis integrating subsidence horizontal gradient, InSAR deformation rates, and municipal construction density show that the high-risk areas in Wuhan are mainly distributed in the Tianxingzhou and Baishazhou-Jiangdi zone, and generally spread along the metro lines.

Karstified layers and caves formed by superposed epigenic dissolution along subaerial unconformities in carbonate rocks – Impact on reservoir-scale permeability

Superposed events of rock exposure, fracturing, and the hydrological dynamics, are key elements that influence epigenic karstification in carbonate reservoirs. However, they are not fully identified in seismic or well data. One way forward is a multiscale characterization of the porous system to understand karst development, from the pore scale to large caves, confined to high-permeability layers that can reach the basin scale. The present study investigates superposed meteoric dissolution events in carbonate rocks by combining the analyses of depositional setting, diagenesis, stratigraphic architecture, tectonics, and hydrological zones. We performed analyses of 130 plugs collected in 11 outcrops using petrographic, petrophysical, mineralogical, and geochemical analyses. The study area is the Cretaceous Jandaíra Formation in the Potiguar Basin, Brazil, where we identified a regional subaerial unconformity-SU (sequence boundary-1). This surface is characterized by a change in facies and depositional system between dolomitic peritidal deposits (depositional sequence 1) and tight-cemented calcite subtidal deposits (depositional sequence 2). A concentration of caves occurs below the SU. We conclude that subaerial unconformities (vadose surfaces) can develop better reservoir qualities with superposed freshwater leaching and karstification. They control the lateral reservoir zonation, whereas faults and fractures provide vertical pore distribution within the vadose/phreatic hydrological zones. Water table fluctuations can develop multilevel caves and conduits along the epiphreatic zones, increasing the reservoir thickness, which reaches 50–100 m in the Potiguar Basin. We recognized two previous subaerial unconformities at the basin scale using well and seismic data. These findings may have important implications for assessing reservoir location and quality in large areas.