Etymology

Noun

1. A type of land formation, usually with many caves caused by limestone being dissolved by underground drainage.
   • 1978, M. M. Sweeting, “The Karst of Kweilin, Southern China,” The Geographical Journal, vol. 144, no. 2, p. 200:

     In the time available to us on our geomorphological tour we were not able to see the higher and younger karsts of Kweichow and Yunnan and Kunming.

   • 2009, Katherine Harmon, “Top 10 New Species Discovered in 2008,” ScientificAmerican.com, May 29, 2009:

     The shells are just 0.04 inch (one millimeter) long and were found on a karst formation where conditions are damp, but the snails that inhabit them have yet to be observed.