A limestone pavement is a natural
karst landform consisting of a flat, incised surface of exposed
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...
that resembles an artificial
pavement. The term is mainly used in the UK and Ireland, where many of these landforms have developed distinctive surface patterning resembling paving blocks.
Similar landforms in other parts of the world are known as
alvars.
Formation of a limestone pavement
Conditions for limestone pavements are created when an advancing
glacier
A glacier (; ) is a persistent body of dense ice that is constantly moving under its own weight. A glacier forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. It acquires distinguishing features, such a ...
scrapes away overburden and exposes horizontally
bedded limestone, with subsequent
glacial retreat leaving behind a flat, bare surface. Limestone is slightly
soluble in water and especially in acid rain, so corrosive drainage along joints and cracks in the limestone can produce slabs called ''clints'' isolated by deep fissures called ''grikes'' or ''grykes''
(terms derived from a
northern English dialect). If the grykes are fairly straight and the clints are uniform in size, the resemblance to man-made paving stones is striking, but often they are less regular. Limestone pavements that develop beneath a mantle of
topsoil usually exhibit more rounded forms.
Notable examples
Limestone pavements can be found in many previously glaciated limestone environments around the world. Notable examples are found in the
Yorkshire Dales and
Cumbria
Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. ...
in Northern England, such as those above
Malham Cove, on the side of
Ingleborough, and above
Grange-over-Sands. They are also found in the
Stora Alvaret in
Öland,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
; in
the Burren,
County Clare,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, the
Great Northern Peninsula on
Newfoundland, and in the
Désert de Platé,
Geology - Refuge de Platé
Retrieved on 2010-08-09 in the French Alps.
See also
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References
{{Reflist
External links
BBC Bitesize geography resource
Erosion landforms
Karst
Limestone