Study of the effect of petrographic characteristics on the development of karst in carbonate rock units in Shotori Mountains, east of Iran

Petrographic characteristics of carbonate rocks such as mineralogy، texture، crystal size، porosity، fracturing، dissolution and degree of cementation play major roles in karstification. In order to investigate the effects of these factors on carbonate rock units in Shotori Mountains، stratigraphic intervals including Esfandiar، Jamal and Shotori Formations have been studied. Due to the effect of purity of limestone on development of karst، the percentages of insoluble residues in some samples and hydrochemical data of springs have been analyzed. In the studied region، remarkable thickness of limestones، proper lithology and suitable tectonic situation are important factors for karstification، whereas climatic condition is the main prohibiting element. However several karstic features، including karrens، dry valleys، karst springs، dissolution pit and cave were observed in the studied area، but the results of this study revealed that further wet climatic condition is necessary for evolution of karst in this region.