Erosion Landform ( 13.Limestone Pavement )

                                                                                                                                                      Back to Erosion Landform

Yorkshire Dales between Ingleborough & Pen-y-ghent.

• A limestone pavement is a natural karst/ alvars landform.

• Those are flat.

• Resembles an artificial pavement.

• Created advancing glacier scrapes away overburden.

• Then it exposes horizontally-bedded limestone.

• Subsequent glacial retreat leaving behind a flat.

• Limestone is slightly soluble in;

                                -Water
                                -Acid rain

Limestone pavement above Malham Cove

• Corrosive drainage along joints and cracks produce slabs called "clints" .

• Isolated by deep fissures called grikes / grykes.

• The grykes are fairly straight.

• The clints are uniform in size.

• The resemblance to man-made paving stones is striking.

• Limestone pavements develop beneath a mantle of topsoil.

• Usually exhibit more rounded forms.

Ingleborough Les Binns

• Found in; 

                -Yorkshire Dales,Northern England
                -Malham Cove
                -Stora Alvaret, Öland,Sweden
                -Burren
                -County Clare
                -Ireland
               -Désert de Platé,French Alps