tower karst

Limestone towers, from 30 to 200 m in height with nearly vertical walls and gently domed or serrated summits. The towers stand above large, flat flood plains and swamps and show undercutting from rivers and swamps. Tower karsts are thought to represent the last remnant of a limestone outcrop.

Tower karst is well developed in south-east China, where the 200 m towers are formed of horizontally stratified, very pure limestone.