ABSTRACT
Karst processes affect soluble rocks, creating peculiar landforms at the surface, and caves and drainage systems underground, through chemical solution of the bedrock. The main rock type interested by karst development is carbonate. An important, often underestimated, process in karst is represented by rock failures, with the production of huge amount of breakdown deposits in caves. Sinkholes are rock failures typical of karst environments, being related to the presence of subterranean cavities, both natural and man-made. Due to their intrinsic characteristics, karst environments are extremely susceptible to a number of geohazards, including rock failures. Lacking detailed data on discontinuity systems in the rock mass, and/or direct observations in caves, an estimate of the overall conditions of a site can be derived from the engineering classification of the karst, assessed from broad visual inspection. Caves are a notable karst geohazard, due to the potential for gravitational collapse of rock and/or soil into them, either naturally or under induced load.
