Morphometric Analysis of Polygonal Karst in New Guinea

Research Article| March 01, 1972 Morphometric Analysis of Polygonal Karst in New Guinea PAUL W WILLIAMS PAUL W WILLIAMS Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information PAUL W WILLIAMS AUTHOR'S PRESENT ADDRESS: DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY, UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND Trinity College, University of Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 14 Dec 1970 Revision Received: 09 Jun 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2674 Print ISSN: 0016-7606 Copyright © 1972, The Geological Society of America, Inc. Copyright is not claimed on any material prepared by U.S. government employees within the scope of their employment. GSA Bulletin (1972) 83 (3): 761–796. https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[761:MAOPKI]2.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 14 Dec 1970 Revision Received: 09 Jun 1971 First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation PAUL W WILLIAMS; Morphometric Analysis of Polygonal Karst in New Guinea. GSA Bulletin 1972;; 83 (3): 761–796. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0016-7606(1972)83[761:MAOPKI]2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract An attempt is made to analyse the planimetric morphometry of humid tropical karst in eight districts in east New Guinea.The geology, process environments, and morphology of sample localities provide a background for judging the morphometric results.The morphometry section includes information on procedure, spatial dispersion and association analysis, and terrain differentiation; it concludes with a growth model for polygonal karst.Closed depressions completely pit the landscapes and, when delimited on the basis of their topographic divides, form a cellular network termed polygonal karst. These cells tend more toward pentagons than hexagons. The stream-sinks associated with the depressions have dispersion patterns that tend toward uniformity. This probably comes about through competition. Each polygonal cell is a solution depression that drains centripetally to an internal stream-sink, and some striking morphometric similarities to “normal” drainage basins are observed. Correlation and regression techniques demonstrate that various morphologic parameters have a well-defined and generally similar form of association in each of the sample districts. There is no sign of the landscape chaos often ascribed to karst. Yet despite organizational similarities, multiple range tests indicate significant differences in terrain statistic values.The range tests permit the identification of three polygonal karsts: pinnacle, conic, and linear styles or subsets. The disjoint pinnacle and conic subsets are intersected by linear subsets, which thus possess intermediate landscape types. The conic and linear styles correspond roughly to “cone karst” and “directed karst,” respectively.A growth model for polygonal karst is proposed that envisages scattered small depressions on an uplifted surface expanding and capturing smaller neighbors until the entire surface is occupied by adjoining polygonal depressions. In the majority of cases, depression growth leads to no significant change in external shape, although it is often accompanied by increasing internal asymmetry about the stream-sink. Parallel retreat of slopes is suspected in one locality only. The boundaries of the depressions are largely stabilized by competition, and growth of the depression is also limited by the permeability of karstified rock, with large depressions breaking into smaller units if a certain size is exceeded. Once a cellular polygonal karst is established, its geometry undergoes only minor modification through time, unless altered by an important environmental factor. First Page Preview Close Modal You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.