Resumen de Gypsum karst in the Betic Cordillera (south Spain)
José María Calaforra Chordi, Antonio Pulido Bosch, Manuel López-Chicano
Among the numerous karstified gypsum outcrops of the Betic Cordillera, in this article we present three extreme examples, with markedly different origins and development: (1) the Antequera gypsum karst, where diapiric phenomena have had a decisive influence on the geomorphological and hydrogeological evolution of the area; (2) the karst in gypsum of Vallada, with its processes of hyperkarstification of gypsum caused by the presence of significant quantities of halite; and (3) the Sorbas gypsum karst, where a complex speleogenetic development is demonstrated by a succession of vadose and phreatic passages within a multilayer aquifer. In these three cases, we have considered the geomorphological evolution of gypsum karst based on hydrogeological information gathered in each of the outcrop areas in a way which integrates both aspects into a more generalized speleogenetic model.
