The dissolution and conversion of gypsum and anhydrite

The development of karst is a complex system driven by the dissolution of a host rock and the subsequent removal of dissolved matter by moving water. It is the process that, at various stages, initiates or triggers associated processes including erosion, collapse and subsidence. The dissolution of sulphate rocks proceeds by different mechanisms and at different rates to those associated with the dissolution of carbonate rocks. For each rock type different factors influence the process. This chapter is an attempt to summarise the present knowledge of the dissolution chemistry and kinetics of gypsum and anhydrite. These are important for the genetic interpretation of karst features in these rocks. The gypsum-anhydrite-gypsum transitions and recrystallization processes are also addressed, because of their importance to karst development