Folded Karst, Vancouver Island

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Northern Vancouver Island, located off the west coast of Canada, boasts an exceptionally high concentration of karst cave features. Coastal forest karst ecosystems in this area are distinguished by massive units of pure carbonate bedrock, heavy rainfall, steep topography and significant tectonic activity. The combination of a substantial volume of water driven by gravity, navigating its way through fractured soluble rock, results in hundreds of kilometres of underground passages, similar to this underwater cave in the Nomash Valley. Folded, skewed bedding planes of limestone and dark volcanic intrusions serve as evidence of extraordinary geological forces at work in this part of the world. The greenish hue is a product of the tannic water, rich in organic matter, which leaches from the soil of the temperate rainforests covering the region. Karst ecosystems give back to the rainforest too, providing better drainage and nutrient cycling compared with non-karst ecosystems. Photos by J Hjelm & N Bowman, July 2019. Exploration undertaken by Dow, Jack, Nadwidy, Norris, Richards & Richards from 2012-2015.