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Abstract

There are a number of benefits to karst, from its abundant source of water to its mineral resources and recreational aspects. Karst landforms provide a wide array of picturesque scenery and conditions providing many opportunities for recreational activities such as swimming, canoeing, fishing and boating. Most of us have experienced these benefits either directly or indirectly by spending recreational time at a spring; visiting a cave as a tourist attraction; utilizing groundwater from a karst spring or aquifer; benefiting from the mineral resources found in some karst terrains.

In addition, some caves and pseudokarst features such as man-made caves, mines and tunnels have all provided benefit to man for shelter or commercial use. This chapter briefly summarizes some of the benefits that have been realized in karst terraines.

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Benson, R.C., Yuhr, L.B. (2016). Karst and Its Many Benefits. In: Site Characterization in Karst and Pseudokarst Terraines. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9924-9_6

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