Yes, I saw lapiaz on gypsies. It is possible carstic forms develop on any carbonate and/or sulphate container surface.

Thanks Atilla , but I wonder if karren exist on other non calcareous rocks like granit?

In the same way you can talk about a gypsum "karst" you can talk about karren when describing this sort of morphologies in other rock types, including granite. Check for example: "Piotr Migoń and Wojciech Dach (1995) Rillenkarren on Granite Outcrops, SW Poland, Age and Significance. Geografiska Annaler. Series A, Physical Geography Vol. 77, No. 1/2, pp. 1-9

Thanks Miguel,

the article "Rillenkarren on granite outcrops" is very nice!

The words karren and lapiaz (lapiés) are mainly used for karst or parakarst, when a solution process is involved (limestone, salt, gypsum, quartzites).

Meanwhile some granite areas, mainly in tropical zones like the famous "Anse source d'Argent" in Seychelles, have kind of rillenkarrens.

Dear all, you can find karst in a large range of lithology booth "soluble" and poorly soluble rocks as granite, quartzite. For more informations see http://orbi.ulg.ac.be/handle/2268/96887 and connected papers.

Hello Jérôme,

Yes, there are some pseudo-karst forms in granites and simillar rocks. I only works in carbonate rocks, but you can read some papers about that visiting the page of our colleague J. R. VIDAL ROMANÍ.

Bye

Thanks Willem and Maria,

I am looking not for all karst figures (like caves) but rather to subsurface features like lapiaz/karren. Eric Gilli already aswered, but I wonder if geomorphologist use a specific name for thoses features.

Dear Jérôme,

Yes, you can have lapiaz and karren in non carbonate rocks. For example, on the Table Mountain (Cape Town, South Africa) you can recognize all the features like on a limestone surface : karren, kaminetzas, pinnacles etc. But we are here in a very strong quartzite! There are even some caves...

http://cpss.caving.org.za/wp-content/uploads/Newsletters/CPSS_Newsletter_December_2009.pdf

I can send you some pictures if needed.

All the best,

Laurent Bruxelles.

The best karren / lapiaz that I know is in Madagascar (Andringitra Massif). The rock is a granite (syenite) and the lapiaz / karren can be seen in aerial photographs and of course at ground level (http://www.iux.es/?page=15&arts=58&id=11).(Geomorphologie granitique du Massif de l'Andringitra: sa relation avec lévolution de l´Île pendant le Cénozoïque)

A landform that resembles karren but it is formed and shaped without solutional processes can be found in the island of Mahè, Seychelles Republic, where gray granitic rocks are characterized by long linear runnels that seem really karren that you can find on evaporite or carbonate. If you need i can send you pictures of these landforms.

Dear Dr. Baioni . I am interested in the topic of pseudokarst in granitic rocks. Although I do not know if other granitic Seychelles World landscapes. I would be grateful if you send me pictures of the Seychelles. If you want to I can send you pictures of Isalo (Madagascar). My email is ([email protected])

Dear  Jeremo

  In karst geomorphology or karstology in this cases  we use of   PSEUDUOKARST karren. In a paper  I consider  pseudokarst  in granitic  rocks in north of Iran.

Hi Jérôme,

Karren exist in a large variety of rock, as granite, quartzites and even basalt. But there's several kind of karren and some of them were previously formed under a pedologic soil, by cryptocorrosion. The morphology of the karren can help to distinguish th origin of this landform.

Laurent.

Hi Laurent,

 at least in granites corrosion under a soil is not, in my opinion, too characteristic. In fact the distribution and morphology of the rills is indicative of a subaerial evolution. The same applies to the evolution of gnammas, pits, vasque, which is also subaerial, and is produced by the accumulation of rainwater. The weathering of granites takes advantage of the  rock structure. And the resulting morphology is more influenced by the structure (joints, fractures) than by chemical weathering.

Hi Juan,

But cryptocorrosion also takes advantage of the rock structure. Of course, subaerial corrosion exists, no problem. But it's just to said that we have also to remind that these features can be part of the heritage, when the rocks were covered by soil or another cover. It's not well known but it is the case of most of them in limestones or dolomite in temperate or tropical area, if the slope is not too steepy of course.

Laurent.

Thanks all,

As pedologist I fully agree with Laurent.

In Jura mountains we have nice lapiaz and it is obvious that those lapiaz supported a soil on it before the erosion due to Wurm glaciation.

I asked this question 2 years ago because I proposed to included in the international soil classification system WRB a special qualifiers for lapiaz for all rocks (not only limestone).

see here: https://soilsciencesocietyofbelgium.wordpress.com/tag/karst/

https://soilsciencesocietyofbelgium.wordpress.com/tag/karst/