Abstract
The Mariana Islands contain a complex and diverse assemblage of karst features associated with the eastern paleo-volcanic arc chain of the Mariana Ridge, including the islands of Guam, Rota, Aguijan, Tinian, Saipan and Farallon de Medinilla. Karst is dominated by flank margin cave development; however, fracture caves and contact caves are significant features throughout the region. Research in the Mariana Islands resulted in the development of the Complex Island component of the Carbonate Island Karst Model (CIKM) and was instrumental in the recognition of island aquifer compartmentalization as a result of differential tectonism and subsidence, as well as syndeposition of both carbonate and volcanic facies. Karst resources throughout the Marianas have been heavily utilized throughout history as water supplies and sites of habitation, refuge, defense and spirituality. Today, karst resources continue to play and important role in the lives of people throughout the Mariana Islands, both as groundwater and cultural resources.
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Stafford, K.W., Taboroši, D., Jenson, J.J. (2013). Caves and Karst Hydrogeology of the Mariana Islands. In: Lace, M., Mylroie, J. (eds) Coastal Karst Landforms. Coastal Research Library, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5016-6_13
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