Rimstone dams form when a rimstone reaches a height of 1 m or more. They get their name because they look like dams. These features form a rimstone dam landscape, which is a landform created by the flow of water on the cave bottom. When over-saturated calcium carbonate solution flows over the undulating cave bottom and reaches a high spot on the ground, carbon dioxide is released, and calcium carbonate precipitates to form a rimstone. Over time, a series of curved terracing pools forms. These pools are called travertine pools, and they look like terrace fields when viewed from a distance. These pools were once called ‘Fairy Fields’, ‘Dragon Fields’ or ‘Stone Fields’. They are currently called stone terraces. The Huanglong Cave in Zhangjiajie has an area of stone terraces covering approximately 10,000 m2, which has become a key sightseeing attraction (Fig. 12).
Rimstone dam landscape – Zhanjiajie Huanglong Cave, Hunan Province
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(2020). Rimstone Dam Landscape. In: Chen, A., Ng, Y., Zhang, E., Tian, M. (eds) Dictionary of Geotourism. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2538-0_2078
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