Karst landscapes are found just about everywhere on Earth: frigid tundra, dry deserts, and tropical jungles. Worldwide this is 25% of the land surface! If you live in an area underlain by carbonate rocks or evaporite rocks, there is a good chance you are familiar with karst, especially if it's a warm, humid area where erosion via dissolution is rapid. Karst can also be found in arid terrains where sulfuric acid can form large caves, such as Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

A fifth of the landscapes in the United States are karstic. Major karst areas occur in 20 states, and smaller karst regions occur throughout the nation. Many major cities are underlain in part by karst, such as Saint Louis, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Austin, Texas.