The Cone Karsts of Guizhou

Guizhou province covers 176 000 km2 of which 72% is karstic. The Guizhou plateau has an altitude of between 1000 m a.s.l. to over 3000 m, but is mostly between 1000–2000 m. The plateau extends into the neighbouring provinces of Yunnan, Hunan, Hebei and Sichuan (Fig. 2). It is part of the second great topographic step of China and falls to the E to neighbouring Guangxi. The plateau slopes generally from W to E. It is drained to the N by major tributaries of the Changjiang (Yangtse) and to the S to the Zhujiang (Pearl) river. The average annual rainfall is about 1100 mm, mostly coming in summer with considerable winter drizzle on the plateau. Guizhou has a cloudy climate, like that of Sichuan, as a result of the meeting of different air masses which arrive from the NE in winter and the S in summer. Average temperatures are 11–19 °C. Mountain ranges run generally NE-SW, except the Miao range which is E-W.