Hegyrajzi beosztás alapján az Aggteleki-karszt főként az alacsonyhegységi–dombsági szintben foglal helyet és csak a legmagasabb, többnyire nyíltkarsztos térszínek minősíthetők a középhegységi régióhoz tartozóknak. A táji hovatartozását illetően a változatos felszín egyetlen kistájat sem foglal teljes egészében magában, de – a tájhatárok részleteiben némileg különböző – tájbeosztásrendszerek megegyeznek abban, hogy a domborzati–földtani és történelmi okokból különböző nevekkel illetett terület (Gömör–Tornai-karszt, Aggteleki-karszt, Aggtelek–Rudabányai-hegység, Aggteleki karsztvidék, Sajó–Bódva-köze, Észak-borsodi Karsztvidék stb.) nem tartozik szorosan az Észak-magyarországi-középhegységhez, hanem szerkezetileg az ÉNy-i Kárpátok belső vonulatához tapadt, és részben a medencetérszínre is áthúzódó, régebbi nevén Gömör–Tornai-karszt része. Az Aggtelek–Rudabányai-hegyvidék néven körülhatárolt középtájból (Magyarország kistájainak katasztere, 1990) úgy részesedik az Aggteleki-karszt, hogy ÉNy-i része az Aggteleki-hegység, DNy-i szöglete a Putnoki-dombság, ÉK-i része az Alsó-hegy, DK-i része a Szalonnai-hegység, a Bódva-völgy kistájaihoz tartozik).

From the structural viewpoint the Aggtelek Karst Region is a predominantly uncovered karst surface mainly situated in the zone of lower mountains contacting with the inner range of the Northwestern Carpathians but partly extending to the basin. The present topography is a result of a long paleogeographic evolution, processes of which played an direct or indirect part in shaping of the actual relief. The presentday landforms do not coincide everywhere with the geological structures. Karstification processes characteristic of the overwhelming part of the surface have been made possible by a Triassic sequence, deposited in various facies (Szilice, Melléte, Torna) of different formations on carbonate platforms and sediment traps and liable to the development of forms of relief modelled by water solution. Of the surface rocks limestone strata of Steinalm and Welterstein formations should be mentioned which had developed under shallow marine conditions, are easily soluble and produce large-size cavities. Systems of primary fissures of tectonic origin resulted from the overthrust of the Szilice Nappe, the movement of the Bódva Nappe and deformations of the Cretaceous folded and faulted structures and they, together with cracks of different orientation and size produced by later tectonic move-ments, present the second basic condition for karstification. These phases of macro- and microtectonic movements in the area of the Aggtelek and Rudabánya Mountains were represented by horizontal dis-placements that occurred during the Oligocene and Miocene, shearings, collisions, clippings. By the second half of the Miocene the territory had turned into low-lying seacoast where initial karstification took place under subtropical climatic conditions. Movements of uplift starting with the Pliocene and accelerating by the end of that age and having repeated during the Quaternary in several phases led to the modification and intensification of karstic processes, causing the zone of infiltration to deepen within the karstified formation and to the appearance of a phreatic zone permanently saturated with water and of a changing water table and of hollows in an embryonic state which had subsequently turned into large caves and systems of cavities. Surfaces of karstifying rocks are partly covered karsts from where the atmospheric precipitation and alluvium flowing to the carbonate surfaces at lower altitudes led to the formation of allogenic (B type) karstic forms on uncovered karsts. Along the dividing lines between covered and uncovered karsts a series of sink holes and captures developed. Rows of dolines emerged in the 50–100 m deep valleys, demonstrating corrosional sink hole and uvala formation typical of the exhumed surfaces of uncovered karst instead of erosional valley formation characteristic for the covered karst. Higher situated surfaces of uncovered karst, i.e. the genuine (in orographic sense) karst plateaus have been developed as autogenic (A type) karsts paleogeographically. To sum up: the most char-acteristic landforms of the Aggtelek Karst Region are the followings: a) karstic microforms: free karrs, covered karrs, b) landforms of the karstic water conduit: sink holes, dolines of solution, uvalas, karstic dry valleys with row of dolines, draining, erosional (tectonic) karstic gorges and gullies, c) intrinsic ensembles of landforms: karstic plateaus (planinas)