Caves in Croatia—Caves in the Central Part of Dinaric Karst

Abstract

Due to different speleogenesis, geology and morphology, caves in the Dinaric Karst of Croatia can be divided in three areas: The Outer Karst Belt, the Central Karst Belt and the Inner Karst Belt. The Outer Karst Belt includes caves along the coast and below the surface of the Adriatic Sea, on islands and in high mountains along the coast (Učka, Velebit, Mosor, Biokovo, etc.). It also includes the areas of the Istria and Pelješac peninsulas and the plains of Ravni kotari and Dalmatian Zagora. Hydrogeologically, this area belongs to the Adriatic basin. The Central Karst Belt of the Dinaric Karst of Croatia is in the area of ​​Gorski Kotar and Lika with numerous karst fields (Polje) and mountains around these karst fields. There are mostly subterranean rivers belonging to the Adriatic or Black Sea basin in this area. The Inner Karst Belt of the Dinaric Karst in Croatia includes the areas of Banija and Kordun that belongs to the Black Sea basin. In addition to the mentioned karst belts, there are separate karst areas in Croatia (Hrvatsko Zagorje, Samoborsko and Žumberačko gorje, Medvednica, Slavonske planine) featuring a lot of caves, pits and all surface karst forms. These karst areas belong to the Black Sea basin.