Slovak Karst

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Coordinates: 48 ° 35 '  N , 20 ° 35'  E

The Slovak Karst within the geomorphological division of Slovakia

The Slovak Karst (Slovak Slovenský kras ) is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovak Ore Mountains in southeastern Slovakia and is therefore in the Carpathian Mountains . The area, which consists of a series of large karst plains and plateaus, has been a nature reserve since 1973 and has been the Slovak Karst National Park since 2002 . Since 1977, the Karst is a biosphere reserve of UNESCO ; the caves are part of the UNESCO World Heritage .

Geological characteristics

Zádielska tiesňava

The highest point is the Jelení vrch (947 m) and the most important rivers are the Slaná , the Štítnik and the Turňa . The climate is warm and temperate continental. The area consists of several layers of limestone and dolomite from the Mesozoic era , as well as impermeable sandstone and slate . The plains are covered by oak and hornbeam forests, the slopes by oak forests and the karst depressions by spruce forests. In contrast, beech forests dominate the northern forest areas.

The karst plains can appear in many formations, for example as karst depressions with diameters of up to 250 meters and depths of up to 45 meters, as conical mountains or as dry valleys. The underground karst is mainly characterized by its deep vertical " gullies ":

  • Čertova diera ("Devil's Hole"; −186 m)
  • Brázda ("furrow"; −181 m)
  • Malá železná priepasť ("Little Iron Throat"; −142 m)
  • Diviačia priepasť ("Wildsauschlund"; −122 m)

Some of these gullies have already collapsed; B. the Silická ľadnica (silica ice throat, −110 m).

The region is known for its many caves, of which the Jaskyňa Domica ( Domica Cave), the Gombasecká jaskyňa (Gombesek Cave), the Jasovská jaskyňa (Jossau Cave) and the Ochtinská aragonitová jaskyňa (Ochtina Aragonite Cave) are open to the public. Other notable caves are the Krásnohorská jaskyňa and the Hrušovská jaskyňa . There are also many karst lakes; the largest of them is the Jašteričie jazero (translated “lizard lake”).

There are also some rare plants in the Slovak Karst, such as:

and also rare animals like:

structure

Parts (from west to east):