Slovenia - Classical Karst (in Slovene language: Klasicni kras)

The Classical Karst is part of the Dinaric Karst. Dinaric Karst is a typical karst landscape located in temperate latitudes, the largest continuous karst surface in Europe and belonging among the largest karst surfaces in the world. The karst landscape is the most widespread landscape type in Slovenia. Classical Karst covers the area between the Ljubljana Marsh (Ljubljansko barje) and the Bay of Trieste. There are around 6,000 known and explored caves in this area that cover approximately 6,400 km2 or 27% of the territory of Slovenia. The geological strata of the Classical Karst comprise Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous limestone and dolomites, as well as Palaeocene and Eocene limestone to a lesser extent. The bottoms of poljes are backfilled by Quaternary alluvium from rivers and streams. The geomorphology of the Classical Karst strongly reflects the tectonic processes. The area of the Classical Karst has an extremely diverse relief. The higher relief in the central area comprises high karst plateaus that drop off in cascades into lower-lying karst plateaus or poljes. Rivers that spring from non-carbonate rocks disappear at the contact with the karst landscape and form blind valleys or cross the karst via karst valleys and gorges. Numerous extensive and complex cave systems were formed by the disappearing streams and are connected to the surface by numerous shafts. Fluvio-karstic phenomena such as dry valleys are frequent on the dolostone basement. Karst rivers appear only at the bottom of poljes.