The Dinaric Karst covers about 45% of Croatian territory. It is characterized by mountains up to 1800 meters above sea level and numerous speleological facilities with various hydrological characteristics. It has been 27 years since the discovery of the deepest Croatian pit, Lukina jama (-1441 m), on Velebit mountain. Velebit underground is characterized by extremely vertical and spacious channels. Through various speleological and scientific researches, two more speleological facilities going below one thousand meters have been discovered. Discovery of the largest underground vertical drop in the world – Divka Gromovnica (P514) motivated speleologists to intensify exploration of this very karstified area. If we go further south, we will arrive at Crnopačke vrleti, where the largest underground system in the Dinaric Karst (40km) and the largest underground system in Croatia is located, which is accessible throughout the year. Going past Velebit, we come to Dinara and Biokovo mountains which, because of their roughness and inaccessibility, often make it impossible for speleologists to uncover all their underground secrets. Croatia, where about ten thousand speleological objects have been documented, still has many unexplored areas and eagerly awaits those who want to discover its underworld.
Presenter: Marko Rakovac
Оrganization: Speleological Section PDS Velebit, Croatia
Section: Cave explorations and expeditions
Type: oral presentation
Short bio of the presenter
Marko Rakovac acts like a president od Cave rescue commission of Croatian Mountain rescue service and vice president of Commision of speleology of Croatian mountaineering association. He was involved in the main cave expeditions and explorations in Croatia in the past 10 years.
References
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Mokre noge. Photo: Marin Glušević
