The geological history of the Geopark is long. The oldest stone formations in the area date from around 500 million years ago. The area has a rich mining, iron and coal mining tradition. By promoting and protecting its geological heritage, we would like to show the link between its geology and its ways of life in the past and today. Due to the varied geological basis of the area, the habitats, vegetation and fauna have developed the same richness and variation. We would like to demonstrate in detail how geology and biology, and with them geodiversity and biodiversity, are mutually dependent. The Geopark, with its several millions years of history, has many interesting stories to tell. Through education, promotion and awareness-raising, we would like to show that the geological structure and processes, i.e. the geological heritage, is the basis of our life, and that it can be destroyed by thoughtless actions, thereby causing irreparable harm to both nature and ourselves. However, with thoughtful visits and by observing this geological heritage, we can enjoy its beauty and learn a lot about ourselves and processes that have shaped – and are still shaping – the territory of this Geopark.
Local Geology
The Karavanke Mountain Range was formed during the still ongoing second stage of Alpidic orogenesis since the Eocene. Pressure between European and African tectonic plates and rotation of the latter resulted in lateral eastward displacement of up to 250 kms of nothern limb along the Periadriatic Lineament fault zone, and formation of divergent multi-nappe »flower structure« perpendicular to it.
The northern part of the root zone is built up of intrusive breccias from gabbro to sienite in composition. Southern zone is built from Oligocene tonalite intrusions. The oldest regional metamorphic rocks in the core zone have been overprinted by contact metamorphic processes. Intensive synchronous volcanism produced a pyroclastic rock succession. A whole range of regional ultra high- to low-metamorphic rocks belonging to the European plate are exposed to the north of the Geopark Karavanke. They result from the collision of continental plates. The south and north wedging nappes are built up of Paleo-Tethys and Tethys Ocean sediments of Ordovician to Lower Cretaceous mostly platform carbonate sediments with many type localities of fossils. Clastic sediments of the northern foothils are syncronous to the K.Mts uplift. Mt. Peca contains world-class Pb-Zn strata bound mineralisation and a unique Zn-Pb stratiform mineral deposit Topla, which are presented at the Museum in Mežica. Minerals dravite and wulfenite with their type localities are an important geological heritage. Glacial, fluvial and karst geomorphic processes have carved a picturesque topography. The Stone Age artefacts found in karst caves are important for the understanding of human development.
Geosites
Geosites are sites and/or areas of geologic and geomorphologic importance and interest. They can also be of importance in other areas like archaeology, history, botany, and zoology, or they can be mines and/or coalmines. All these site types have a strong link to geology.
Until now, 48 geosites and 14 Geopark localities have been registered in the Geopark area. Many Geopark sights are equipped with information boards or interpretation boards. They are presented in various publications: some are presented in leaflets and brochures or as part of already existing Geotrails or other tourist trails.
Probably the most beautiful rock typ in the area of Bad Eisenkappel.
The intrusion of the Karawanken-granite at the Periadriatic lineament was probably in Permian time. The northern part of the intrusive igneous rock intruded the diabas-unit, the southern part intruded the crystalline of Eisenkappel. There is a differentiation series of gabbro to diorite and granite to dykes to be observed.
The granoldioritporphyr occurs in dykes within the granite and you can find granodiorite boulders in the creek of Leppen valley too. He has a small- to medium-grained, dark to mottled gray matrix rich with biotite and large, nearly idiomorphic, often zonar built feldspars and large hornblende prisms. He is often collected as petrographic sample.
Extraordinary almadine mica rock blocks with almadine, muscovite and flint crystals of up to 1 centimetre in diameter.
Bogatčeve peči on the Košenjak mountain range are larger and smaller rock blocks of almadine mica. The light-grey rock i composed of muscovite and biotite minerals as well as smaller quantities of flint, plagioclases and hornblende. In the basis, there are numerous garnets of up to 1 centimetre in size belonging to the almadine group.
The Božičev waterfall is one of the rarer and larger waterfalls in magmatic rock and among the largest in Koroška.
The waterfall is located in Ludranski summit area near the Božič farm. It was formed by tectonic activity and water. The creek has carved a channel into the top of the rock face and drops 25 metres down in several spouts and sections. Under the overhang, just over halfway up the waterfall, the rock is broken up, crumbled and rutted - evidence of tectonic activity.
Extraordinary outcrop of folded Triassic rock strata. On the right side of the Mežica-Žerjav road, there is a large outcrop of folded Triassic (Carnian) rock including the dark-grey clay-marl slate, grey marl and sand slate. These strata are separated by light and layered yellowish limestone. The strata are very folded due to tectonic movements and placed in a sub-horizontal position.
It is an interesting and representative tectonic sliding stratum in Triassic limestone composed of numerous algae.
The wall is made of 235 million-year-old Ladinic limestone, orginally composed of petrogenetic algae that occurred in significant enough amounts to form rock. The creation of the Burjak wall is connected with tectonic activity and smaller regional breaks. The overhanging sliding stratum is an interesting climbing site.
The Ciganska cave is a typical short horizontal cave of approximately 6 metres, that was formed as a result of a smaller regional break in the light-grey Ladinic limestone.
The Ciganska cave is located at the beginning of the Topla valley. It is considerably mylonitic and crumbled in this area, enabling water to shape the cave more easily. The 8-metre-high entrance to the cave was later buried.
The occurrence in Dobrova is the only occurrence of dravites in Slovenia. The location in Dobrova is the type locality of the mineral dravite and one of the five most important occurrences in the world.
The occurrence is located southwest of the town of Dravograd. Dravite is a brown type of the tourmaline mineral. Its name comes from the River Drava. Most commonly, the crystals are found in muscovite mica schist. Dravite has no practical value but it is very well known because of its rarity and therefore in high demand in mineral collections worldwide.
In the Bistra Valley, extending from the mouth of the Meža Valley to the farm above the confluence with the Vrtačnikov Potok Brook, lies the most important fault zone of the entire Alpine arc – the Periadriatic Seam. It represents one of the main tectonic boundaries between the Adriatic (once broken away from the African plate) and the Eurasian tectonic plates. The seam, or the fault zone, is composed of three rock zones: the Karawanken – granite that had intruded into metamorphic rocks, the south tonalite gneiss, and the zone of Triassic sedimentary rocks in the south.
Tapping of natural mineral water and exposure of granite.
Due to of strong erosion of the Ebriach creek the weathering of the light colored, coarse-grained, highly fractured granite is of low depth. While tapping the acidulous mineral water also contact metamorphic rocks as greenish and reddish Cordieritknotenschiefer were exposed. Several acisulous mineral springs and emissions of CO2 gas are known in this area.
Intrusion of granitic rocks into diabases and old Paleozoic metamorphic rocks.
The intrusion of the Karawanken-granite occurred in Permian time into diabases and old crystalline rocks. The intrusive rocks consist mainly of coarse grained granite and medium sized grained diorite. Within the diorite sometime rock floes of gabbro can be found. Pegmatitic and aplitic transitional rocks are common.
Easy trail through the Hainschgraben to the Hainschgraben springs.
Walking through the Hainschgraben you cross a tectonic lamella of Devonian limestone south of the periadriatic lineament. Then Permian rocks follow and the change of colour of the ground to red is clearly visible, when you reach the Groden layers. They consist of red sandstones and red shales and were deposited in a Continental area.
The upper part of the Hainschgraben valley at the footslope of Koschuta was formed by local glacier of the last ice age. The valley follows a fault Zone, which separates the well bedded Upper Triassic Dachstein limestone of Koschuta in the south from middle and Lower Triassic beds in the north.
The steep cliffs of Koschuta lead to large amounts of slope debris filling the valley. Large quantities of groundwater is stored in the fissured and karstified Dachstein limestone and the valley fill and discharges at big springs at the contact to the lower Triassic Werfen beds in the middle part of the valley.
Hamunov summit mines are the only massive ore deposits of magmatic Segregation in Slovenia; besides hematite, magnetite is another important mineral that can be found in the Diabase rock.
Near the Adam farm on the Hamunov summit to the North of Mežica, there is an abandoned iron ore mine, and near the Hamun farm, there are diabase outcrops containing hematite. The wider Hamunov summit area is mostly composed of metamorphic rock from the Štalenskogorska formation as well as of Perm-Triassic conglomerates and sandstones. Metamorphic mineralsare represented by dark-grey and grey filits as well as greenish and purple filitoid slate. Both mineral groups contain diabase, which is associated with iron outcrops. Between 1920 and 1936, iron ore (hematite) was won near the Adam farm.
The Helenska gorge is one of the three richest deposits of Carnian crinoids in Europe (the other two are in Italy and Hungary) and an absolute rarity in Slovenia with regard to how numerous and excellently preserved the crinoid ossicles are.
The Hochobir is at an altitude of 2139 meters the highest mountain in the eastern North Karavanke. Because the top of the Hochobir lies above the tree line, the Wetterstein-limestones are exposed here very well and the summit offers a beautiful view of the Karavanke and its northern foreland. The Middle Triassic (the Ladinian) Wetterstein- limestone is the main cliff former of the Northern Karavanke. It is formed as bedded limestone of a lagoon facies or as massive limestone or dolomite of a reef facies. In the upper parts of the bedded lagoon facies in the area of Hochobir lead and zinc ores are found. On the way to the top we can find many remnants of this former mining. Towards the top of the Hochobir leads many marked hiking trails.
A larger cave in Koroška, formed in limestone; a few smaller abri caves that are among the rare geomorphologic phenomena in the municipality.
Above the Burjak farm in the Topla valley, there is the Korančevka karst cave, an inclined dry cave formed in limestone. It is 54 meters long ans 10 meters deep. It is covered in calcareous sinter and has short stalactites of up to 5 centimetres. It was created out of Triassic-Ladinic limestone, which is wide-spread in the Petzen/Mt. Peca area. The limestone is built of small to medium chrystals, ranging from light-grey to white. It is composed of numerous fossilised algae.
The well bedded laminated limestones and Kössen beds are exposed only at the northern foot of the Karavanke and can be studied best at the northern slope of Jegartkogel.
The subsequent rocks to the upper triassic (norian) main Dolomite are the laminated limestones and Kössen beds (upper norian, rhätian). Because of intense folding of These rocks no dear boundaries are observed in the field. The laminated limestones Shows a rhythmic Alternation of dark, bituminous and chert leading laminated limestones and 2-3 dm thick rhythmites. The Kössen beds are composed of marls, marly limestones and limestones.
The Kärntner Storschitz Peak is a very nice vantage point which lies on the devonian coral reef.
The reef limestone of the Kärntner Storschitz Peak consists of corals and stromatoporoids found in the limestone of the Middle Devonian, which can be clearly seen on the eastern slope. These fossiliferous limestones consist of coarse debris, raised sticks of stromatoporoids, and coral taboo distillates. Numerous tabulate corals can also be found in the scree below the eastern cliff face.
The natural rock window under the Peca mountain is a representative geomorphologic form, the only one of its kind in the municipality of Črna na Koroškem.
The natural rock window on the Peca mountain was created along the break of Triassic limestone. The limestone has been intensively cracked and destroyed by water, which has widened the crevice to the point of creating a natural window.
Impressive tectonic fault zone at the eastern end of Koschuta.
Well bedded Middle Triassic limestones, marls and shales are exposed at the eastern end of Koschuta. The rocks are intensively folded and have tectonic contact to massive Dachstein limestone of Koschuta and white Schlern dolomite. The fault zone is one of the main west-east striking faults within the Karavanke and borders the Koschuta unit to the south.
In the area of steep dipping Paleozoic shales plenty of CO2 reaches the surface. We find here a lot of natural Fe-CO2-springs.
In the vacinity of a fault zone, which separates Lower Carboniferous Hochwipfelbeds from Upper Carboniferous Auernigbeds, several natural Fe-CO2-springs occur. The Fe-content in the water goes up to 40 mg/l. Contact with air at the spring leads to nice precipitations of iron-hydroxide. Because of the high content of 2-valent iron the water has a medical value and is ofen drunk by visitors.
The landslide is a result and evidence of the Peca thrust, an important tectonic element related to lateral movements along the Periadriatic lineament.
On the Najbržev landlide, a wide zone of crumbled Triassic carbonate minerals is visible, most probably related to lateral movements along the Periadriatic lineament or its smaller sub-horizontal thrust zone- the Peca thrust. Weathering processes and the movement of crumbled material on the landslide have created picturesque geomorphologic forms (rock pillars, inselbergs, rounded forms, and a small natural window).
The most beautiful stalactite cave in the Karavanke.
From 1870 in the area of Unterschäffleralpe the Obir Caves were discovered during excavation of the Markus-mine. The Caves had no natural acces from the Surface. The cave is located in the karstified Wetterstein-limestone and is accessible from May to October, with the cave-Bus.
One of the rare primary deposits of Eocene rock in north-eastern Slovenia.
At the iVartnik farm near Kotlje, there is an outcrop of Eocene minerals, which are wide-spread in southern and south-eastern Slovenia. In northern Slovenia, they are only sparsely found. The remnants of Eocene alveolina-nummulitic limestones can be found in gravel spillages that line up from Mežica past Slovenj Gradec and Stranice to Prihova. To the north of Karavanke at the primary site, there are deposits of 55 million-year-old minerals that have only been found near Ivartnik, Podgora and Šustarica near Makole. Eocene sediments were formed in the Tethys ocean and on its shores. These sediments transformed into limestone, which contained numerous fossilised remnants of nummulits, algae, shell parts, remnants of hydrozoans, molluscs, worms, bryozoas, sea urchins and crinoids.
Ravbarska luknja is the only cave composed of pergmatite rock in Slovenia.
Pergmatite veins stretch across an area of more than 10 kilometres, from the river Meža in the south to Libeliče in the north. They pervade gneiss and mica. In one of the pergmatite veins on the left Meža bank above Ravne na Koroškem, there is an inclined, secondary tectonic cave that was formed along a tectonic break and later additionally affected by external forces (weathering). Right after the entrance, the cave splits into two tunnels. The left one ascends after 5 metres and becomes very narrow; the right one is negotiable for 5 metres before it becomes impassable.
Very beautiful outcrops for structural geologists and sedimentologists as well..
In the fault zone of Potokgraben bedded limestones and marls of Middle Triassic age are well exposed within Schlerndolomite. Tectonic structures are clearly visible. In the bed of the creek all kinds of young Palezoic sediments from the upper part of the mountain can be found. Within the Triassic Limestones and marls numerous fossils (mainly bivalves) can be seen. With some luck also remnants of fossil fish can be found.
A geologically and botanically interesting walking route.
At the south end of the Trögerner gorge it is split up into two trenches. The one leading to the west is the Potok-trench with his 114 acres big forest reserve. The special feature of this forest reserve ist the existance of black pine and Manna-ash. The trench follows a fault zone, where laminated limestones and chert bearing limestones of probably Middle Triassic age are exposed surrounded by Schlerndolomite. In the creek which flows through the trench, you can see many exotic boulders. They are a strikingly red coloured breccia (Traviser breccia) of Middle Permian age, whose source area is rockfall in the border area to Slovenia.
The abandoned Frančišek tunnel from 1849 is the last remnant of mining activity in Leše. The brown coal mine was in operation between 1819 and 1939*, and was the biggest mine in Slovenia at the time. Its coal deposits were created in Miocene molasse sediments spread across the Leše area. Usually, coal is based on sandy clay, followed by a layer of bituminous gray to black clay and finally lenticular coal beds. There are several coal lenses, a few tens of centimetres thick, with intermediate lenses of bituminous and coal.bearing clay.
The Rimski vrelec sprang up at the Kotlje break as a result of the contact between the northern Karavanke and eastern Alps; it is both of scientific-research and monumental relevance.
To the south of Kotlje, there is a mineral water spring known as Rimski vrelec. It is located near a contact between the carbonate minerals of the Northern Karavanke and metamorphic minerals of the eastern Alps. The water runs through break rifts from a metamorphic basis into Tertiary strata, then through sandy-gravel layers and after that it surfaces. The spring is fenced in by a concrete fence. The mineral water is rich in iron and has several healing effects. It has been used for drinking and healing since ancient times.
Tonalite gneiss at the Periadriatic lineament.
The fault zone, which represents a part of the Periadriatic lineament here, marks the overthrust of the southalpine rocks on the tonalite gneiss. The tonalite gneiss has a steep dipping to the north here. Along the fault contact the tonalite gneiss is strongly mylonitized. The intrusion of the tonalite into the old crystalline of Eisenkappel happened in oligocene time. The tonalite shows an intense post-crystalline deformation (dynamo metamorphosis).
The Remschenigvalley follows the Periadriatic lineament and crosses several times the old crystalline of Eisenkappel and the tonalite gneiss. In the area of St. Margarethen you can see the diversity of the rocks as boulders in the creek.
The old crystalline of Eisenkappel consist mainly of biotite-plagioclase pragneiss with intercalations of amphibolite and orthogneiss. By the intrusion of the Karawanken-granite contactmetamorphic rocks (hornfels and migmatites) were formed.
The wulfenite deposit is one of the rare remaining deposits in Slovenia, the richest in Europe and one of the most famous in the world. The site also has extraordinary and unique Calcite crystal deposits in Slovenia. Wulfenite is one of the most beautiful Slovenian minerals and has a prominent place in the global mineralogical collections.
The Mežica ore deposit bears the ore in the so called Wetterstein and Partnach strata of the Middle and Upper Trias, making this site one of five lead-zinc deposits in Europe; it is exceptionally rich in numerous, rare minerals.
The Glančnik tunnel, which is partly in the Moring district and was constructed in 1886,l connects dispersed ore deposits and is one of the longest tunnels in the Mežica mine. Its construction was one of the most important milestones in the mine. A part of the Moring district is in the very centre of the ore deposit, where all the tehnical facilities for ore production are concentrated. The original apperance of the mining workplace has been preserved here and shows mining machinery, equipment and tools through time. In one part of the Moring deposit, there are well-preserved tunnels and ore winning sites, with prosiles of the most important ore-containing Ladinic layers, as well as ore formations typical for Mežica deposits.
The protected sediment profile in the upper part of the Topla mine lies at 1.145 metres above sea level. With regard to its genesis, the deposit is a growth-sediment supratidal lead-zinc ore formation, featuring typical sediment textures of sphalerite ore, paleokarst relief and supratidal sedimentation.
On a global level, the ore deposit is an important proof of the sediment creation of such ore formations in supratidal zones
Middle Permian uplift caused erosion of Lower Permian and Upper Carboniferous bedrocks. The material is locally deposited on top of Trogkofel limestone. The breccia consist therefore mainly of components of Trogkofel limestone and quartz-pebbles from Lower Carboniferaous or Lower Permian molasse sediments. The cement of the breccia is mainly red from continental environment. The transition to the red coloured Gröden beds above the breccia is fluently. A rockfall deposited a lot of the breccia-material on Schenkalm and furthermore the material was transported to the Potokgraben.
The Smrekovec mountain range is built of Oligocene volcanic rock that was formed during the creation of a volcanic massive through the collision process between the African and the European continental plates. The volcanic massive is composed of one or more layered volcanoes that were active under water. The basis of the volcanic rock is the Mesozoic carbonate rock and Upper Oligocene marl and silt sediment rocks. Due to the changing composition of magma during volcanic activity, there are different magmatic (augite andesite, andesitic tuff) and pyroclastic rocks (tuff, tuffite, volcanic breccia).
A picturesque rocky gorge with characteristic plant species and surface ore outcrops. The western part of the area is an important natural habitat for: some ochrid species that are rare and endangered in Koroška, typical (thermophilic) dry meadow vegetation and due to overgrowing, of the hop hornbeam and southern European flowering ash. The gorge is a habitat for high mountain plants (Potentilla caulescens, Saxifraga rotundifolia, Petasites paradoxus, Silene alpestris, Valeriana saxatilis,...), some of them are rare or protected, like mountain cowslip (Primula auricula) or the white adder\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s mouth (Malaxis monophyllos), a rare and vulnerable species of Slovenian flora.
Mučevo gorge, also known as Hudi graben (the Evil Rift), is a gorge in Triassic rock, represented by the massive, crystalloid light-grey dolomite that changes into crystalloid limestone. Both minerals are from the Ladinic age and are separated from the main Noric dolomite by a break. On the southern slope of the Kranjöev summit, there is a Muöevo lead-zinc ore deposit, a part of the Me#ica lead-zinc mine. There are visible traces of mining industry in the gorge, and the ore has surfaced in some places.
The Mežica ore deposit bears the ore in the so called Wetterstein and Partnach strata of the Middle and Upper Trias, making this site one of five lead-zinc deposits in Europe. It is exceptionally rich in minerals, many of them rare.
This is the most impressive geological outcrop of Ordovician pillow lavas in the Karawanken. The sedimentary rocks of presumed Ordovician age, consisting of shales, greywacke, tuffs, and diabases, which can be found in the area of the Ebriachklamm (Ebriach Gorge) and the Leppengraben, protruded the Mesozoic layered rocks of northern Karawanken. At the Ebriachklamm (Ebriach Gorge), green metre-wide pillow-shaped lava formed due to volcanic effusions.
The fossil snail outcrop of the Omphaloptycha rosthorni and the Gradiella gradiata species are of important paleonotologic natural value. The first one is especially important, as it can be easily recognized and determined as a leading fossil that only occurs in the highest limestone layers containing ore.
In the Burjak climbing wall in the Topla valley, there is an outcrop of 230 million-jear-old limestone with fossilised snail shell remnants. They belong to the Omphaloptycha rosthorni and the Gradiella gradiata species. The snail shell are of up to 10 cm in lenght but are mostly broken up and scattered. It proves that this was not their original living space and that they were rather transfered here in the geologic past and broken up in the process. The Omphaloptycha rosthorni was first described by the paleontologist dr. Moriz Hörnes in 1856.
A scenic and geological and botanical interesting, about 3 km Long Canyon within the Schlern-dolomite of Koschuta-unit.
The nature protected gorge has bizarre rock-formations and is a wild romantic gorge scenery where the Trögern-creek flows through. The geological and botanical Features are explained in Detail by several Information boards. In the immediate vacinity of the gorge in the Potokgraben (side of the Trögern gorge) is the 114-acres forest reserve Potok, which has existed since 1977 and whose Special Feature his existance of black pine and Manna-ash.
The gorge breaks through the massive Schlern-dolomite, which forms the continuation of the Koschuta-unit to the east.
An impressive natural bridge on the way to the peak of Mt. Olševa.
The hiking trail to Mt. Olševa crosses several natural windows and bridges which were created in the Upper Triassic Dachstein limestone.
A typical example of a karst relief and of a natural Bridge or window.
In the North-western part of the Volinjek hill, there is a natural window or Bridge. The hill is a tectonic klippe built of Triassic Grey-brownish limestone lying on the Miocene sediments of the Leše coal hollow and these lie on metamorphic rock from the Štalenska gora series. The upper part of Volinjek has a karst relief (grooves, limestone pavement, sinkholes). The natural window (or bridge) was created along a break where water has dissolved the limestone and widened the crack. Another explanation for its formation could be a rockfall, during which a bigger rock mass was wedged between the tops of two isolated rocks. The limestone has been heavily cracked and ruptured by tectonics. There are several rockfalls on the northern slope.
This natural bridge is an extraordinary geomorphologic form, and an important geosite due to the schorlite tourmaline, one of the most beautiful Slovenian minerals.
The Upper Triassic (Carnian) Carditabeds are exposed only on few localities, because they serve as tectonic movement plane. One of the best outcrops is found in Vellach valley, where one of three shale packages between Wetterstein limestone and main Dolomite has been preserved.
The Carditabeds consist of a cyclic shallow-water sequence built up of three clastic, about 20 m thick and three carbonatic, about 60-80 m thick layers. Their Facies differs from the southalpine Raibl-beds of the same Age. The Carditabeds are locally rich in fossils (megalodonts, brachiopods, echinoderms, cephalopods).
Teh Peca thrust is an important tectonic element linked to slips along the Periadriatic lineament.
At the Zajčja peč and Mihelji plazi sites on the Peca slopes, there is a visible thrust plane called the Peca thrust. It is either sub-horizontal or slopes down at an angle of 5°–10° towards the west/northwest. The thrust is most probably related to slips along the Periadriatic lineament and is directed towards the est/northeast and the central part of the Mežica ore deposits, causing a rotation of the structural blocks in the Mežica deposits towards the east as well as epigenesis and oxidation processes in lead and zinc ores.
The wider Zelenbreg and Tolsti vrh area is the only site of schorlite tourmaline in Slovenia and the abandoned quarry is one of its rare outcrops in the country. Schorlite has no practical value. However, it is one of the most beautiful Slovenian moinerals.
Jurassiuc rocks are found only as small outcrops at the northern foot of the Karavanke, where they are overthrusted by Triassic rocks. Such a sequence from uppermost Triassic to Lower Cretaceous is present in the area of the Wildensteiner waterfall.
The Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sequence of layers are of low depth and show a connection to the development of the Northern Calcareous Alps. The Upper Juraqssic development in the area of Wildensteiner waterfall is present as condensed facies of deeper water. Red Aptychen limestones with low depth shows in many cases a lot of fossils on the surface layer (Aptychen, Echinodermata,...). These beds proceed to the top to grey, chert bearing Aptychen limestones, which reaches up to Lower Cretaceous.
The geological history of the Geopark is long. The oldest stone formations in the area date from around 500 million years ago. The area has a rich mining, iron and coal mining tradition. By promoting and protecting its geological heritage, we would like to show the link between its geology and its ways of life in the past and today. Due to the varied geological basis of the area, the habitats, vegetation and fauna have developed the same richness and variation. We would like to demonstrate in detail how geology and biology, and with them geodiversity and biodiversity, are mutually dependent. The Geopark, with its several millions years of history, has many interesting stories to tell. Through education, promotion and awareness-raising, we would like to show that the geological structure and processes, i.e. the geological heritage, is the basis of our life, and that it can be destroyed by thoughtless actions, thereby causing irreparable harm to both nature and ourselves. However, with thoughtful visits and by observing this geological heritage, we can enjoy its beauty and learn a lot about ourselves and processes that have shaped – and are still shaping – the territory of this Geopark.
The Karavanke Mountain Range was formed during the still ongoing second stage of Alpidic orogenesis since the Eocene. Pressure between European and African tectonic plates and rotation of the latter resulted in lateral eastward displacement of up to 250 kms of nothern limb along the Periadriatic Lineament fault zone, and formation of divergent multi-nappe »flower structure« perpendicular to it.
