Jump to content

Dinaric Alps

Coordinates:45°N17°E/ 45°N 17°E/45; 17
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected fromDinarides)

Dinaric Alps
Orjenspreads betweenBosnia and HerzegovinaandMontenegroand is the most heavily karstified range of the Dinarides.
Highest point
PeakMaja Jezercëin Albania
Elevation2,694 m (8,839 ft)
Coordinates45°N17°E/ 45°N 17°E/45; 17
Dimensions
Length645 km (401 mi) NW-SE
Area200,000 km2(77,000 sq mi)
Geography
Topography and relief of the Dinarides
CountriesAlbania,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Croatia,Italy,Montenegro,Kosovo,SerbiaandSlovenia
Borders onJulian Alps
Geology
Age of rockMesozoic era
Type of rockSedimentary

TheDinaric Alps(/dɪˈnærɪk/),[1]alsoDinarides,are amountain rangeinSouthernand Southcentral Europe, separating the continentalBalkan Peninsulafrom theAdriatic Sea.They stretch from Italy in the northwest throughSlovenia,Croatia,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Serbia,Montenegro,andKosovotoAlbaniain the southeast.[2][3]

The Dinaric Alps extend for approximately 645 kilometres (401 mi) along the western Balkan Peninsula from theJulian Alpsof the northeast Italy, downwards to theŠarandKorabmassif,where their direction changes. TheAccursed Mountainsare the highest section of the entire Dinaric Alps; this section stretches fromAlbaniatoKosovoand easternMontenegro.Maja Jezercë,standing at 2,694 metres (8,839 ft)above the Adriatic,is the highest peak and is located in Albania.

The Dinaric Alps are one of the most rugged and extensive mountainous areas of Europe, alongside theCaucasus Mountains,Alps,Pyrenees,Carpathian MountainsandScandinavian Mountains.[citation needed]They are formed largely ofMesozoicandCenozoicsedimentary rocksofdolomite,limestone,sandstoneand conglomerates formed by seas and lakes that once covered the area. During theAlpine earth movementsthat occurred 50 to 100 million years ago, immense lateral pressures folded and overthrust the rocks in a great arc around the old rigid block of the northeast. The main tectonic phase of the orogenesis in the area of the Dinaric Karst took place in Cenozoic Era (Paleogene) as a result of theAdriatic Microplate(Adria) collision with Europe, and the process is still active.[4]The Dinaric Alps were thrown up in more or less parallel ranges, stretching like necklaces from the Julian Alps as far as northern Albania and Kosovo, where the mountainous terrain subsides to make way for the waters of theDrin Riverand the plains of Kosovo.

Name

[edit]

The Dinarides are named after MountDinara(1,831 m), a prominent peak in the center of the mountain range on the border with the Dalmatian part of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.[5]Names of the chain in local languages includeAlbanian:Alpet Dinarike[alpɛtdinaɾikɛ]orDinaret;Italian:Alpi Dinariche[alpidinarike];Serbo-Croatian:Динариди,DinaridiorДинарско горјеDinarsko gorje[dìnarskòːɡòːrjeː];Slovene:Dinarsko gorstvo[dìnarskòːɡòːrstvòː].

Geology

[edit]
Valbona Pass, northernAlbania

The Dinaric Karst region is built mostly ofMesozoiclimestone and dolomite deposited on top of a huge Bahama-type carbonate platform,[6]while a few kilometers thick carbonate successions have been deformed during the Alpine orogenesis.[7]The main tectonic phase of the Alpine orogenesis in the Dinaric Karst region took place in theCenozoic Era(Paleogene) as a result of the Adriatic microplate (Adria) collision with the Serbo-Macedonian and Rhodope Massifs,[8]and the process is still active.[4]TheMesozoiclimestone forms a very distinctive region of theBalkans,notable for features such as theKarst Plateau,which has given its name to all such terrains of limestone eroded by groundwater. The Dinarides are known for being composed ofkarst–limestonerocks – as isDinara,the mountain for which they were named.[5]TheQuaternary ice ageshad relatively little direct geologic influence on the Balkans. No permanentice capsexisted, and there is little evidence of extensiveglaciation.Only the highest summits ofDurmitor,OrjenandPrenjhave glacial valleys andmorainesas low as 600 m (1,969 ft). However, in theAccursed Mountains(Serbo-Croatian:Prokletije), a range on thenorthern Albanianborder that runs east to west (thus breaking the general geographic trend of the Dinaric system), there is evidence of major glaciation. One geological feature of great importance to the present-day landscape of the Dinarides must be considered in more detail: that of the limestone mountains, often with their attendant faulting. They are hard and slow to erode, and often persist as steep jagged escarpments, through which steep-sidedgorgesandcanyonsare cleft by the rivers draining the higher slopes.[citation needed]

The partially submerged western Dinaric Alps form the numerous islands and harbors along the Croatian coast.

MountMučanj,lower Dinarides, westernSerbia

Rivers in Dinaric karst

[edit]
The surroundings ofFoča.Bosnia and Herzegovina

The most extensive example of limestone mountains in Europe are those of the Karst of the Dinaric Alps. Here, all the characteristic features are encountered again and again as one travels through this wild and thinly populated country. Limestone is a very porous rock, yet very hard and resistant toerosion.Water is the most importantcorrosive force,dissolving the limestone by chemical action of its natural acidity. As it percolates down through cracks in the limestone it opens up fissures and channels, often of considerable depth, so that whole systems of underground drainage develop. During subsequent millennia these work deeper, leaving in their wake enormous waterlesscaverns,sinkholesandgrottoesand forming underground labyrinths of channels and shafts. The roofs of some of these caverns may eventually fall in, to produce great perpendicular-sided gorges, exposing the surface to the water once more.

The Dinaric rivers carved many canyons characteristic for Dinaric Alps, and in particular karst. Among the largest and most well known are theNeretva,theRakitnica,thePrača,theDrina,theSutjeska,theVrbas,theUgar,thePiva,theTara,theKomarnica,theMorača,theCem/Ciijevna,theLim,and theDrin.

Only along the Dinaric gorges is communication possible across the Karst, and roads and railways tunnel through precipitous cliffs and traverse narrow ledges above roaring torrents. A number of springs and rivers rise in the Dinaric range, includingJadro Springnoted for having been the source of water forDiocletian's Palaceat Split.[9]At the same time, the purity of these rocks is such that the rivers are crystal clear, and there is little soil-making residue. Water quality testing of theJadro River,for example, indicates the lowpollutantlevels present.[10]Rock faces are often bare of vegetation and glaring white, but what little soil there is may collect in the hollows and support lush lime-tolerant vegetation, or yield narrow strips of cultivation.[citation needed]

Human activity

[edit]
See also:Dinaric race

Ruins of fortresses dot the mountainous landscape, evidence of centuries of war and the refuge the Dinaric Alps have provided to various armed forces. During the Roman period, the Dinarides provided shelter to theIllyriansresistingRomanconquest of the Balkans, which began with the conquest of the easternAdriaticcoast in the 3rd century BC. Rome conquered the whole ofIllyriain 168 BC, but these mountains sheltered Illyrian resistance forces for many years until the area's complete subjugation by 14 AD. More recently, theOttoman Empirefailed to fully subjugate the mountainous areas ofMontenegro[broken anchor].In the 20th century, too, the mountains provided favourable terrain forguerrilla warfare,withYugoslav Partisansorganising one of the most successfulAlliedresistance movements ofWorld War II.[citation needed]

The area remains underpopulated, and forestry and mining remain the chief economic activities in the Dinaric Alps. The people of the Dinaric Alps are on record as being the tallest in the world, with an average male adolescent height of 185.6 cm (6 ft 1.1 in).[11]The people ofBosnia and Herzegovinahave the highest recorded average of any single country, with 183.9 cm average for men and 171.8 cm for women.[12][13][14]

Mountain passes

[edit]

The mainmountain passesof the Dinaric Alps are:[15]

  • Postojna Gate(Postojnska vrata), Slovenia (606 m or 1,988 ft),
  • Vratnik pass,Croatia (700 m or 2,297 ft)
  • Debelo brdo,Serbia (1,094 m or 3,589 ft)
  • Knin Gate (Kninska vrata), Croatia (about 700 m or 2,297 ft)
  • Vaganj, Croatia/Bosnia-Herzegovina (1,137 m or 3,730 ft)
  • Ivan-Saddle (Ivan-sedlo), Bosnia-Herzegovina (967 m or 3,173 ft)
  • Kupres Gate (Kupreška vrata), Bosnia-Herzegovina (1,384 m or 4,541 ft)
  • Čemerno, Bosnia-Herzegovina (1,329 m or 4,360 ft)
  • Crkvine, Montenegro (1,045 m or 3,428 ft)
  • Čakor, Montenegro (1,849 m or 6,066 ft)

Tunnels

[edit]

Major tunnels transversing the Dinaric Alps include:

Rail lines

[edit]

The famousBelgrade–Bar railwaycrosses the mountains.

Mountains and plateaus

[edit]
Geomorphological subdivisions of Dinaric Alps
Legend:
A1: The area of the North Adriatic - the territory of Istria and the Kras area
A2: Northern Adriatic - North Adriatic islands
A3: Mountains of Dalmatia - Central mountain range
A4: Dalmatian Mountains - Coastal Mountain Range
A5: The mountains of southern Dalmatia and Mediterranean Herzegovina
A6: The islands of Central and South Adriatic and Peljesac
A7: Primorje Mountains of Montenegro
A8: Coastal and Central Montenegro Mountains - Katunska karst flattening
A9: Mountains of the Montenegrin Rudina
A10/11: Mountains of Low Herzegovina
B1: Group ofTrnova herod
B2:SnežnikandGorski kotarplateaus
B3:Notranplateau
B4: Great Chapel (Velika Kapela)
B5: MassiveVelebit
B6: Little Chapel (Mala Kapela) and Lika Center
B7: Massif Lička Plješivica (Plješevica)
B8: MassiveDinara
B9:Šator
B10:Cincar
B11:Klekovača(S) andGrmeč(N)
B12:Raduša
B13:Čvrsnica
B14: MassivePrenj
B15: High mountains of Herzegovina -Veležand Herzegovinian Rudine
B16: Mountains of High Herzegovina - Mountain range ofCrvanj-Lebršnik
B17:ZelengoraGroup
B18:Bioč-Maglic-VolujakGroup
B19:VranicaGroup
B20:Bjelašnica(Southern Sarajevo Mountains)
B21: Mountain rangeGolija-Vojnik
B22:Group Switches
B23:Durmitorarea
B24:Sinjajevina
B25: The Moravian-Fallen Mountains andMaganik
B26:Ljubišnja
B27: MassiveBjelasica
B28:Komovi
B29:Visitor
B30: Kučke planine (Žijovo)
B31:Albanian Alps
C1: Group ofKočevski Rog
C2:Žumberak/GorjanciGroup
C3: Central and Eastern Bosnia Mountains -VlašićGroup
C4: Central Bosnia Mountains
C5: Eastern Bosnia Mountains
C6: Central and Eastern Bosnia Mountains -JahorinaGroup
C7: Mountains of Stara Vlaha and Raska (Sandžak) -Polymers-Podrinje Group
C8: Mountains of Stara Vlaha and Raška (Sandžak) -Zlatarsko-pešterska Group
C9: Mountains of the Old Mountains - the central group
C10: Mountains of Serbia -Podrinje-valjevo mountains
C11: Pre-Dinaric Mountains:Kozara(NW) ochMajevica(SE).

The mountains and plateaus within the Dinarides are found in the following regions:

Albania

[edit]
Further information:List of mountains in Albania

Bosnia and Herzegovina

[edit]
Further information:List of mountains in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia

[edit]
Further information:List of mountains in Croatia

Italy

[edit]

Kosovo

[edit]
Further information:List of mountains in Kosovo

Montenegro

[edit]
Further information:List of mountains in Montenegro

Serbia

[edit]
Further information:List of mountains in Serbia

Slovenia

[edit]
Further information:List of mountains in Slovenia

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Dinaric".Oxford English Dictionary(Online ed.).Oxford University Press.(Subscription orparticipating institution membershiprequired.)
  2. ^Profile,dictionary.reference; accessed 25 August 2015.
  3. ^"Visit Dinaric Alps".
  4. ^abKorbar, Tvrtko (2009). "Orogenic evolution of the External Dinarides in the NE Adriatic region: A model constrained by tectonostratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous to Paleogene carbonates".Earth-Science Reviews.96(4): 296–312.Bibcode:2009ESRv...96..296K.doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.07.004.
  5. ^abMladen Garasic; Davor Garasic (1 April 2015). "Speleogenesis in Dinaric karst area".EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts.17:10058.Bibcode:2015EGUGA..1710058G.
  6. ^Vlahović, Igor; Tišljar, Josip; Velić, Ivo; Matičec, Dubravko (2005). "Evolution of the Adriatic Carbonate Platform: Palaeogeography, main events and depositional dynamics".Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.220(3–4): 333–360.doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.01.011.
  7. ^Schmid, Stefan M.; Bernoulli, Daniel; Fügenschuh, Bernhard; Matenco, Liviu; Schefer, Senecio; Schuster, Ralf; Tischler, Matthias; Ustaszewski, Kamil (2008)."The Alpine-Carpathian-Dinaridic orogenic system: Correlation and evolution of tectonic units"(PDF).Swiss Journal of Geosciences.101:139–183.doi:10.1007/s00015-008-1247-3.S2CID55108896.
  8. ^Kilibarda, Zoran; Schassburger, Alec (1 October 2018)."A diverse deep-sea trace fossil assemblage from the Adriatic Flysch Formation (middle Eocene – middle Miocene), Montenegro (central Mediterranean)".Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.506:112–127.doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2018.06.023.S2CID134665429.Retrieved23 November2022.
  9. ^"C.Michael Hogan," Diocletian's Palace ", A. Burnham ed, 6 October 2007".The Megalithic Portal.Retrieved19 August2012.
  10. ^Štambuk-Giljanović, Nives (2006). "The Pollution Load by Nitrogen and Phosphorus in the Jadro River".Environmental Monitoring and Assessment.123(1–3): 13–30.doi:10.1007/s10661-005-9066-8.PMID17054013.S2CID21572417.
  11. ^Pineau, JC; Delamarche, P; Bozinovic, S (1 September 2005)."Les Alpes Dinariques: un peuple de sujets de grande taille Average height of adolescents in the Dinaric Alps".Comptes Rendus Biologies.328(9): 841–6.doi:10.1016/j.crvi.2005.07.004.PMID16168365.This study contributes to an update of average heights among European populations. Our investigation covering 2705 boys and 2842 girls aged 17 years, shows that, contrary to the general belief, adolescents of the Dinaric Alps are, on average, the tallest in Europe. With an average height of 185.6 cm, they are taller than Dutch adolescents (184 cm on average).
  12. ^Stevo Popović; Gabriela Doina Tanase; Duško Bjelica (2015)."Body Height and Arm Span in Bosnian and Herzegovinian Adults"(.pdf).mjssm.me.Montennegro Journal of Sports Sci. Medicine 4 (2015) 1: Original scientific paper. pp. 29–36.Retrieved4 September2016.
  13. ^"Countries with the Tallest Average Heights".
  14. ^"BiH na prvom mjestu liste zemalja s najvišim ljudima u svijetu".
  15. ^Summitpost.Dinaric Alps:Passes in the Dinaric Alps, Retrieved 19 November 2008
  16. ^Dinaric Alps,The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related toDinaric Alps.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dinaric_Alps&oldid=1241897842"