At first sight,
the Škocjan Karst surface appears to be flat,
but in reality it is heavily broken. This characteristic
landscape that developed in limestones is named
Karst, the word being derived from the name of
the area Karst. The solubility of rocks that
form the Earth's surface is the most effective
agent of karstification. Calcite, the main constituent
in limestone, is dissolved by water and drained
through underground channels.
Falling water in
the Karst sinks and drains underground through
fissures. The caves are formed in this
way; on the surface this occurs in different
karst depressions of various sizes. The most
frequent
karst depressions are sinkholes. They yield a
diversity of features from bowl-shaped or funnel-shaped
depressions;
they are mostly up to 10 metres deep with diameters
of up to 50 metres. The sinkholes developed where
drainage underground exists and the dissolving
of rock is the strongest.
Much larger than sinkholes
are collapse dolines. The name indicates that
they were formed due to
the collapse of the ceilings above underground
chambers. They are usually steep-sided, and vertical
rock walls are common as well. They are not formed
suddenly due to collapse but to long-term crumbling
of roofs and walls above chambers and the Reka
River underground flow that dissolves the crushed
rock and carries it away.
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