Original scientific paper
Hydrogeological characteristics of the watercourse Plitvica in the Plitvice lakes area, Croatia
Hrvoje Meaški
orcid.org/0000-0002-3935-6640
; Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Marina Marciuš
; Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Anita Ptiček Siročić
; Faculty of Geotechnical Engineering, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The Plitvica River is located in the northwestern part of the Plitvice Lakes National Park. Length of the river is about 4 km, and it starting with the strong karst spring. After about 900 mfrom the spring, the Plitvica River receives water from the Sartukstream. At the end, Plitvica River crashes down the 78 m high limestone cliff, forming the largest waterfall in Croatia - BigWaterfall. In the last 20 years on the Big Waterfall are growing disadvantages of water. A possible reason is,besides reducing of the total amount of water at the source of Plitvice, also loss of water along the watercourse of the Plitvica River. Therefore, in the paper were analysed available hydrogeological, hydrological and hydrochemical data in order to identify the causes of large losses of water at the Big Waterfall during dry periods. It was found out that the process of occurrence and the formation of tufa barriers are very well visible along the watercourse of the Plitvica River, and that this watercourse, hydrogeological looking, is a smaller version of the Plitvice Lakes system. The process of tufa is continuous and uninterrupted for the time being, and in some places so large that rises riverbed what causes a spill of water in the adjoining meadows with sinkholes where during dry periods in underground loses most of the water watercourse Plitvice.
Keywords
Plitvice Lakes; Karst hydrogeology; water flow; tufa sediments.
Hrčak ID:
172483
URI
Publication date:
13.12.2016.
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