Speleolog, Vol. 69 No. 1, 2021.
Professional paper
Spring-cave Ričina: Present-day status and perspectives
Goran Rnjak
Damir Basara
Josip Marković
Roman Ozimec
Abstract
The Izvor Ričina spring cave is located in the village of Vrilo, in the area of Prisoje on Buško jezero, in the municipality of Tomislavgrad, Herceg-Bosna County in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is an exceptional speleological object and the presumed last part of the cave system Ponor Kovači – Izvor-špilja Ričina, which is 5 km long and has a difference in altitude of 120 m. Through previous research (Malez, 1960), only 344 m of channels up to the Zeleni (Green) syphon were known, but the syphon was submerged during the expedition in 2012 and wide channels were discovered on the other side. During occasional research, when the hydrological situation allowed it, which was completed with the expedition in September 2021, the current explored length of the cave is 3342 metres. The cave is recognised as a type locality of cave fauna with two described taxa, and during the recent research also as an important archaeological site with artefacts from the Palaeolithic (18 000 years) and as an interesting biospeleological locality according to the recognised cave fauna. The cave is also an important site for fish fauna
and bat colonies. Further speleological, geomorphological, ecological, biospeleological, archaeological and paleontological researches are necessary to valorize this exceptional cave and include it in monitoring, conservation and eventually sustainable use.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
275763
URI
Publication date:
29.4.2022.
Visits: 783 *