Pohorje (), also known as the Pohorje Massif or the Pohorje Mountains (german: Bachergebirge, ''Bacherngebirge'' or often simply ''Bachern''), is a mostly wooded, medium-high
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have arise ...
south of the
River in northeastern
Slovenia
Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...
. According to the traditional
AVE classification it belongs to the
Southern Limestone Alps
The Southern Limestone Alps ( it, Alpi Sud-orientali, german: Südliche Kalkalpen), also called the Southern Calcareous Alps, are the ranges of the Eastern Alps south of the Central Eastern Alps mainly located in northern Italy and the adjacent l ...
. Geologically, it forms part of the
Central Alps
The Alps form a large mountain range dominating Central Europe, including parts of Italy, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Germany and possibly Hungary (if one includes the Kőszeg Mountains).
This article describes the del ...
and features
silicate
In chemistry, a silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula , where . The family includes orthosilicate (), metasilicate (), and pyrosilicate (, ). The name is al ...
metamorphic
Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...
and
igneous rock
Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main The three types of rocks, rock types, the others being Sedimentary rock, sedimentary and metamorphic rock, metamorphic. Igneous rock ...
. Pohorje is sparsely populated with dispersed villages. There are also some ski resorts.
Geography
Pohorje is an
Alpine
Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to:
Places Europe
* Alps, a European mountain range
** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range
Australia
* Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village
* Alpine National Pa ...
mountain ridge with domed summits south of the Drava. It roughly lies in the triangle formed by the towns of
Maribor
Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...
(to the east),
Dravograd
Dravograd (; german: Unterdrauburg) is a small town in northern Slovenia, close to the border with Austria.
It is the seat of the Municipality of Dravograd. It lies on the Drava River at the confluence with the Meža and the Mislinja. It is ...
(to the west) and
Slovenske Konjice
Slovenske Konjice ( or ; german: Gonobitz, in older sources also ''Gannobitz'') is a town in northeastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Slovenske Konjice. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria.
History and town ...
(to the south). To the northwest, it is bounded by the
Mislinja River, to the south by the
Vitanje Lowlands (), to the east it descends to the
Drava Plain () and to the southeast it descends to the Pohorje Foothills (). It measures about from east to west and from north to south and covers an area of ca. . Its highest elevations are
Black Peak ( sl, Črni Vrh, german: Schwarzkogel) , the only slightly lower Big Kopa Peak (), and Lake Peak (), which rises to . Forests cover over 70% of its surface.
Geology
Pohorje is a young mountain
massif
In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...
and is the southeasternmost part of the
Central Alps
The Alps form a large mountain range dominating Central Europe, including parts of Italy, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Slovenia, Germany and possibly Hungary (if one includes the Kőszeg Mountains).
This article describes the del ...
.
It is the only mountain chain in Slovenia made of
silicate rock. Its peripheral parts consist of
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic (or Palaeozoic) Era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic Eon.
The name ''Paleozoic'' ( ;) was coined by the British geologist Adam Sedgwick in 1838
by combining the Greek words ''palaiós'' (, "old") and ' ...
metamorphic rock
Metamorphic rocks arise from the transformation of existing rock to new types of rock in a process called metamorphism. The original rock (protolith) is subjected to temperatures greater than and, often, elevated pressure of or more, causin ...
, and its central parts of
igneous rock
Igneous rock (derived from the Latin word ''ignis'' meaning fire), or magmatic rock, is one of the three main The three types of rocks, rock types, the others being Sedimentary rock, sedimentary and metamorphic rock, metamorphic. Igneous rock ...
, particularly
granodiorite
Granodiorite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock similar to granite, but containing more plagioclase feldspar than orthoclase feldspar.
The term banatite is sometimes used informally for various rocks ranging from gra ...
(known also as the Pohorje tonalite) and
dacite
Dacite () is a volcanic rock formed by rapid solidification of lava that is high in silica and low in alkali metal oxides. It has a fine-grained (aphanitic) to porphyritic texture and is intermediate in composition between andesite and rhyolite. ...
.
Near the village of
Cezlak
Cezlak () is a small settlement on the southern slope of the Pohorje range in the Municipality of Slovenska Bistrica in northeastern Slovenia. The area is part of the traditional region of Styria. It is now included with the rest of the municipali ...
lies probably the only known deposit of
cizlakite (quartz monzogabbro; a green
plutonic rock
Intrusive rock is formed when magma penetrates existing rock, crystallizes, and solidifies underground to form '' intrusions'', such as batholiths, dikes, sills, laccoliths, and volcanic necks.Intrusive RocksIntrusive rocks accessdate: March ...
). The southern parts of Pohorje are known for
white marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...
, which was quarried in Roman times.
Pohorje ski resorts
The following ski resorts stand at Pohorje:
*
Rogla Ski Resort
Rogla Ski Resort is a Slovenian ski resort opened in 1975 at Rogla, Zreče, located at the top of the Zreče Pohorje range and regularly the most or second most visited Slovenian ski resort, with over 200,000 skiers per season and capacity of 13 ...
*
Kope–Ribnica Pohorje Ski Resort
Kope–Ribnica Pohorje Ski Resort ( sl, Smučišče Kope–Ribniško Pohorje) is a joined Slovenian ski resort located in western part of Pohorje mountain in municipality of Slovenj Gradec and Ribnica na Pohorju
Ribnica na Pohorju () is a settl ...
*
Maribor Pohorje Ski Resort
Maribor Pohorje Ski Resort ( sl, Smučišče Mariborsko Pohorje) is the largest ski resort in Slovenia, located just south of Maribor, at the mountain range of Pohorje in Lower Styria.
The resort consists of three sections: lower section "''Snow ...
*
Trije Kralji Ski Resort
Trije Kralji Ski Resort is a Slovenian family ski resort located in western part of Pohorje mountain in municipality of Slovenska Bistrica
Slovenska Bistrica (; german: Windisch-Feistritz) is a town south of Maribor in eastern Slovenia. It i ...
Radio towers
Near hilltops within the mountain range are located a TV and radio
transmitter Pohorje and a military air-traffic control
radar station RP-2.
References
External links
*
Pohorje Tourist Information Centre Maribor.
{{Authority control
Mountain ranges of the Alps
Mountain ranges of Slovenia
Southern Limestone Alps
Natura 2000 in Slovenia