The Slovak Karst ( sk, Slovenský kras) is one of the

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 ...

s of the

Slovenské Rudohorie The Slovak Ore Mountains ( sk, Slovenské rudohorie , hu, Gömör–Szepesi-érchegység, german: Slowakisches Erzgebirge or Zips-Gemer-Erzgebirge) are an extensive mountain range within the Carpathian Mountains, located mostly in Slovakia's S ...

Mountains in the

Carpathians The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Urals at and the Scandinavian Mountains at . The range stretches ...

in southern

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...

. It consists of a complex of huge karst plains and plateaus. Since 1973 it has been a protected landscape area. On 1 March 2002

Slovak Karst National Park Slovak Karst National Park (''Národný park Slovenský kras'') is a national park in the Slovak Karst (''Slovenský kras'') mountain range in South East Slovakia. It lies in the Gelnica, Rožňava and Košice–okolie districts in the Košice reg ...

was declared. It is also a UNESCO

Biosphere Reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

and part of it forms

UNESCO World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

site

Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst The Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst is a UNESCO World Heritage site consisting of 712 caves spread out over a total area of along the border of Hungary and Slovakia. Background This UNESCO World Heritage site includes seven component ...

Characteristics

The highest peak is Jelení vrch at 947 m AMSL. Important rivers are the Slaná (Sajó), the Štítnik and the Turňa. The Slovak Karst lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climate with four distinct seasons. The area is composed of several layers of

Mesozoic The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

, beneath which there is non-permeable

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

, limestone and slate. The plains are covered by

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

hornbeam Hornbeams are hardwood trees in the flowering plant genus ''Carpinus'' in the birch family Betulaceae. The 30–40 species occur across much of the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Origin of names The common English name ''hornbeam ...

forests, the hills by oak forests and the karst pits by spruce forests. Beech forests are in the northern parts. The plains (plateaus) have many karst formations, such as karst pits with diameters of up to 250 m and depths of about 45 m, conical hills, blind and half-blind valley and dales. The subterranean karst is known for its deep vertical abysses, such as: *''Čertova diera'' (literally Devil's Hole; depth: 186 m) *''Brázda'' (181 m) *''Malá železná priepasť'' (Little Iron Abyss; 142 m) *''Diviačia priepasť'' (Boar Abyss; 122 m) Some of the abysses are collapsed, especially the ''Silická ľadnica'' (Silica Ice Abyss; 110 m) The region is best known for its many

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

s, out of which the

Domica The Domica cave is situated on the south-western border of the ''Silicka planina Plateau'' south-east of Plesivec in the Rožňava District of the Košice Region in southern Slovakia and in combination with the Baradla cave represents the most ...

Cave,

Ochtinská Aragonite Cave Ochtinská Aragonite Cave ( sk, Ochtinská aragonitová jaskyňa, hu, Martonházi-aragonitbarlangthe Magyar Wikipedia article uses a different title) is a unique aragonite cave situated in southern Slovakia, near Rožňava. Although only 300 m lo ...

(''Ochtinská aragonitová jaskyňa''), Gombasek Cave (''Gombasecká jaskyňa'') and Jasovská Cave (''Jasovská jaskyňa'') are open to the public. Other noteworthy caves are Krásnohorská Cave (''Krásnohorská jaskyňa'') and Hrušovská Cave (''Hrušovská jaskyňa''). The region also includes karst lakes. The largest lake is ''Jašteričie jazero'' (literally Lizard Lake), "Gyükerréti-tó" in Hungarian. The Slovak Karst also features rare plants, for example: *'' Erythronium dens-canis'' (a relict from the

Tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

period) *'' Onosma tornensis'' (

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found else ...

) *''

Sesleria heufleriana ''Sesleria heufleriana'' is a species of perennial grass in the family Poaceae, native to central, southeastern, and eastern Europe and the Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, main ...

'' (endemic) *'' Dianthus lumnitzerii'' (endemic) and rare animals, for example: *

Eastern imperial eagle The eastern imperial eagle (''Aquila heliaca'') is a large bird of prey that breeds in southeastern Europe and extensively through West and Central Asia. Most populations are migratory and winter in northeastern Africa, the Middle East and South ...

(''Aquila heliaca'') *

Short-toed eagle The short-toed snake eagle (''Circaetus gallicus''), also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers. The genus na ...

(''Circaetus gallicus'') *

Lesser kestrel The lesser kestrel (''Falco naumanni'') is a small falcon. This species breeds from the Mediterranean across Afghanistan and Central Asia, to China and Mongolia. It is a summer migrant, wintering in Africa and Pakistan and sometimes even to Indi ...

(''Falco naumanni'')

Subdivision

Parts (from the west to the east): *''Jelšavský kras'' (literally Jelšava Karst) *''Koniarska planina'' (Koniarska Plain) *''Plešivská planina'' (Plešivská Plain) *''Silická planina'' (Silická Plain) *''Turnianska planina'' (Turnianska Plain); see also Turňa *''Horný vrch'' (Upper Mountain) *''Dolný vrch'' (Lower Mountain) *''Zádielska planina'' (Zádielska Plain) *''Jasovská planina'' (Jasovská Plain)

External links

Slovakia.travel: Slovak Karst National Park
{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Slovakia Mountain ranges of the Western Carpathians Geography of Košice Region Karst plateaus Tourist attractions in Košice Region

Characteristics

Subdivision

See also

External links