Mostarska Bijela or simply Bijela is a mountain creek and gorge in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
. Despite its low discharge and relatively short flow, this river takes a significant place in Bosnia and Herzegovina's
Dinaric karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
's
geology
Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...
and
hydrology
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...
.
Geography
The Mostarska Bijela is a left
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
Neretva
The Neretva (, sr-Cyrl, Неретва), also known as Narenta, is one of the largest rivers of the eastern part of the Adriatic basin. Four Hydroelectricity, hydroelectric power plants with Dam, large dams (higher than 15 metres) provide flood ...
river. It begins at the south-western slopes of
Prenj mountain, where it is called Gornja Bijela ''("Gornja" in English: "Upper")'', and flows in direction of north to south-southwest and into the Neretva at Bijela village in the region of Drežnica Donja and Salakovac.
Rare geology
The Mostarska Bijela river shapes a rare and unique
karstic
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. There is some eviden ...
geological
Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth s ...
feature
Feature may refer to:
Computing
* Feature recognition, could be a hole, pocket, or notch
* Feature (computer vision), could be an edge, corner or blob
* Feature (machine learning), in statistics: individual measurable properties of the phenome ...
, which resembles an
underground river with canyon-like semi-underground flow. What is unique here, in case of the Mostarska Bijela, is that cave roof of its underground section is opened to surface in form of very narrow gap in many places, enough only for small amount of light to enter the cavernous river course. Although very difficult
underground course is still traversable, and thus attractive for tourists,
mountaineer
Mountaineering, mountain climbing, or alpinism is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas that have become sports ...
s, especially for canyoning and speleologist.
Highway A1 Corridor Vc environmental controversy
According to the first variant of the proposed route of a new highway through Prenj, valleys of the Konjička Bijela and the Mostarska Bijela should be heavily affected, where not much of its natural environment would remained. Beautiful karst phenomenons of deep canyons, underground waterfalls and caves in Mostarska Bijela valley will be destroyed, or at least covered by the asphalt, concrete or stone fill from the tunnels.
See also
*
*
List of rivers in Bosnia and Herzegovina
References
External links
Mostarska Bijelaat SummitPost.org
Rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Karst formations of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Subterranean waterfalls
Subterranean rivers of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canyons and gorges of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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