| Title: | Mountains of Slovenia |
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| Authors: | ID Hrvatin, Mauro (Author)
ID Zorn, Matija (Author) |
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| Files: |  URL - Source URL, visit https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-99017-5_5
 PDF - Presentation file, download (10,04 MB)
MD5: 1FA1C689F9F1B542B5964F3664367016
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| Language: | English |
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| Typology: | 1.16 - Independent Scientific Component Part or a Chapter in a Monograph |
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| Organization: |  ZRC SAZU - The Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
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| Abstract: | Slovenia’s mountainous areas comprise Alpine mountains, Alpine hills, and Dinaric plateaus, which together cover over half of the country. Its mountainous landscapes lie at the intersection of the geotectonic units of the Dinarides, Southern Alps, and Eastern Alps. Limestone and dolomite predominate, although there are also extensive areas in the Alpine hills composed of poorly permeable clastic, igneous, and metamorphic rock. In terms of geomorphological development, mountainous areas can be divided into glacial, fluvio-denudational, and karst landscape types. Glacial landscapes are limited to areas that were exposed to glacial erosion and accumulation during the cold Pleistocene periods, and fluvio-denudational landscapes are typical of areas made of poorly permeable rocks and characterized by surface runoff. Karst landscapes developed on carbonate rocks. They are characterized by intense chemical dissolution of the bedrock and subterranean karst hydrology. The high mountains feature a combination of glacial and karst landscapes, or glaciokarst. Due to the Alpine–Dinaric barrier, Slovenia’s climate is wetter than average. Over the past decades, the average air temperature has been rising rapidly, which causes frequent droughts in the summer and reduces the duration and depth of snow cover in the winter. Climate change has already resulted in significantly lower discharges of mountain rivers and altered discharge regimes. Water conditions largely depend on the rock composition. Nearly two-thirds of mountainous areas is karst and almost devoid of surface water flows, while elsewhere the river system is highly branched. The predominant soils on carbonate rocks are Rendzina and Chromic Cambisol, whereas Dystric Cambisol predominates on non-carbonate rocks. Forest is the natural vegetation and the predominant land-use type in all mountainous areas. The dominant tree is beech, which creates numerous forest communities. Conifers dominate at higher elevations, especially spruce and larch, which grow up to the tree line between 1,550 and 1,900 m. Late-medieval colonization of higher elevations was a key stage in the permanent colonization of mountainous areas, extending even above 1,000 m. In the Alpine mountains, it was the valleys that were usually settled, and in the Alpine hills people also settled the ridges and slopes. The upper limit of settlement in Slovenia’s mountainous areas varies; the highest settlements can be found in the Eastern Karawanks, even at elevations above 1,300 m. The traditional economic activity is forestry. |
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| Keywords: | rocks, surface, climate, hydrology, soil, vegetation, settlement, Alpine mountains, Alpine hills, Dinaric plateaus, Slovenia |
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| Publication status: | Published |
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| Publication version: | Version of Record |
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| Publication date: | 01.03.2026 |
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| Year of publishing: | 2026 |
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| Number of pages: | Str. 79-124 |
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| PID: | 20.500.12556/DiRROS-28715  |
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| UDC: | 551.4.035:551.58(497.4) |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/978-3-031-99017-5_5 |
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| COBISS.SI-ID: | 270852099 |
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| Copyright: | © The Author(s) 2026 |
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| Note: | Raziskovalni podatki, na katerih temelji objava, so na voljo v članku. |
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| Publication date in DiRROS: | 30.03.2026 |
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| Views: | 31 |
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| Downloads: | 11 |
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| Metadata: |    |
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