Geomorphological sights

Did you know...

That bed is a part of rock made by continuous sedimentation; it is bounded by two bedding planes (upper and lower) which formed due to interrupted sedimentation...

That fold is a lithospheric structural formed by bending of rock strata due to strong lateral pressure, and it consists of anticline and syncline. Anticline is the convex part of a fold, while syncline is the concave one...

That fault is a lithospheric structural unit which is a result of horizontal or vertical movement of rock bodies in the Earth's crust along a plane surface called fault plane.There are three basic types of faults: normal, reverse and horizontal...

That exogenic processes are those active at the Earth's surface, including weatherng, erosion and transportation by water, ice and wind, under influence of solar heat and biosphere.

Štenžice

A ridge that extends from Lipni Vrh in the east to the Veliki Stog in the west, and in the south it closes up a mountain valley of the Lake Trakošćan and the stream Čemernica. Along the entire length of its crown, the 'Macelj sandstones' crop out, forming landscape of great value and geomorphological significance.

Nobody knows who made the trail through the rocky rugged ridge or when they made it, or who engraved the stairs to make the walking easier. The ridge got its name after these stairs, since the word štenžice means stairs in kajkavian dialect.

Vutla peč

It is a geomorphological feature, a hole in a cliff at a hard-accessible place on one of Štenžice peaks. It developed due to the rock collapse on the fault plane. One can cross from one side of the ridge to the other through the hole.

The name Vutla peč actually means a hollow rock. It is because in kajkavian dialect the word „peč“ or „pečina“ does not mean a cave, but it is a term for a steep rocky cliff. 

Jurkov slap

It is located on one of rapid mountain streams, about two hundred meters from here, and it brings water to Lake Trakošćan from the northern hill-sides of Lipni vrh. This waterfall emerged on a smaller fault plate in 'Macelj sandstones'. There is a small half-cave behind the waterfall, which has a domed ceiling, and it shows a good example of ice activity. Namely, in winter, the water sprinkles the sandstone surface behind the waterfall, turns into an ice crust, which breaks while melting, and thin sandstone shells fall off together with ice. The process repeats every winter, and slowly enlarges the domed cavity behind the waterfall.