Geomorphological Characteristics of the Massif Prenj

Abstract

The researched area of the mountain massif Prenj with sur­face of 463 km2 is located in the zone of high karst of Outer Dinarides of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is circular mountain morphostructure with assymetrical transversal profile. Devel­oped in Mesozoic subhorizontal layers of limestone and dolo­mite over 3500 thick, fissured by numerous reverse and normal faults. Prenj is folded-thrusted mountain massif (2103 m a.s.l.) uplifted during neotectonic phase of Dinarides development, structurally represented by three blocks. A high degree of cor­relation between lithology, fault structures and relief has been determinated. The main fault structures caused by rotation of Prenj blocks which were reflected on different orientations of stretching of the mountain ridges and composite valleys of Neretva, Konjièka Bijela, Mostarska Bijela, Glogo¹nica and Id-bar. Thrusts express tectonic, lithological, and morphological border of the considered mountain with inter mountain Neo­gene depressions in the North and South. Netectonic move­ments and dominanting carbonate composition of the terrain have influenced on reticular relief structure of the massif. Lin­ear landforms of ridges formed in karst are neotectonically, rectilinearly and half-arc elongated up to 12 km. In regards to morphogenesis during the Quaternary, the massif is character­ized by development: derasional, glacial, periglacial, karstic, fluviokarstic, fluviodenudational and fluvial erosional and ac­cumulational processes and landforms. Finally, geomorpho­logical regionalization of Prenj was made on the basis of the criteria of similarity of morpho-evolutionary, structural-litho­logical and orographical characteristics.