GATAČKO
POLJE - ГАТАЧКО ПОЉЕ
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The Karstography of the DINARIC KARST IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA Part 5.3. Eastern Herzegovina. GATAČKO POLJE - ГАТАЧКО ПОЉЕ Gacko Polje, RS-BiH Trebinje Region - Gacko Municipality. Homepage
for the series of Webpages dedicated to Gatačko Polje.
EDITORIAL STATEMENT about the Gatačko Polje Webpages : "In presenting the Gatačko Polje Webpages we have a large problem in deciding what they should and should not contain. This is not an issue of volume or of scientific content but rather of reporting information pertaining to the environmental destruction of this karst polje. The present environmental regime that prevails in Gatačko Polje is nothing short of a total disaster and in a normal politically-accountable society, would be the cause of the forcible mass-resignation of all the politicians and administrators of the local Municipality! The Mayor presiding over this disgraceful situation should be totally ashamed of himself and should be made fully accountable for allowing the situation to worsen year by year. The excuse given for allowing this situation to continue is that the TE Gacko 1. power generating plant and the mineral extraction operations provide the only means of direct employment in the area, with a substantial "knock-on" effect of indirect employment. However, this excuse does not account in any way whatsoever for the way in which these industries are totally mis-managed in their daily operational procedures. The on-going and widespread environmental effects resulting from considerable air-borne and substantial water-borne contamination arising from the locally-massive environmental pollution caused by these industries alone, cannot even be calculated. These effects spread far beyond Gatačko Polje and Bosnian Herzegovina into Croatian Herzegovina and Montenegrin Herzegovina and even down into the Adriatic Sea. Perhaps the Mayor of Gacko should consider opening up the world's first tourist location offering prime examples of how best to totally destroy an ecology and how best to slowly poison a population. I am sure people would flock to see the environmental disaster that is Gatačko Polje today! We certainly could not adequately describe the situation without causing disbelief at what is happening here. The
situation is worsened by the recent agreement between the pariah organization
Elektroprivreda
Republike Srpske (ERS) [= The Power Utility of the "Republic of
Srpska" political entity of Bosnia & Herzegovina] and a commercial
organization in
In
detailing the karstography of parts of this area, by default we are also
reporting on the appalling environmental degradation. Here is the basis
of our problem, both for the Society and its Members who travel to the
location.
The information that we hold about this large Dinaric Karst Polje is already extensive and is now increasing year on year. This is as a result of the area now being preliminarily within the geographical range of the Society's Main Project in Bosnia & Herzegovina. There are obvious gaps in the range of information that we are providing. Firstly, our reconaissance work in this Polje is far from being complete and secondly, any information of a speleo-biological nature (other than that given in general terms) is currently being witheld to prevent "foreign collectors" (= non BiH collectors) ravaging the precious hypogean faunal habitats of the area. This Homepage for the Gatačko Polje Webpages offers the text and images of Section 1. as a General Introduction to the area and then provides a list of Links connected with the remainder of this Series of dedicated Webpages. In regard to any bibliographic references cited within the text of these Webpages, please refer to the Bibliographic Section 10. for full referencing. This greatly delayed series of Webpages will gradually become accessible on-line over the coming weeks and months. Some of the information provided may be subject to sudden un-announced removal from the Website." |
GP
Section 1. Webpage Contents :
Section
1.0...Introduction.
(opposite).
Section
1.2...Contemporary
views - Veliko Polje.
GP
Maps Link Page.
Click on the underlined Links.above to move down to the Sections more quickly. |
This large, geomorphologically- and hydrographically-complex karst polje is situated in the Dinaric Karst and north-easterly within the area known as Eastern Herzegovina. The nearest large urban conurbation is Gacko, the main settlement situated on its north-eastern border and after which the polje is named. Avtovac and Gračanica are other large settlements on the northern and eastern rims. Gacko is situated 145 km. by road from Sarajevo. The area of the polje runs from the settlements of Lukovice and Nadinići in the north-west corner to Kazanci and Bobotovo Groblje in its north-east corner and selo Stolac in the south-east corner. The polje-floor is mostly represented by the traditional flat alluvial plain, which changes to a more rugged and exposed karst terrain in the south-eastern areas around the areas of Pusto Polje and Ljeljinački Polje. This
polje is principally divided into two distinctive areas; the VELIKO (=Great)
POLJE and the MALO (=Small) POLJE. The VELIKO POLJE is further geographically
subdivided into the GORNJE (=Upper) POLJE and several DONJE (=Lower) POLJE
areas.
Official
information cites the main natural resources of Opština Gacko as
being :..coal
(as low quality lignite); water; agricultural land; rock (as limestone);
sand and gravel; medicinal herbs.
1.1....HISTORICAL
:
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Gatačko
Polje Statistics
(includes the area of Pusto Polje) : Area =..61 km². / 6 100 ha. / 15 073 acres. Polje-floor Elevation = 882 - 950 m. asl. ....(2894 ft - 3117 ft asl.) Maximum length =..11.5 km. Maximum width =..6.5 km. Polje Type =..Closed Karst Polje. Drainage system =..Ponors only.
The Towns & Villages in Gatačko Polje. In
this Polje, there is the major town of Gacko and 5 principal village
Settlements.
As
they become available, a few general views
Owing to its special historical importance in the scientific development of Bosnia & Herzegovina, the second major settlement of Avtovac will eventually have a special Link Page.
MAPS. We can offer a good plan-view of the layout of the polje-floor areas by way of images of sections of the former Yugoslav 1 : 50 000 Surveys. These maps are given in several images, all located on the Gatačko Polje Maps Link-Page. The topographic details on the old Yugoslav maps of Bosnia & Herzegovina are those portrayed with great accuracy on the earlier Maps produced under the Austro-Hungarian Administration a century ago. The
area of Gatačko Polje is far too large for us to use
GP1M...MAP
OF GATAČKO POLJE,
GP2M...MAP
OF GATAČKO POLJE,
GP3M...MAP
OF GATAČKO POLJE,
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1.2....CONTEMPORARY
VIEWS - GATAČKO (GORNJE-VELIKO)- POLJE :
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Gatačko
Polje - Гатачко Поље
CONTEMPORARY VIEWS, GATAČKO (MALO)-POLJE __________________________________________
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1.3....CONTEMPORARY
VIEWS - GATAČKO (MALO)-POLJE :
This is the area of primary interest to the Society, insofar as it contains the greatest concentration of characteristic karst features.
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Gatačko
Polje - Гатачко Поље
CONTEMPORARY VIEWS, GATAČKO (LjELjINAČKI)-POLJE ______________________________________________
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1.4....CONTEMPORARY
VIEWS - GATAČKO (LjELjINAČKI)-POLJE :
This is an area of interest to the Society, insofar as it contains numerous characteristic karst features. This area is a south-east extension of Samoborsko Polje and is also the furthest south-east extremity of the Great (Veliki) Polje, where the traditional flat or gently undulating polje floor terminates near the village of Dobrelji. This may also be regarded as one of the separate hydrographic areas of the Gatačko (Donje-Veliko) Polje.
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Gatačko
Polje - Гатачко Поље
CONTEMPORARY VIEWS, GATAČKO (PUSTO)-POLJE __________________________________________ [awaiting further images] |
1.5....CONTEMPORARY
VIEWS - GATAČKO (PUSTO)-POLJE :
This
is another area of interest to the Society, insofar as it contains characteristic
karst features.
Photo
GP1.5.1. (left).:
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Gatačko
Polje - Гатачко Поље
GEOLOGY / GEOLOGIJA / ГЕОЛОГИЈА
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1.6....GATAČKO
POLJE - GEOLOGY / GEOLOGIJA / ГЕОЛОГИЈА
:
Gatačko
Polje / Гатачко поље :
Geo-electric Surveys indicate a total thickness of clastic (Cretaceous) and Neogene sediments in Gatačko Polje of about 800m. (2625 ft.). These have been proven to consist of Cretaceous Flysch in the west part of the polje by the micro-palaeontological analysis of cores from deep boreholes. Neogene sediments, of maximum thickness of about 450m. (1476 ft.), contain a "coal series" which reach a depth of about 240m. (787 ft.). On the basis of lithological and palaeontological analysis, R. Milojević has divided the Neogene Series into 13 litho-stratigraphic units in which there are 3 coal layers or strata, (Beds I and II and a main coal layer) and one coal zone with impure coal and coal marls. (N. Dedić; Đ. Ostojić, 1981). [more geological details
to follow]
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INDEX
OF LINKS THE INFORMATION SECTIONS 1-10
IN THE SERIES OF WEBPAGES FOR GATAČKO POLJE |
LINKS WILL BE ACTIVATED AS THE RELEVANT INFORMATION IS WEB-PUBLISHED. ___________________________________________________________ .....Section
1.....General
Description - Generalni Opis - Генерални
Опис : (Given on this Webpage).
.....Section
2.....Karst
Hydrology & Hydrogeology - Hidrologija i Hidrogeologija
Karsta - Хидрологија и Хидрогеологија
Карста :
.....Section
7.....Estavelles
- Estavele - Еставеле :
There is to be no further coverage of the karstography of this polje, other than that provided in the above Sections. |
Gatačko Polje - Гатачко Поље | |....Dinaric Karst in BiH - Home Page....| |