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The formation of karst landscapes is the result of a series of processes, whereby rock weathering and denudation play important roles. Soluble carbonate rocks are chemically weathered (dissolved) on the surface or under soil cover resulting in the formation of different karst morphologies and controlling surface denudation. The Dinaric karst area is the type-site for numerous karst features and phenomena, but studies on carbonate weathering in this region are still scarce, especially in the mountainous regions. To better understand the formation of Dinaric karst mountainous landscapes, we studied denudation rates at the northern part of Velebit Mountain using the rock tablet method. Denudation was measured using rock tablets consisting of local lithologies and “standard rock tablets” exposed to the natural environment at the surface, but also buried in the soil. Furthermore, rock tablets were placed in three different settings (open slope, small clearing, bottom of a doline) to evaluate the local factors impacting the denudation rate. The results of this study showed that the denudation rate is highly dependent on local factors and lithology, and that local rock tablets from different lithologies should be used to determine the actual denudation rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Krasno polje is one of the less typical karst poljes within the Dinaric Mountains. It is situated within Velebit Mountain. Our research utilized morphographic, morphostructur- al and morphometric analysis of the polje to present its morphogenetic characteristics. It is completely filled with gravel and lacking any surface flows. Slopes above the polje were severely altered by glacial action during the colder periods of the Pleistocene. As a result, proglacial fans filled the karst depression, creating a piedmont type polje. Glacial evidence suggests that there were at least two separate phases of intense proglacial deposition within the polje. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generally the ridge crests spread in the dinaridic direction that is NW-SE what is mainly the characteristic of the older tectonic phase. The turn point in morphogenesis of the External Dinarides and thus of the Velebit Mt. occurs with the change in the shift of the Adriatic microplate toward N and NNW what is reflected on the orientation and morphology of the ridge crests as well as on the other relief form. The analyses of ridge crests are based on three main criteria: the analysis of orientation, length and the analysis of relatively homogeneous zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the central part of the Velebit Mountain the traces of the Pleistocene glaciation have been found. The domination of the dissected relief, characterized by numerous elevations and depressions, in the conditions of low temperatures and richess of snow precipitation during the Pleistocene were a very good predisposition for glaciation development on the central part of the Velebit Mt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]