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Some facts about Slovenian waterfalls
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Slovenia is a small country in size, but great for discovering. Its location
is almost in the "heart" of Europe. There is crossing between Alps on the
North and Balkan peninsula on the South, Adriatic sea on the West and Panonia
plain on the East. Water drainage is quite rich on mainly mountain surface.
That explains why Slovenia has over 300 permanent waterfalls.
Examples of waterfalls with the height over 100 m:
More interesting waterfalls:
What is a waterfall...?
It is not easy to define what a waterfall is. Basically, every falling
water is a waterfall. Height isn't the most important, the quantity of
falling water also counts.
The most important are our feelings...
- Waterfall is stream or river with slope over 45°
- Fall must be equal or higher than 5 m
- Distance between two stages max 10 m
I. Slovenian waterfalls and their height
Worldwide waterfalls are divided in two basic groups by their height
- Low waterfalls – cascades
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Great waterfalls – cataracts (beside their height,
the water flow is also very important)
The only real "catarac-like" in Slovenia might be waterfall
Boka
which height is 144 m (468 feet), wide (20 m – 66 feet) and water flow
is up to 100 cubic metre per second – depended of the season.
Cataract should be Waterfall
Savica
(78 m – 255 feet) and Waterfall
Peričnik
(52 m – 170 feet).
Both have very strong permanent water flow, but they are not wide enought.
Waterfalls (Slovenian terminology) are divided in six groups by their height:
- A. White waters
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B. "Waterfalls" with height from 1 m to 3 m (3 to 9 feet)
are named "jumpers"
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C. "Waterfalls" with height from 3 to 5 m (9 to 16 feet)
are named "Small plungers" or "little waterfalls"
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D. Low waterfalls: height from 5 to 15 m (16 to 48 feet)
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E. Medium height waterfalls: height from 15 to 30 m (48 – 96 feet)
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F. Height waterfalls: height more than 30 m (96 feet and more)
*suggestions:
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D. Low waterfalls: height from 5 to 30 m (16 to 96 feet)
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E. Medium height waterfalls: 30 to 79 m (96 to 295 feet)
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F. Hight waterfalls: height more than 80 m (295 feet and more).
I have changed the limit from previous 90 m to 80 m because
of the Gregorčič waterfall.
In Slovenia are many permanent stages of waterfalls with total height up
to 1000 m.
Examples:
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Waterfalls of Globišča –
total height of waterfalls is over 400 m, but the highest Waterfall Sapet
has height only about 60 m. Somewhere else would be said that here is only
one waterfall with height over 400 m.
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The same is with the
Waterfalls of
Fratarica
.
The highest waterfall – Veliki Drsnik is height 112 m,
but total height of all waterfalls is almost 1 Km. (1000 m)
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Waterfalls of Kloma – total height over 700 m.
The highest fall of Kloma has height of 128 m.
II. Waterfalls are divided in two basic geologic groups
A. Constructive waterfalls (Waterfalls with growth),
Usually tufa waterfalls
B. Destructive waterfalls (Waterfalls which are lowering),
- Excavating waterfalls
Waterfalls because of hard crockery among soft one,
Tectonic waterfalls (where are tectonic break zones),
Hooked waterfalls (usually on the edges of valleys),
Barrage waterfalls (waterfalls which are falling from huge rocks)
- Withdrawing waterfalls
Waterfalls with withdraw (such waterfalls are slowly moving up to the stream)
World famous example are Niagara Falls or
Waterfalls of Iguassu River.
III. Waterfalls and the shape
Some waterfalls could change their shape in a quite short period.
Such a change usually isn't perceivable during a human life.
After many approaches to the waterfalls and with the help of the literature
from round the world, I have put waterfalls in sixteen basic categories:
(Waterfall could have many shape characteristic, which can be combined
during its flow. Each waterfall could be in a few categories)
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Free falling waterfalls (plunge – waterfall with free-falling water,
without coming into contact with the rock wall), examples:
Parabola,
Rinka
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Fans (waterfall, which are narrow on the top and wide on the bottom),
examples:
Gorejca,
Lomščiski slap
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Waterfalls with the slide flow on the rock slope
(slope must be more than 45 degrees), examples:
Predelski slap
,
Nemiljski šum
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Waterfalls in the steep channel, examples:
Slap Igla,
Zgornji desni slap Belega potoka
,
Slap Juliana
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Waterfalls with one stage, example:
Lower waterfall of Mlinarica
,
Zalski slap
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Waterfalls with two or more stages falling from one to the each other
(distance between two stages may be less than 10 m otherwise there are
two waterfalls), examples:
Globišča,
Jurežev slap
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Cascades, like waterfalls with more stages, but much lower –
usually tufa waterfalls, example:
Krka river,
Zgornji Tišenpoljski slap
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Waterfalls with narrow jet of water, example:
Peričnik
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Waterfalls with the wide stream, example:
Boka,
Stegovniški slap
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Waterfalls with one stream, example:
Grmečica,
Tominčev slap
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Waterfalls with two or more streams, examples:
Slap Savica,
Drugi Davški slap
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Segmented waterfalls – waterfalls like white waters but much higher,
examples:
Nadiško šumelišče,
Slapišče v Dolžanovi soteski
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Waterfalls hidden from the back of the fault (rock wall),
examples:
Waterfalls of Šumnik
,
Waterfall Egg
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Waterfalls which flow through steep tunnel or under natural bridge,
examples:
Savica,
Veliki Možniški slap
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Punchbowl waterfalls (falling water enters a pool), example:
Poševni slap
,
Zaročenca
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Horseshoe waterfalls (shape U), example:
Iguassu River
IV. Waterfalls by the drainage
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Waterfalls below the spring (spring is also waterfall), examples:
Boka,
Savica,
Nadiško šumelišče,
Hubelj,
Govic
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Waterfalls below the glaciers, examples:
Čedca,
Slap v Hudičevem žlebu
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River waterfalls, examples:
Vintgarski šum,
Tržiškobistriški slap
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Stream waterfalls, examples:
Pekelski slapovi
,
Korošaški slapovi
That were only permanent waterfalls (full time drainage).
In spring, when snow is melting there are also many plunge waterfalls
with height up to 300 m.
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