Karmen Peternelj, Sanja Alaber, Miloš Bavec, Stefano Devoto, Stefano Furlani, Goran Glamuzina, Jernej Jež, Tvrtko Korbar, Maja Oven Stanič, Maria Luisa Perissinotto, Fabiana Pieri, Duška Rokavec, Ivan Stanič, Domen Zupančič
Following the Mining Acts and related regulations in all four countries, the procedure for the legal exploitation of natural stone, including platy limestone, is rather complex. For example, in Croatia there is a special restriction on all kinds of mining activities on most of the islands where platy limestone occurs extensively. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, laws and regulations related to the commercial exploitation of mineral resources are not well defined. The consequences are clearly visible in the field, particularly in the appearance of a number of small local illegal quarries.
Possible future use of limestone slabs for reconstructions or in new buildings could be based on the excavation of material from currently active quarries. This solution is possible for the wider area of Zadar where Benkovac platy limestone (“Benkovac Stone”) has been widely used. The stone is still commercially exploited in the quarries near Benkovac (Fig. 5.1). Debelo brdo and Benkovac platy limestone types are of excellent quality, as the stone is mostly densely packed micrite and fine-grained calcarenite.
Since there are no other legal platy limestone quarries in the project region of Croatia, there is a general trend of using Benkovac platy limestone in the wider area of Dalmatia, as well as in the interior of the country. Geologists propose a restriction on the use of Benkovac platy limestone (“Benkovac Stone”) just as far as the hinterland of Zadar, and not all over Dalmatia as is the case at the moment. The Benkovac stone has a yellowish colour which differs from other (mostly Cretaceous) greyish lithotypes of platy limestone that characterize other parts of the project area in Croatia. Therefore, in other parts of Dalmatia it would be more appropriate to use an autochthonous material if available.
In the project area of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the commercial exploitation of high-quality platy limestone is possible in active quarries at Podveležje, Raška gora, Vrdi and Zvirovići (Fig. 5.2). Platy limestone quality and quantity is estimated as having potential at all localities (following the threefold classification applied in this project, which classifies the use potential of stone according to its occurrence and quality to no potential, potential, and high potential). With the aim of following the traditional use of very local stone from the near vicinity of houses, the exploitation of limestone from the nearest quarries is recommended.
In other parts of the project area there are no legal commercial quarries of platy limestone.
