Sara Biolchi, Stefano Devoto, Stefano Furlani, Igor Belamarić, Franco Cucchi, Radoslav Dodig, Goran Glamuzina, Jernej Jež, Bogdan Jurkovšek, Tea Kolar-Jurkovšek, Karmen Peternelj, Fabiana Pieri, Luca Zini, Gordana Zwicker Kompar, Irina Žeger Pleše
In the Slovenian part of the eligible area, limestone materials are characterized by important fossils. Due to their scientific importance, two sites have been proposed as geosites. Before starting any major ground works with shafting in the territory of platy limestone (excavation of major land reclamations, etc.) the competent institutions should be notified, and if necessary, they should organize the paleontological monitoring and storage of excavated limestone slabs for the reconstruction of authentic Kras/Carso architecture.
The locality is situated along the regional road connecting Komen and Škrbina, immediately a few meters east of the road. Here the Komen platy limestone belonging to the Povir formation is exposed (Fig. 4.21a). Near the location several smaller abandoned delves of platy limestone can be found. Alternations of mudstones and cyanobacterial laminites prevail among lithotypes, while fine-grained skeletal packstones also occur locally. Fish fossils have often been found at the locality and in the wider area (Fig. 4.21b). Certain sedimentological and paleontological features of Komen platy limestone of the Povir Formation at Mrtvaški hrib locality are an important element of its natural heritage, and need to be preserved and properly shown to the public.
The abandoned Zaleškovje quarry of Tomaj limestone is recommended as a geo-locality due to the abundance of fossil and interesting sedimentological features. The proposed geo-locality is situated in the forested area approx. 400 m southeast of the center of the village of Kazlje, 200 m east of the local gravel road. Thin-bedded Tomaj limestone comprises vertical walls up to 4 m high in the abandoned quarry. Here fossilized land plants (Figs. 4.22a, b) and ammonites (Fig. 4.22c) are abundant. As the Tomaj limestone is not recognized as having particular potential as building material and the proposed Zaleškovje geo-locality represents a highly important paleontological site, it might also well be entirely protected as a natural
