Platy limestone – geologic definition and its use as a mineral commodity

The main goal of the first geological measure was a general overview of building limestone along the karstified Adriatic coast. With the aim of identifying the spatial extent of the limestone units, a cross-border harmonized overview geological map on a scale of 1:250,000 was created (Map 2.1). All geological units shown on the map were classified into four categories according to their potential as building limestone: no potential, low potential, potential and high potential. No potential geological units are units which do not contain a significant proportion of limestone, e.g. flysch rocks. Low potential units include lower-quality limestone types, not commercially but only locally used. Potential units include relatively high quality building limestone which could be also commercially used, where abandoned quarries exist. Geological units assessed as having a high potential included types which are/were widely commercially used in numerous quarries. Potential and high potential limestone types are listed on a list of most important building limestone types including the typical quarries.

The process started with a review of the existing relevant archive documents and maps. The database and the overview map of the project region in Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are based on the formal data shown on related pages of the Basic geological map 1:100,000 (see Reference lists in Appendices 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4). The database for the project area in Croatia was also compiled from a geological map of Croatia on a scale of 1:300,000 (Appendix 2.3), while the overview geological map of the Kras in Slovenia and Italy is based on the formal data from the Geological map of the northern and southern part of the Trieste-Komen plateau (1:25,000) (Appendix 2.1). Many data were also collected from numerous professional books and unpublished regional mining-geological studies and through numerous discussions with local people and stonecutters. Some chosen areas were geologically mapped in detail.