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

The second geological project activity was focused on the identification of the provenance of the building stone used in typical autochthonous karst architecture. In Slovenia, the action was implemented through the study of the use of the limestone on five selected show-case objects in the Kras, likewise in the project area in Italy. In Croatia, eleven objects were selected, five in Zadar County, three in Split-Dalmatia County and three in Dubrovnik-Neretva County (Table 2.1). In the project area in Herzegovina, source areas of building limestone for five objects were studied in detail, four of the selected objects are located in the Herzegovina-Neretva County, while one is located in the West Herzegovina County.

The show-case objects were selected in close cooperation with the WP4 (cultural heritage) contractors

The show-case objects were selected in close cooperation with the WP4 (cultural heritage) contractors. For this purpose, joint (WP3-WP4) experts made field visits and several coordination meetings were organized. In collaboration with the WP4 experts, we also developed and established a common field-description document, which was used to investigate all 26 selected show-cased objects over the entire project area.

The architectural elements of the selected show-case objects were geologically investigated in detail, focusing on the major in-situ sedimentological and micro- and macro-paleontological characteristics of the various limestone types used. These properties later assisted in us finding the source areas of the stones used. A set of digital photographs of every object and every architectural element was taken.

Recognized lithological units were geologically defined according to the data from the first (building limestone) and third (platy limestone) RoofOfRock project activities. Some geological data were additionally verified in the field during the geological mapping. Geographical distances between the platy limestone sites and the selected objects were considered and the transport possibilities were estimated as well. Additionally, interviews with the owners of the objects and with the local residents were carried out.

The provenance of the types of limestone used was defined on the geological maps. All the geological data on the investigated show-case objects were entered into attribute tables set by the GIS (WP7) experts.