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

Potential and high potential PL units cover more than 500km² of the Croatian project territory. Low potential units are not shown on the maps, because of a significant number of restricted and dispersed local appearance of such a thin (mostly <1m thick) intercalations, within mostly thickly bedded geological units outcropping in a large project region in Croatia. Almost all limestone units shown on the overview geological map on a scale of 1:250,000 can be considered as low potential PL units, especially units: 7, 10, 12, 12a,13, 14, 15, 16a, 16f, 18, and 20a.

Potential and high-potential PL polygons in Istria, Zadar, Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties are shown are shown in the overview Table 2.4.

In the Istrian County there is a major occurrence of PL within Pula PL unit of Albian age, along with a few high-potential localities in Oprtalj area (Map 2.4).

In the Zadar county (northern Dalmatia) there is a major PL occurrence of the so-called “Benkovac Stone”, in upper Paleogene Promina unit, that is mapped in detail as part of the project.

In the Split-Dalmatia county (central Dalmatia), in the Trogir area and on the islands of Šolta, Brač, and Hvar, many Cretaceous lithostratigraphic units characterized by platy limestone are recognized and mapped: Klačina (Šolta), Milna PL (Trogir, Šolta), Rogač (Šolta), Vrboska PL (Hvar), Gračišće PL and Gornji Humac PL (Brač), Vinišće (Vinišće and Veliki Drvenik), and Jelinak (Trogir).

In the Dubrovnik-Neretva county (southern Dalmatia), on the island of Korčula and on Pelješac peninsula, two main Cretaceous lithostratigraphic units characterized by platy limestone are recognized and mapped: Milna PL (Pupnat and Žrnovo on Korčula) and Gornji Humac PL (Vela Luka on Korčula and Lovišta on Pelješac) (Tab. 2.4 and Map 2.4) (see Appendix 2.3).