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26-684: This limestone has been used since Roman times in Slovenia, with artefacts crafted from this stone including funerary markers, altars, and boundary stones. The limestone was transported along the Ljubljanica river to Emona (now Ljubljana), where it featured prominently in major Roman structures. When the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century AD, stone extraction at Podpeč ceased for centuries. Archaeological findings in Emona showed this limestone

52-686: A variety of groups, from local ancient cultures to more well-known groups like the Romans and the Celts . One of the more significant findings is a yew spearhead, found in 2009 in Sinja Gorica . It has been dated to about 35,000 to 45,000 before present, the Szeletian period, and supplements the scant data about the presence of Stone Age hunters in the Ljubljana Marsh area. Exactly why

78-442: Is a cosmopolitan genus of medium to large-sized edible, mainly saltwater mussels , marine bivalve molluscs in the family Mytilidae . Mussels have a gray to blue-purple, fully grown shell about 5 - 10 centimeters long with an elongated oval shape. They follow the general blueprint of the mussels. They consist of a right and left half of the shell, which are held together with an elastic lock strap (ligament). The shell

104-435: Is believed that the river has offered up between 10,000 and 13,000 objects, of which many have been lost to the public. Many pieces have been sold into private collections, or are hidden away by the original treasure hunters. In 2003, to help curb this trend, Slovenia's national parliament declared the river a site of cultural importance and banned diving in it without a permit. Mytilus (bivalve) See text Mytilus

130-460: Is comparable to those observed in adjacent regions like Croatia and Bosnia . Hettangian-Sinemurian layers typically consist of white-grey, dense limestone, with some regions containing white carnous dolomite and in areas such as Hrušica and Notranjsko , dark grey, coarse-grained, bituminous dolomites are observed. The Pliensbachia facies are characterized by black, dense limestones that sometimes transition to black bituminous dolomite. Throughout

156-436: Is evident in the upper sections. The distinctive dark grey to black limestone is highly valued for its aesthetic appeal, marked by white fossilized bivalves. This limestone, known as a "lumachella," formed under low-oxygen lagoonal conditions and contains abundant Lithiotis -type bivalves. Faces similar to those at Preserje near Borovnica indicate littoral zones with alternating subtidal and supratidal conditions, similar to

182-401: Is made up of 3 layers: the top layer of organic material (periostracum), the middle thick layer of lime (ostracum) and the innermost, valuable, silver-white shiny mother-of-pearl layer (hypostracum). In the shell of the mussel there are two gills with gill leaves that are well supplied with blood. Between the gills is a muscular foot with the byssus gland. With the help of the protein contained in

208-542: Is proposed for the Podpeč region, positioning it near the oolitic platform margin with a sheltered lagoon landward characterized by low-energy, mud-rich limestone. Neighboring areas like Trnovski Gozd share these conditions, while sites like Kočevje and Suha krajina reveal lithiotid dolomite layers, breccias, and coal-bearing deposits from marshy environments. While some propose a ramp model, evidence such as cortoids and aggregate grains, as well as frequent emersion events, supports

234-482: The brackish water from estuaries and mud flats in the coastal regions. Mytilus mussels are widely exploited as food and used in mariculture . For instance, in California, they have been consumed by coastal Native American people for almost 12 000 years. Antimicrobial peptides called Mytilin A and B have been isolated from M. galloprovincialis and M. edulis . This Mytilidae -related article

260-596: The Ljubljanica became an article dumping ground is unknown, but most historians believe that it is related to how local tradition has always held the river as a sacred place. These treasures may have been offered "to the river during rites of passage, in mourning, or as thanksgiving for battles won." The Ljubljanica has become a popular attraction in Europe for treasure hunters. This has created an ethical debate between local historians and international treasure seekers. It

286-876: The Middle Ages as the Leybach , is a river in the southern part of the Ljubljana Basin in Slovenia . The capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana , lies on the river. The Ljubljanica rises south of the town of Vrhnika and flows into the Sava River about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) downstream from Ljubljana. Its largest affluent is the Mali Graben Canal. Including its source affluent the Little Ljubljanica ( Slovene : Mala Ljubljanica ),

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312-695: The basin, species exchange between the Dinaric and Julian platforms was unlikely. However, the narrowing of the Slovenian Basin near central Soča Valley may have allowed direct contact between these platforms. Within the Dinaric Platform, shallow, turbulent waters shaped the limestone formations, forming breccias and oolitic sands that built up into beaches and dunes. Coral reefs served as barriers, protecting southern lagoonal areas rich in organic material, where limited oxygen levels facilitated

338-498: The formation of bituminous rock layers. Salinity fluctuations, caused by alternating drought and rainfall periods, drove dolomitization, transforming the sediments. The presence of tropical fossils, including Mytilus -like bivalves and land plants, as well as rare coal beds, indicates intermittent swampy land islands. The fossil record across these layers is diverse, preserving bivalves, gastropods, brachiopods, foraminifera, algae, and occasional coral. A rimmed carbonate platform model

364-627: The mussel and from there to the stomach and intestines, where the food is ultimately digested. The indigestible residues are expelled from the outflow opening with the respiratory water. Each spring and summer, the females lay five to ten million eggs, which are then fertilized by the males. The fertilized egg cells become trochophoral larvae, 99.9 percent of which are eaten in the course of their four-week development into young mussels. Nevertheless, after this "selection" there are still around 10,000 young mussels left. These are about three millimeters in size and often drift around several hundred kilometers in

390-421: The mussel and iron filtered from the sea, this gland produces the byssus threads with which the mussel can hold on. Mussels have a sphincter, which is located in the soft tissue of the mussel, as well as other organs (heart, stomach, intestines, kidneys). With the help of the sphincter muscle, the mussel can close in danger or dryness. Species within the genus Mytilus include: Numerous fossil species are known,

416-560: The northeastern margin of the Adriatic Platform displays a range of Lower Jurassic carbonate deposits, prominently seen from Tolmin through Vrhnika , Novo Mesto , Krško , and into the Gorjanci region. These deposits are characterized by well-layered, dark platform carbonates, including interbedded mudstones, fossiliferous wackestones, oolitic grainstones, and later-stage diagenetic dolomites. This Slovenian carbonate sequence

442-458: The oldest dating to the Triassic. Mussels are filter feeders. They have two openings. The water enters the mantle cavity through the inflow opening, in which a permanent flow of water is generated by the eyelashes. The tiny food particles (plant and animal plankton) stick to the mucous layer of the gills. Then the eyelash hairs convey the mucus in the gills with the food particles to the mouth of

468-555: The present-day Bahamas , with occasional high-energy oolitic limestone beds reflecting dynamic water flow. During the Lower Jurassic, southern Slovenia was part of the Dinaric Carbonate Platform, a shallow marine environment adjacent to the deep-sea Slovenian Basin to the north and stretching into what is now Croatia . The Julian Carbonate Platform lay further north across the basin. Due to the depth of

494-417: The rimmed platform model and a stable paleogeographic setting. This area, part of the ancient Adriatic plate, once lay in a tropical belt at lower latitudes, later shifting northward to its present location. Unidentified members of Pectinidae , Megalodontidae or Nerineidae are known from several locations. Ljubljanica The Ljubljanica ( pronounced [ljuˈbljáːnitsa] ), known in

520-554: The river is 41 km (25 mi) in length. The Little Ljubljanica joins the Big Ljubljanica ( Slovene : Velika Ljubljanica ) after 1,300 m (4,300 ft) and the river continues its course as the Ljubljanica. The Ljubljanica is the continuation of several karst rivers that flow from the Prezid Karst Field ( Slovene : Prezidsko polje ) to Vrhnika on the surface and underground in caves , and so

546-523: The river is poetically said to have seven names (six name changes): Trbuhovica , Obrh , Stržen , Rak , Pivka , Unica , and Ljubljanica. The Ljubljanica has become a popular site for archaeologists and treasure hunters to dive for lost relics and artifacts. Locations in the river between Ljubljana and Vrhnika have offered up pieces of history from the Stone Age to the Renaissance , belonging to

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572-427: The sea before they are about five centimeters in size in coastal regions with their byssus threads. The reason mussels live in such large colonies (also called banks) is because it gives the males a much greater chance of fertilizing eggs. After the larvae have developed freely floating as plankton for about four weeks, they attach themselves to stones, stakes, shill, sand and other mussels with byssus threads. They prefer

598-495: The stone gained popularity by the late 19th and early 20th centuries, leading to its use in various architectural elements like sills, lintels, and door frames in Ljubljana. It also became popular for monuments, fountains, and religious artifacts. The quarry remained active until production ceased in 1967, with the limestone also crushed for roadwork and shipped as blocks for stonecutting workshops. A notable user of this limestone

624-486: The wider Adriatic Carbonate Platform in Slovenia and beyond, the transition to Toarcian carbonates shows a reduction in significant fossils, a trend also noted in the Croatian and Bosnian sections. The Podpeč type profile revelated a 75-meter-thick limestone sequence rich in diverse types, including micritic, bioclastic, and ooidal limestone, interspersed with marl, specially within the lower layers, while tectonic activity

650-862: Was by the Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik , who applied them in the construction of several iconic structures in Ljubljana, including the Central Stadium, the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Technology, the National University Library, and various churches and altars. Other notable buildings featuring this stone include the Triglav Insurance Company Palace, sections of the Slovenian Parliament , and Ljubljana skyscraper . In Slovenia,

676-546: Was valued for its durability, in contrast to the less resilient sandstones, like the ones from Ljubljana Castle . It was also favored due to the accessibility of the quarries by redirecting the Ljubljanica River within a kilometer, facilitating transport. Interest in Podpeč Limestone remained minimal until around 1850, aside from a few historical buildings, such as a church portal from the 15th century. However,

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