The Slovak Karst ( Slovak : Slovenský kras ) is one of the mountain ranges of the Slovenské Rudohorie mountains in the Carpathians in southern Slovakia . It consists of a complex of huge karst plains and plateaus. Since 1973 it has been a protected landscape area. On 1 March 2002 Slovak Karst National Park was declared. It is also a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and part of it forms UNESCO World Heritage Site Caves of Aggtelek Karst and Slovak Karst .
6-533: The highest peak is Jelení vrch at 947 m AMSL . Important rivers are the Slaná (Sajó), the Štítnik and the Turňa . The Slovak Karst lies in the north temperate zone and has a continental climate with four distinct seasons. The area is composed of several layers of Mesozoic limestone and dolomite , beneath which there is non-permeable sandstone , limestone and slate . The plains are covered by oak - hornbeam forests,
12-412: A vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level . In geodesy , it is formalized as orthometric height . The zero level varies in different countries due to different reference points and historic measurement periods. Climate change and other forces can cause sea levels and elevations to vary over time. Elevation or altitude above sea level is a standard measurement for: Elevation or altitude
18-512: Is Jašteričie jazero (literally Lizard Lake), "Gyükerréti-tó" in Hungarian. The Slovak Karst also features rare plants, for example: and rare animals, for example: Parts (from the west to the east): 48°35′N 20°35′E / 48.583°N 20.583°E / 48.583; 20.583 AMSL Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance ( height , elevation or altitude ) in reference to
24-524: Is generally expressed as " metres above mean sea level" in the metric system , or " feet above mean sea level" in United States customary and imperial units . Common abbreviations in English are: For elevations or altitudes, often just the abbreviation MSL is used, e.g., Mount Everest (8849 m MSL), or the reference to sea level is omitted completely, e.g., Mount Everest (8849 m). Altimetry
30-578: The Silická ľadnica (Silica Ice Abyss; 110 m) The region is best known for its many caves , out of which the Domica Cave, Ochtinská Aragonite Cave ( Ochtinská aragonitová jaskyňa ), Gombasek Cave ( Gombasecká jaskyňa ) and Jasovská Cave ( Jasovská jaskyňa ) are open to the public. Other noteworthy caves are Krásnohorská Cave ( Krásnohorská jaskyňa ) and Hrušovská Cave ( Hrušovská jaskyňa ). The region also includes karst lakes. The largest lake
36-408: The hills by oak forests and the karst pits by spruce forests. Beech forests are in the northern parts. The plains (plateaus) have many karst formations, such as karst pits with diameters of up to 250 m and depths of about 45 m, conical hills, blind and half-blind valley and dales. The subterranean karst is known for its deep vertical abysses, such as: Some of the abysses are collapsed, especially
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