GEOLOGICAL COLUMN SUTIVAN
GEOLOGICAL COLUMN PLACED IN SUTIVAN
was built from representative rock samples (blocks) found in the area of Sutivan municipality.
The samples were collected by the employees of the Croatian Geological Institute (HGI) as part of the preparation of materials for the creation of an educational geological trail in the area of Sutivan.
The samples were processed in the LUKRIĆ KAMEN stonemason’s workshop from Pražnice, where the two sides of the natural blocks collected in the field were cut off. One side is polished to better see the rock structure.
The samples are stacked on top of each other in a natural sequence (stratigraphic) from the oldest (below) to the youngest (above), so in that way you should also approach the acquaintance with the geological past of Sutivan.
A unique rock record was found in Likva cove in Sutivan on the island of Brač. In this planetarily important geological site, one of the best-known geological boundaries between rocks formed at the transition from the age of dinosaurs (Mesozoic) to the age of mammals (Cenozoic), i.e. the period of the youngest Cretaceous (K) and the oldest Paleogene (Pg), is preserved, which is known as K-Pg (K-T) boundary.
An asteroid impact 66 million years ago caused the extinction of 75% of species on Earth, including the dinosaurs that ruled until then. However, the disappearance of the dinosaurs enabled the evolution of mammals, the species known to this day, which includes us – humans. The border here in Likva is marked by a 10 cm thick layer of petrified (lithified) sand deposited from an ancient tsunami, caused by the impact of that asteroid.
Due to its exceptional importance, the site is in the process of being declared a geological natural monument of the Republic of Croatia. The procedure was initiated by the institution for the management of protected natural values in the area of the Split-Dalmatia County MORE I KRŠ at the initiative of the Municipality of Sutivan. Activities on the project of forming an educational geological trail in cooperation with the Croatian Geological Institute are carried out by the Sutivan Public Library.
Edited by: dr.sc. Tvrtko Korbar, Croatian Geological Institute, Franjo Mlinac, mag.tourism.cult, Public Library of Sutivan.
Photography: Franjo Mlinac, Illustrations: HGI