Soils and sediments of Prošće Lake catchment as a possible terrigenous input in the lakes system

Soils and sediments in the Prošće Lake catchment of Plitvice Lakes National Park play a significant role in purifying water before it reaches the phreatic zone, acting as both an accumulation and transformation zone for potential pollutants. The study found that quartz is the dominant mineral in these samples, with dolomite present in half and calcite as a dominant phase in one sample. Minor phases include feldspars, chlorites, and muscovite. Organic matter was also detected across all samples. This terrigenous input, primarily from surface waters like streams and overland flow during snow thawing or rain, is minimal but not negligible due to longstanding preservation efforts. The research used X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to analyze these minerals, providing insights into their potential influence on the lakes' water chemistry and contributing to understanding this natural phenomenon.

Ptiček Siročić, A., Kurajica, S., Dogančić, D., & Fišter, N. (2020). Soils and sediments of Prošće Lake catchment as a possible terrigenous input in the lakes system. Acta Carsologica, 49(1). https://doi.org/10.3986/ac.v49i1.7547