Caves and Karst of the Prokletije Mountains

The Prokletije Mountains are the highest range in the Dinaric Alps. Karst phenomena are developed in the carbonates of the Mesozoic age and belong to the High Karst and Durmitor units. Most of the caves are known from the Kolata and Belić massifs, where over 80 caves have been discovered, with a total length of over 36 km. In these massifs there are the longest and deepest caves of the entire Prokletije Mts. The Złota/Gold Cave System is the longest (with length of 8,202 m and vertical extent of 609 m) one and Górnicza/Mining Cave is the deepest (with vertical extent of 715 m and length of 2,633 m) one. A smaller number of caves occur in the vicinity of the Grbaja Valley. The oldest cave systems probably formed in the Pliocene, may be indicated by the morphology of the passages and the age of the highest level speleothem. The vast majority of caves are vertically developed and were formed during deglaciations. These are large pits, but also smaller, tighter passages, especially meanders. The Prokletije Mts with numerous karst and glacial forms are a mix of high-mountain glaciokarst and high-mountain karsts (alpine karsts).