The Ljubljansko Barje is an extensive flatland with occasional elevated areas in the far southern part of the Ljubljana Plain. The area has been the subject of numerous studies in the past, where researchers have explored its geological and archaeological history. During the investigation of the area, theories emerged about its past lacustrine phase, which is believed to have lasted from the end of the Pleistocene to the middle Holocene, due to the sediments found there. The purpose of this study is to confirm the existence of a lake in the Ljubljansko Barje area and to determine the dynamics of its existence. The research was conducted based on an analysis of scientific literature on coastal geomorphological systems, literature on the Ljubljansko Barje, archaeological sites within it, and Lake Ljubljana, as well as a geomorphological analysis of identified forms within the coastal geomorphological system, and an examination of the dynamics of Lake Ljubljana's existence and its shrinkage. In the course of the geomorphological analysis, we first identified the geomorphological forms of the coastal geomorphological system, initially based on LIDAR data and later through field surveys. These forms were then systematically described, and their morphogenesis was explained based on their distribution and lithology. In the geomorphological analysis, we identified eight specific geomorphological forms: cliffs, abrasion platforms, spits, tombolos, deltas, lagoons, beach ridges, and remnants of aggradational shores, which we classified morphogenetically into two groups based on the dominant formation process: aggradational and denudational. We then determined four elevations of Lake Ljubljana's water level based on geomorphological and archaeological data, thus defining the dynamics of Lake Ljubljana's shrinkage. The lake had its greatest extent at the end of the Pleistocene, and it completely dried up between 4,000 BP and 3,500 BP.
|