Читать книгу Walking in Bulgaria's National Parks. Pirin, Rila and Central Balkans National Parks онлайн

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Granites and crystalline schist are the dominant types of rock, most apparent in the highest parts of the range, where they burst to the surface along the backbone of the ridge like an array of jagged vertebrae. However, there are also sandstones, gneiss and marls, as well as a small but striking area of karst limestone. This forms the heart of the Steneto Reserve, where the river Cherni Osam has carved out a dramatic gorge flanked by cave-studded cliffs and precipices. Here is Raychova Dupka, which at 377m is the deepest cave in Bulgaria.

Hydrology

Running right across Bulgaria from west to east, the Stara Planina forms part of one of the most important watersheds on the Balkan Peninsula, dividing rivers between the Black Sea and Aegean basins. Rivers running down north from the mountains flow towards the Danube, and hence into the Black Sea, while those that drop south feed into the Maritsa and eventually out into the Aegean Sea. The main rivers of the Black Sea basin originating in the Central Balkan national park are the Vit, Osam, Vidima and Rositsa, while the most important rivers of the Aegean basin are the Topolnitsa, Stryama and Tundzha.