Lake Kreda
Encyclopedia
Lake Kreda is a man-made lake
in the Radovna Valley
in northwestern Slovenia
. The lake got its name from the chalk
that was mined in the area until 1985. The digging also created a basin, which gradually filled with water and the lake appeared. The mining ceased because it was unprofitable and due to conservation concerns (the area is within Triglav National Park
), but the lake remained and is now occasionally used as a recreation site.
Today, the lake and its surrounding wetland
s are an important habitat for amphibian
s, such as the common frog
and the common toad
in the Radovna Valley.
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
in the Radovna Valley
Radovna Valley
The Radovna Valley is an alpine valley in the Julian Alps in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.Radovna Creek, created by smaller tributaries from the glacial valleys of the Krma and Kot valleys, flows through it....
in northwestern Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
. The lake got its name from the chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
that was mined in the area until 1985. The digging also created a basin, which gradually filled with water and the lake appeared. The mining ceased because it was unprofitable and due to conservation concerns (the area is within Triglav National Park
Triglav National Park
Triglav National Park is a national park located in Slovenia and the only one in the country. It was named after Mount Triglav, the highest peak of the Julian Alps and a symbol of Slovenia and Slovenian character....
), but the lake remained and is now occasionally used as a recreation site.
Today, the lake and its surrounding wetland
Wetland
A wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
s are an important habitat for amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
s, such as the common frog
Common Frog
The Common Frog, Rana temporaria also known as the European Common Frog or European Common Brown Frog is found throughout much of Europe as far north as well north of the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia and as far east as the Urals, except for most of Iberia, southern Italy, and the southern Balkans...
and the common toad
Common Toad
The common toad or European toad is an amphibian widespread throughout Europe, with the exception of Iceland, Ireland and some Mediterranean islands...
in the Radovna Valley.