Štiavnica Mountains
Encyclopedia
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
mountain range
Mountain range
A mountain range is a single, large mass consisting of a succession of mountains or narrowly spaced mountain ridges, with or without peaks, closely related in position, direction, formation, and age; a component part of a mountain system or of a mountain chain...
southern central Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. They are part of Inner Western Carpathians
Western Carpathians
The Western Carpathians are a mountain range and geomorphological province that forms the western part of the Carpathian Mountains.The mountain belt stretches from the Low Beskids range of the Eastern Carpathians along the border of Poland with Slovakia toward the Moravian region of the Czech...
and the Slovenské stredohorie
Slovenské stredohorie
Slovenské stredohorie is a group of mountain ranges in southern central Slovakia. Approximately in the center of the mountains lies the city of Zvolen.Slovenské stredohorie is a part of the Inner Western Carpathians...
Mountains. The area is protected by Štiavnica Mountains Protected Landscape Area.
They are bordered by the Kremnica Mountains
Kremnica Mountains
The Kremnica Mountains are a volcanic mountain range in central Slovakia. They are part of the Western Carpathians and the Slovenské stredohorie Mts.The mountain range is situated east of the town of Kremnica, which gave it its name...
(Kremnické vrchy) in the north, Pliešovce and Krupina basins (Krupinská kotlina) in the east, Danubian Hills
Danubian Hills
The Danubian Hills , also translated as Danubian Upland, is the north-eastern, more mountain-like, part of the Danubian Lowland in Slovakia....
(Podunajská pahorkatina) in the south and Pohronský Inovec
Pohronský Inovec
Pohronský Inovec is a mountain range in Slovakia, part of the Slovenské stredohorie ranges of the Inner Western Carpathians.The range is volcanic in origin, and composed of andesite and rhyolites. The highest peak is Veľký Inovec , at 901 meters from sea level. The most popular lookout point is...
, Vtáčnik
Vtácnik
Vtáčnik is a mountain range in central Slovakia, which is part of the Slovenské stredohorie Mountains and part of the Inner Western Carpathians....
and Žiar Basin (Žiarska kotlina) in the west. The highest point is Sitno
Sitno
Sitno may refer to the following places in Poland and Slovakia:*Sitno, Lower Silesian Voivodeship *Sitno, Bydgoszcz County in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship...
(1,009 m).
Štiavnica Mountains are an immense caldera
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. Due to their volcanic origin, they are mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
-rich, with around 140 kinds of minerals. In the past, silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
mining flourished in the area around the town of Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica
Banská Štiavnica is a town in central Slovakia, in the middle of an immense caldera created by the collapse of an ancient volcano. For its size, the caldera is known as Štiavnica Mountains. Banská Štiavnica has a population of more than 10,000. It is a completely preserved medieval town...
.
There are 24 lakes called tajchy
Tajchy
Tajchy are artificial water reservoirs in the Štiavnica Mountains, in central Slovakia. Most of them were built in order to provide energy for the silver mines of Banská Štiavnica in the 18th century. At their height, tajchy comprised a sophisticated system of 60 reservoirs, connected to each...
in Štiavnica Mountains. Although they are now integrated in their natural environment, they were originally built in the 18th century as water reservoirs serving the mining industry.