Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Geographical and Geological Overview

Posted on Jan 21, 2025 in Geology

Geography of Bosnia and Herzegovina

The Ivan Sedlo saddle, found between the mountains of Bitovnja and Bjelašnica, connects the two major parts of the country: the more populated and abundant in forests and land, Bosnia in the north, and the smaller, rocky Herzegovina in the south. The natural border between Bosnia and Herzegovina is the mountain range of Vran, Raduša, Vranica, Bitovnja, Bjelašnica, Treskavica, Zelengora, and Maglić.

  • Northernmost part: Bosanska Dubica
  • Southernmost part: Podtirovnik
  • Westernmost part: Bugar
  • Easternmost part: Žlijebac

Orogenesis: The Process of Mountain Creation

  1. Caledonian
  2. Hercynian
  3. Alpine

The total length of the border is 1537 km, of which:

  • 774 km is a land border
  • 751 km is a river border
  • Length of border with Serbia: 357 km
  • Length of border with Montenegro: 294 km
  • Length of border with Croatia: 931 km

The land surface of Bosnia is 51,129 km2.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is made out of four major geographical regions. Central Bosnia (12,920 km2, 1,249,000 inhabitants) extends across the mountainous central plains, the most developed part of the country, the hotbed of the neighbor-peri-Pannonian, Karst, and sub-Mediterranean meetings from olden times.

Geology of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Paleozoic Era

The Paleozoic in the southeast Bosnian area is called Pračanski Paleozoic, which extends to the east and northeast of the mountain Jahorina to the river Drina. In the Pračanski Paleozoic, chalk cliffs from the Devonian era are mainly represented. Besides the Devonian deposits, carbon sediments can also be found.

  • Sansko-Unski Paleozoic
  • Ključki Paleozoic
  • Central Bosnian Paleozoic
  • Drinski Paleozoic
  • Pračanski Paleozoic

Northeast of the Pračanski Paleozoic is the Drina Paleozoic, which extends from Srebrenica to Zvornik in the Adriatic gulf and the lower stream of Drinjača. Paleozoic sediments are developed in the surrounding areas of Ključ and Sanski Most. This area is called the Una-Sana Paleozoic. In the Una-Sana Paleozoic in Bosanski Novi and Ljubija, deposits from the Devonian era are represented. Carbon constitutes out of different clastics, which include both igneous rocks and a little dolomite and limestone.

Mesozoic Era

Mesozoic deposits in Bosnia and Herzegovina are represented by sedimentary, magmatic, and volcanogenic complexes, on an area of approximately 35,000 square kilometers. During the Mesozoic, most of the territory belonged to the Mediterranean geosynclines. During long sedimentation, sediments in some places have a thickness of over several kilometers. At the end of the Mesozoic, due to tectonic movements, there have been folding and uplift. The consequence of that is a complex geotectonic and geomorphological structure. (Mirić, M. Drešković, N.)

Cenozoic Era

During the Cenozoic in Bosnia and Herzegovina, strong tectonic movements and interruptions in deposition mode were carried out. There was also strong volcanic activity. Numerous faults are present throughout the region, especially in Herzegovina and western Bosnia. Paleogene is the most common in the outer Dinarides. The Neogene occurs in two forms: terrestrial-limestone and marine. Quaternary is characterized by deposits which are most developed in northern Bosnia and are also present in the inter-mountain Quaternary depressions like Sprečko, Prijedor, and Sarajevo plain in southwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Triassic Period

The Triassic sediments spread over the Vrnograč and Bosanski Novi band over western Bosnia, north and northeast Herzegovina, and southeast Bosnia. The second broader band goes from Vareš over Olovo, Glasnica, and Romanija to Višegrad.

Jurassic Period

The Jurassic period sediments occupy the largest part of the outer Dinaric zone, where it is mostly developed in the limestone-dolomite facies. It is located on the area of Bihać to Gacko and Trebinje. The Jurassic age volcano sediment formations are also found in the central zone from Kozara through central Bosnia to Drina.

Cretaceous Period

The Cretaceous deposits are widespread in the wider or narrower bands from the border with Montenegro to Bosnian Grahovo, Bihać, and Bosanska Krupa in the northwest, and in the interior between Jajce, Banja Luka, and mountains Ranča and Vlašić.