310 million years old rocks with fossils, permanent exhibition

Presentation of the geology of Posavsko hribovje, original specimens of the late Carboniferous fossil plants, a part of the strata is preserved in the place where the plants were found.

Rocks of the Posavsko hribovje, including the Ljubljana’s castle hill, were formed in a tropical swamp near equator in an extensive coastal delta more than 300 million years ago, during the Carboniferous period. This was confirmed in 2006 with a geologic-paleontologic study following monitoring and excavation of the fossil plants at the funicular construction site. The fossil plants of the Ljubljana’s castle hill were first described in the 19th century; therefore the wider area of the designed Ljubljana castle funicular had been defined as a potentially important fossil locality already before the construction works started. The fossil assemblage is represented by Equisetopsida (Articulatae), Lycopodiopsida (Lycopsida), Pteridospermopsida and Cordaitanthales. The Ljubljana’s castle hill is the westernmost locality of Posavsko hribovje fossil flora and presents an important contribution to the knowledge of the extension of the Euro-Amercian floristic area during the late Carboniferous period. (text: dr. Tea Kolar Jurkovšek)

Authors: Dr. Tea Kolar-Jurkovšek (GeoZS), Dr. Bogdan Jurkovšek (GeoZS) and Dr. Uroš Herlec (NTF)