MECENCANI – After the deadly earthquake came the sinkholes. A central Croatian region about 40 kilometers (25 miles) southwest of the capital, Zagreb, is pocked with round holes of all sizes, which appeared after December's 6.4-magnitude quake that killed seven people and caused widespread destruction.
Scientists have been flocking to Mecencani and other villages in the sparsely-inhabited region for observation and study. “These are so-called dropout sinkholes, and they appeared because of the specific geological composition of this area, as the soil rests on limestone rocks heavily saturated with groundwater,” said geologist Josip Terzic of the Croatian Geological Survey.