Lake Plav is the largest glacial lake in the Balkans. It was created in an area that was intensively affected by glaciation, where water accumulated in the Plav-Gusinje trough. It was formed at the end of the wyrm, which marks the last phase of the great Pleistocene glaciation. The surface of the lake is 1.99 km², it is located at 906 m above sea level, with a maximum depth of 9.16 m. The length of the lake is 2,160 m, and the width is 1,490 m, while the volume is 7,690,950 m³. The area of the immediate watershed exceeds 4 km² (Feratović, 2018). In the first phase of its existence, the lake was much wider and deeper. Lake Plav is of the flowing type, and the basic characteristics of the water balance are given by the Ljuča tributary with its catchment and the island of Lim, whose source is exactly what this lake represents. A significant degree of water flow has a great influence on the thermal regime and water purity.
Formed during the era of intense glaciation, the plant and animal species that lived here before the ice age survived the retreat of the lake and remained "trapped" in today's glacial lakes, adapting to the newly created conditions. According to previous research, the waters of this lake are of satisfactory quality.
Lake Plav has an elliptical shape and is located in the spacious Plav-Gusinje basin, a tectonic basin between Prokletije mountains and Visitor. This makes it the lowest glacial lake in Montenegro. It was created in the terminal basin of the longest Pleistocene glacier in Montenegro, 35 km long. The glacier moved from the Kučka karst glacier, from the cirques on Žijovo, then joined several glaciers from the central parts of Prokletije, turning the entire basin into a vast glacial trough. J. Cvijić (1921) states that almost all valleys in Prokletije have the shape of waves, while S. Stanković (1975) notes the existence of four terraces around Lake Plav, created as a result of climatic changes after the Pleistocene and changes in the level of the lake. The River Ljuča, which brings the largest amount of water to the lake, cut its bed through moraine and fluvioglacial sediment, constantly filling the lake with material of different sizes. The River Lim, an island of the lake, also cuts its bed through the moraine. J. Cvijić (1921) says: "Plav Lake is a typical example of how the lake shrinks and is being destroyed by these processes."
A significant part of the surroundings of the lake and shallow parts are covered with grass. The shore of the lake is low and slightly indented. On the southwest coast, near mouth of the River Ljuča, there are two smaller peninsulas and three bays, and in the river delta there are also three islets, which appear during low water levels (Radojičić, 2005)...
VIDEO : LAKE PLAV
