Near Sutivan, a small stretch of coast preserves traces of a global turning point around 66 million years ago. Likva is a geological natural monument — but neither an impact crater nor a sensation first discovered in October.

01

A small coast, a major boundary in time

On the northwestern coast of Brač, within the municipality of Sutivan, a protected rock archive lies between Likva and Bačva. Its value is not a spectacular hole in the ground, but layers documenting the transition from the Cretaceous to the Palaeogene. Around 66 million years separate these deposits from a present-day walk by the sea.

Protection has already been approved: the county made its decision on 18 December 2025, followed by publication in the national official gazette Narodne novine on 21 January 2026. The natural monument covers 1.26 hectares and is managed by the public institution More i krš. Renewed attention in October does not amount to a new protection decision.

02

The trace of a distant event

A study published in 2017 by Tvrtko Korbar and other researchers describes a distinctive deposit at this boundary near Likva. Drawing on evidence including shocked quartz grains, it interprets the layer as a tsunami deposit formed far from the impact site. Chemical signals and microfossils examined above it help establish the context. This is scientific detective work on small features, not an image of a catastrophe that can be read with the naked eye.

The crucial distinction is between the site of an impact and a place preserving its consequences. The research does not turn Brač into an impact crater. Nor does it make this coastal stretch a dinosaur graveyard. Anyone looking only for a huge, visible sign of catastrophe misses what is fascinating here: an inconspicuous contact between rocks can reveal more than a dramatic landform.

A rock sample being examined under a microscope
Golden Beach / OpenAI ImageGen · AI-generated illustration of geological laboratory work; not an actual Likva sample or a researcher involved
03

Start in Sutivan

The municipal library and the Croatian Geological Survey work together to explain the island's geology. Back in 2023, Sutivan announced a geological column as an educational display on the Blato promenade. It includes information about rocks and fossils; the town's building stones can also be viewed through a geological lens.

Our suggestion: first ask in town about the information currently available, then plan your coastal visit. The protection decision alone does not establish that there is a fully developed educational trail, regular guided tours, accessible entry points or fixed visiting hours. If you want a clear explanation, arrange an activity that is actually offered rather than expecting to identify the key layer spontaneously yourself.

04

The best souvenir is an observation

For a visit, we recommend sturdy shoes, dry weather and keeping clear of slippery or undercut stretches of shore. Do not climb to get a better camera angle. If wind and waves make access unpleasant, a geological walk in town is the more sensible choice.

Leave stones and fossils where they are. Do not chip anything off, expose layers with tools, and respect markers. Context matters in a rock archive: where something lies and what comes above or below it are part of the information. A photograph, a sketch and a question for someone knowledgeable are therefore better things to take home.

Evidence

Sources & date

Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.

  1. Odluka o proglašenju zaštićenog područja – geološkog spomenika prirode LikvaNarodne novine / Splitsko-dalmatinska županija · Decision of 18 December 2025; NN 7/2026 of 21 January 2026Protection category, location, area, management and decision date; not a new October protection decision
  2. Novi spomenik prirode na Braču – geološki spomenik prirode Likva u SutivanuOpćina Sutivan · 5 February 2026Local context and cooperation between the library and Geological Survey; publication date after the original official gazette
  3. Post-impact event bed (tsunamite) at the Cretaceous–Palaeogene boundary deposited on a carbonate platform interiorKorbar et al. / Terra Nova · 2017; DOI 10.1111/ter.12257Abstract reviewed: interpretation of the event bed, shocked quartz, microfossils and geochemical evidence; not a local impact crater
  4. Postavljanje geološkog stupa u Sutivanu na otoku BračuOpćina Sutivan · 19 September 2023Geological educational display on the Blato promenade; no guarantee of current guided-tour times
Time-sensitive information may change. Please check the linked primary source before travelling.