Ivica Milevski

<p>In the Jakupica Mt. (North Macedonia, Central Balkan Peninsula; ~41.7° N, ~21.4 E; maximum elevation: 2540 m asl) a large plateau glacier was reconstructed. The lowest mapped moraines in the northeastern valleys are at elevations of 1490-1720 m asl and suggest the former existence of glacier tongues of ~3 km length. The maximum ice extent and five deglaciation phases were reconstructed. The equilibrium line altitude (ELA) of the most extended glacial phase is 2073<sup>+37</sup>/<sub>-25</sub> m asl. The <sup>10</sup>Be Cosmic Ray Exposure (CRE) age (n=8) of this phase was estimated at 19.3<sup>+1.7</sup>/<sub>-1.3</sub> ka, conformable with the LGM similarly to the nearby Jablanica Mt [1]. CRE ages from the next moraine generation placed the first phase of deglaciation to 18.2<sup>+1.0</sup>/<sub>-3.0</sub> ka (n=8). The samples from the moraine of the penultimate deglaciation phase (n=5) provided CRE ages with large scatter and biased towards old ages, which is probably the result of inherited cosmogenic nuclide concentrations within the rock [2, 3], as it was suggested in the cirques of the Retezat Mt. [4].</p><p>Glacio-climatological modelling was performed under constrains of geomorphological evidence in order to make paleoclimatological inferences. The degree-day model was used to calculate the amount of accumulation required to sustain the glaciological equilibrium assuming a certain temperature drop at the ELA for the most extended stage.</p><p>If the LGM mean annual temperature and the increased annual temperature range suggested by pollen-based paleoclimate reconstructions [5] are placed into the glaciological model the estimated annual total melt at the LGM ELA implies much wetter conditions compared to the current climate. This is in contrast with the regional LGM annual precipitation reconstructions of the same dataset, which suggests ~25% decrease in the Jakupica Mt. Alternatively, the model can be constrained with the current annual temperature range and the regional estimates of LGM temperature drop at 6-7 °C. This suggests 1.3 to 1.8 times more simulated precipitation than today.</p><p>These results support paleoclimate models, which predict increased precipitation in this region and suggest that in the Central Balkan region either the precipitation or the annual temperature amplitude (or both) are inaccurate in the pollen-based paleoclimate reconstruction database.</p><p> </p><p>Funding: NKFIH FK124807; GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00009; RADIATE 19001688-ST.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger et al. 2020. Geomorphology 351: 106985</p><p>[2] Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger et al. 2021. GRA, EGU21-4573</p><p>[3] Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger et al. 2021. vDEUQUA2021, Book of s, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5526214</p><p>[4] Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger et al. 2021. Geomorphology, 107719.</p><p>[5] Bartlein, et al. 2011. Clim. Dyn. 37, 775–802.</p>

<p>In the upper mantle, volatiles control its composition, partial melting conditions, as well as the ascent rate of the formed melts. As consequence, volatile composition of the mantle is, in turn, recorded in the melts and, therefore, in the erupted basaltic rocks. Despite their importance, origin, budget, and fluxes of the volatiles in the upper mantle are poorly constrained. It is well known that the main input of mantle volatiles, such as carbon (C) and sulphur (S), represents components released from the subducting slab, <em>e.g.</em>, oceanic rocks and sediments, whose have characteristic isotopic signatures. In this view, studies of isotopic ratios of volatiles of subduction-related magmatic rocks could be used to identify the chemical components released by the subducting slab metasomatizing the upper mantle. To confirm this hypothesis, we investigated the major and trace element composition, as well as the C and S elemental contents and isotopic ratios of subvolcanic and volcanic rocks of the Vardar ophiolites of North Macedonia, which represent remnants of the Mesozoic Tethyan oceanic lithosphere formed in supra-subduction zone tectonic settings.</p><p>The ophiolites were sampled at Lipkovo and Demir Kapija localities, in the northern and southern part of North Macedonia, respectively. Based on whole-rock major and trace element composition, two main groups of rocks can be distinguished: i) Group 1 rocks, which are subalkaline basalts with backarc affinity and ii) Group 2 rocks, which are calc-alkaline basalts with arc affinity. The petrogenetic modelling based on trace and Rare Earth Elements, indicates that Group 1 mantle sources were affected by limited metasomatic processes by slab-released components, in particular aqueous fluids and sediment melts, whereas the Group 2 mantle sources were strongly metasomatized by sediment melts and adakitic melts. Accordingly, the Group 1 rocks exhibit C-enriched and S-depleted isotopic signature, indicating a minor involvement of melts from the subducting sediments. On the other hand, the C-depleted and S-enriched isotopic signatures of the Group 2 rocks suggest a major involvement of melts derived from the subducting sediments rich in organic matter and sulphate phases Therefore, both geochemical and isotopic data of the subvolcanic and volcanic samples of the North Macedonia ophiolites show that the sub-arc mantle sources are more affected by slab-released fluids than those of the backarc basin, which are more distal from the trench. Thus, combining the geochemical and isotopic data of subvolcanic and volcanic samples of complex geological framework can contribute to reconstruct the geodynamic scenarios, such as that of the Vardar ophiolites in the Dinaric-Hellenic belt. In addition, this approach may be useful to better understand the global geodynamic cycles of volatiles reconstructing their origin, budget, and isotopic composition, and understand the impacts on climate and environment from local to global scale.</p>

Located on the southwestern branches of Babuna Mountain, north of Prilep in North Macedonia is the Natural Monument Markovi Kuli – a geosite with an exceptional weathering landscape. It is a host to a vast variety of weathering landforms (boulders, pillars, weathering pits, tafoni, etc.), mainly due to the lithology where Proterozoic gneiss rocks are intruded by Late Paleozoic granitic rocks. In addition, landform development is also controlled by the local climate conditions. As a result of its geomorphological significance, in 2004 Markovi Kuli geosite was placed on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage, and in 2006 it was proclaimed as a Natural Monument, within the network of protected areas in Macedonia. However, despite its geodiversity being the cornerstone of its significance, not many geomorphological studies have been made so far. Considering that, and especially the necessity for the effective protection of the area, the results of the latest research are presented in this work.

Soil erosion is one of the greatest environmental and agricultural problems in the Republic of Macedonia (25713 km2; 2,1 million inhabitants). The cause for that are very suitable natural factors (geology, slopes, climate, land cover), part of them (especially land cover) highly changed by human impact. There are several “hot spot” regions strongly affected with erosion and one of them is the upper part of Bregalnica catchment, upstream of Kalimanci dam (1126,1 km2). Processes of soil erosion and sediment transport are strongly influenced by land use changes so the modelling of land use changes is important with respect to the simulation of soil degradation and its on-site and off-site consequences (Wang et al., 2012). The results from our research in the upper Bregalnica catchment shows that even relatively minor land use changes had a significant effect on regional soil erosion rates and sediment transport to rivers. Most severe cases are recorded after large forest fires in 2007, when reforested area were burn out and transformed to pastures.

Markovi Kuli is an area with an exceptional weathering landscape, located on the southwestern branches of Babuna Mountain, north of Prilep. Several ridges extend to northwest and southeast from an ENE-WSW oriented main ridge, with prominent peaks in Edinak (1303), Lipa (1392) and Zlatovrv (1422) as the highest one. It is a host to a vast variety of weathering landforms (cliffs, pillars, weathering pits, tafoni etc.), mainly due to the specific geological composition of the area, where Proterozoic metamorphic rocks are intruded by Late Paleozoic granitoid rocks. In addition, the landform development is also controlled by the local climate conditions. As a result of its geomorphological significance, in 2004 Markovi Kuli was placed on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage, and in 2006 it was proclaimed as a Monument of Nature within the network of protected areas in Macedonia. However, despite its geodiversity being the cornerstone of its significance, not many geomorphological studies have been made. Considering that, and especially the necessity for the effective protection of the area, detailed inventory of geo-forms including their micro-relief features, determination of the types, intensity and importance of the contemporary weathering processes, as well as assessment of the human impact is needed. As part of that, latest GIS and RS technologies should be used, providing long-term monitoring of this important geo-complex. Keywords: Markovi Kuli, geodiversity, weathering, protection Preliminary results of research component of the project! With the current project, special attention is paid to the southern part of this site, that is, on the hill (inselberg) Markovi Kuli (945 m) that rises north of Prilep. In addition, using the most modern approaches (drone imaging, 3D modeling, visualization, etc.), mapping, classification, inventorization, and analysis of forms were performed. Also, within the preliminary research, an explanation of the landscape origin and the main contributing factors was given. The project activities began in October 2018, when several field inspections were carried out, accompanied by detailed aerial/terrestrial photo recording of the site. Drone recording was used for producing of 15 cm digital elevation model and 10 cm orthophoto as a basis for the three-dimensional visualization on the area. With the drone and field mapping, more than 500 characteristic forms are identified from which 50 are evaluated in details: the Markovi Kuli primary inselberg, 9 secondary inselbergs, 18 tors, 23 boulders, as well as numerous micro-forms including weathering pits, tafoni, alveoli, flared slopes, etc. In December and January, detailed inventory of mentioned landforms, with their location (coordinates, altitude), basic morphological (position, shape, structure), morphometric (size, height), and other relevant data (a type of vegetation, degree of degradation, etc.), was compiled. Also, a series of profiles has been made and the most representative photos are added for each form in the inventory. All of that is included as a database of the Markovi Kuli geographical information system (GIS) as a tool for monitoring the changes of the landscape that will occur in the future. During March and April, several field visits to the site followed, especially on its west side, with a dozen high-quality 360-degree photo panoramas prepared for a good visual inspection and a "virtual tours" of the site. This is of particular importance for the popularization and presentation of the Markovi Kuli site which is not well known abroad. The results of the research have shown that the process of active formation of denudation forms of Markovi Kuli is still taking place today. In that sense, numerous "fresh" broken boulders and pieces of rocks have been recorded. Analyzes also indicate that some of the large forms have a primary or initial origin with a form obtained when granite magma is imprinted in older gneisses. The smaller forms that are the most common on the site, began to be created below the surface with underground weathering complemented by selective erosion of exogenous agents. Thus, in the period from tens to hundreds of thousands of years, the numerous phenomena that we see on the surface today have been shaped. All of these findings, as well as the inventory of forms, have been elaborated in detail in an appropriate study, which provides recommendations for sustainability, future monitoring, preservation, geotouristic activities, etc. Particular attention in the project was addressed also to the cultural values, and this part of the activities was carried out by the members of the Institute of Old Slavic Culture from Prilep. The past human presence in this area is recorded in dozens of locations, dating from the Neolithic (6000 BC) until the late Middle Ages. Certainly, the remains of human activities on the hill Markovi Kuli, confirmed by the late Eneolith to the present,…

Several studies applied numerical age determination methods to examine glacial phases of the central Balkan Peninsula. However, the resulting conflicting datasets require further discussion. This study provides 10 Be Cosmic Ray Exposure (CRE) ages of a succession of glacial landforms in the Jablanica and Jakupica Mts (North Macedonia), aiming at a better understanding of Late Pleistocene glacier development in the area.

Considering the importance of glacial cirque landforms, identifying and mapping the distribution of the cirques with an analysis of their quantitative features is a very important task. Aside from fieldwork, nowadays this can be accomplished through analysis of digital terrain models. Based on the very detailed 5-m DEM and 0.5-m ortophoto imagery, 55 glacial cirques are identified on the North-Macedonian side of Shar Mountain, and their shape, size, height, slope, and dominant aspect are calculated and presented in this work. Most of the cirques are located between 2100 m and 2500 m a.s.l., and have E, N and NE aspects, steep headwalls and almost flat floors. There is a difference in the altitude and size of the cirques considering their general aspect and overall position.

One of the major environmental problems in the Republic of Macedonia is accelerated soil erosion. Steep slopes of the terrain combined with soft rocks (schists on the mountains; sands and sandstones in depressions), erodible soils, semi-arid continental climate and sparse vegetation cover, give high potential for soil erosion. For that reasons, different approaches and methods are used for assessment of soil erosion intensity in the country. Aside of field analyses and hydrological measurements, estimation of average soil erosion potential and sediment yield is generally achieved with Erosion Potential Model (EPM) of Gavrilovic [5] as one of the most frequently used in the region. However, unlike the traditional approach with high subjectivity, in latest decade GIS approach of EPM is introduced, with most of the model parameters derived from digital elevation model and satellite imagery. In this paper, one such approach for the entire country is presented, after numerous evaluations...

A natural hazard has been defined by UNESCO as the probability of occurence within a specified period of time and within a given area of a potentially damaging phenomenon. It has been estimated that the natural hazards cost the global economy over $50000 million per year. The aim of this work is to analyse and determine the areas of potential natural hazards in Pcinja basin. Pcinja is large left tributary of Vardar River (135 km long, 2877,3 km 2 catchment’s area), which drainages surface waters from northeastern Macedonia, and in smaller part (538 km 2 or 19%) from southeastern Serbia. Because of suitable physical-geographic factors (geology, terrain morphology, climate, hydrology, vegetation cover, soil composition, and high human impact), some parts of the catchment have significant risk of natural hazards. Given the wellknown fact that they occur suddenly, independently of each other or in the mutual relationship (synergy), it is necessary to make assessment analysis of most sig...

Although glacial landforms on the Balkan Peninsula have been studied since the 19th century, only scarce data are available about the extent of the former glaciations in the Central Balkan Peninsula, the transition zone between the Mediterranean and Central Europe. Glacial features of the Jablanica Mt. were mapped, described and classified into morphostratigraphic units. A revised glacio-geomorphological map was produced and glacial landforms were assigned to six morphostratigraphic units. Ten primary and two secondary cirques were identified in the upper parts of the studied valleys, while downstream the valleys were steep and glacially shaped with several glacial steps and thresholds. Cirque and valley morphology indicate that subglacial deepening was limited within the cirques and was more intensive in the valley sections during more extensive glacial phases. The largest reconstructed glaciers were 4.6–7 km long, while the last cirque glaciers were only a few hundred meters long....

Landslides are natural disasters that have an impact in many areas around the world including the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. In this country, about 300 large landslides are registered, most of which cause serious damage to the infrastructure almost every year. In that sense, the mapping of sites that are susceptible to landslides is essential for the management of these areas. This is a crucial step to prevent landslides in places where this could be expected or to mini-mize its damages. Therefore, a heuristic approach of Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) combined with Geographic In-formation System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) is used in this work for the assessment of potential landslide areas in the Republic of Macedonia. In the procedure, 6 triggering factors indicating a strong influence on the landslide activity are selected, including lithology, slope angle, land cover, terrain curvature, distance from rivers and distance from roads. Through the procedure, expe...

In this study, analysis of slope angle accuracy measured from the available digital elevation models (DEM) covering the area of the Republic of Macedonia is made. Aside of global coarse to fine scale DEM's (30"SRTM, 3"SRTM, 1"ASTER GDEM), two of the national 20 m and 5 m DEM's are processed. Several test areas with different topography (plains, hilly-mountains and mountains) are selected for detailed analysis. Final data are compared with 5 m DEM which is used as a referent and most accurate model previously validated with traditional cartographic measurements from 25K topographic maps. Results show significant differences and degree of inaccuracy which grown from fine-scale to coarse scale DEM's, and from flat areas to areas with high vertical relief. For minimize of these DEM's-resolution related errors, several simple equations are realized.

DESCRIPTION As a result of powerful local and regional geotectonic movements in the past, the landscape in the Republic of Macedonia (25.713 km2) is characterized with frequent changes of mountains and de-pressions with richness of diverse geomorphological processes and landforms. In general, the land-scape in Macedonia is formed by interdependence of internal (geotectonic) and external (geomor-phologic) forces, through a very long time process that takes millions of years. This area since the distant geological past was marked by violent movements of magma in the Earth's interior between the African plate on south and Eurasian plate on north. In local context, on the west is Adriatic plate, on the East is Moesian Platform, and on Southeast is Anatolian block. The Earth crust in the area of Macedonia is highly compressed between such large tectonic plates and blocks with opposite directions. Such pressures and movements caused deep cracking and faulting of the crust, when some p...

Natural conditions of certain area imply to the complex influence of various elements of the environment (surface, relief, climate, water, vegetation type) and man, and knowledge of their recent state represents basis of an integrated approach in the land use planning. Analysis of natural conditions and processes in the Serbian-Macedonian border area is usually done through the valorization of natural potentials, but aspect of their limiting influence on the development of this territory - natural hazards assessment has remained unresolved. Degree of natural hazards vulnerability of a certain territory is an important factor in land use planning, because it represents a threat to the undisturbed development of a certain teritory. The basic idea of this paper is to provide multi-hazard assessment and the integral map of areas vulnerable to various types of natural hazards in Serbian-Macedonian border area. In this way seclusion of areas where natural conditions can represent the limi...

ABSTRACT Abstract The territory of the Republic of Macedonia is vulnerable to various types of natural disasters (landslides, rockfalls, earthquakes, floods, torrential floods, and excessive soil erosion). Mass movements are controlled by topography, engineering–geological properties of soils and rocks, runoff and infiltration conditions, human influences, and other factors. In this chapter some historical data on major landslides are presented with special regard to extreme landslide events in 2009 and 2010, a period with deep snowpack and intense rainfalls. It is observed, however, that almost all new or reactivated slides developed along the existing road network. The chapter describes to what extent the influence of extreme weather can be detected in landslide occurrences. The concepts of improved analytical methodology for landslide hazard mapping are also tackled, with the objective to outline the general directions for landslide prevention in the future and land use planning in Macedonia.

... Some of the deepest canyons (1,000 m deep) and the deepest underwater cave (190 m deep) of Europe are found in Macedonia. The highest polje is at 2,050 m elevation. ... With its bottom at 2,050 m, Šilegarnik is highest karst polje on the Balkan Peninsula (Kolčakovski 1988) . ...

... be concluded that both events appear more often today than in the past, as a result of the climate change (Donevska, 2006), leading to ... Newest DEM's permits ana-lyses of landscape changes in last 50-100 years, using comparison with older topographic maps (from 1940-ties ...

In this work a GIS procedure of potential landslide areas assessment, based on digital elevation model (DEM), satellite imagery and other digital data analyses is presented. The research area is Gevgelija-Valandovo basin (1077.0 km2), which is located in the southern part of the ...

As a result of powerful local and regional geotectonic movements, the landscape of North Macedonia (25,713 km) has a typical chequerboard topography with frequent changes of mountains and depressions. There are 38 mountain ranges, of which 13 extending above 2000 m are defined as high, while the highest Korab, reach 2753 m. Because of their geomorphological and overall significance, geomorphometric features of these 13 dominant high mountain ranges are analyzed in this work. The data are calculated from a previously prepared 15-m DEM with particular attention to hypsometry, slope gradient, aspect, and curvature. Based on these variables, a simple classification of the high mountain ranges is

In this paper, we describe the first finding of the Campanian Ignimbrite tephra layer in a subaerial succession in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The tephra is interbedded within slope deposits mixed with colluvial loess. The identification of this fundamental stratigraphic marker is based on major elements. The investigated succession is correlated to lacustrine records from Ohrid and Prespa lakes, several archives of the central and eastern Mediterranean, and mainland Ukraine and Russia. Field observations and correlation with lacustrine records (i.e. pollen) indicate that accumulation of the volcanic ash occurred in a dry environment characterized by low vegetation cover and important wind activity, which promoted loess deposition. The recognition of the Campanian Ignimbrite tephra allows the correlation of the loess sediments to the H4 event, as defined in the North Atlantic event climatic stratigraphy.

In this paper is presented a GIS procedure of soil erosion estimation, based on digital elevation model (DEM) and satellite imagery analysis. The research area is upper part of Bregalnica watershed, one of the largest (225 km long, 4307 km2 c.a.) tributaries of Vardar in the Republic of Macedonia. As a consequence of suitable naturalgeographic factors and significant human impact, this area has severe erosion with high land degradation. For that reason, before any spatial human activity, it is shown essential to precisely identify and quantify soil erosion risk. This task is performed trough the detailed analyses of raster grids for topography, acquired from 3”SRTM DEM, and raster grids for vegetation cover, acquired from Landsat ETM+ satellite imagery. In this way, influence of most relevant topographic indices (hypsometry, slopes, curvatures, aspects) and vegetation index (vegetation cover) is estimated. Then, with clustering module incorporated in SAGA GIS software, and superimpo...

Landslides are natural disasters which have impact in many areas around the world including the territory of the Republic of Macedonia. In this country, about 300 large landslides are registered, most of which cause serious damage to the infrastructure almost every year. In that sense, the mapping of sites that are susceptible to landslides is essential for management of these areas. This is a crucial step to prevent landslides in places where this could be expected or to minimize its damages. Therefore, an approach of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) assessment of potential landslides in the area of the Republic of Macedonia is presented in this paper. That is because of the high impact of landslides on the environment, socio-demographic situation, local economy and especially infrastructure. GIS tools and statistical methods for modeling and simulation allow the application of frequency ratio model for analyzing the number landslide events in any class o...

The use of weather satellite recordings has been growing rapidly over the last three decades. Determining the patterns between meteorological and topographical features is an important scientific job. Cloud cover analysis and properties can be of the utmost significance for potential cloud seeding. Here, the analysis of the cloud properties was conducted by means of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite recordings. The resolution of used data was 1 km2 within the period of 30 years (1989–2019). This research showed moderate changing of cloudiness in the territory of Serbia with a high cloudiness in February, followed by cloudiness in January and November. For the past three decades, May has been the month with the highest cloudiness. The regions in the east and south-west, and particularly in the west, have a high absolute cloudiness, which is connected with the high elevation of the country. By means of long term monitoring, the whole territory of Serbia w...

<p>Since the 19<sup>th</sup> century, geomorphological studies in the currently mainly unglaciated central Balkan Peninsula described extended glacial landforms and repeated glaciations. With the growing number of numerical ages an ambiguous picture has formed concerning the timing of the most extended glaciation and also on the glacier response to the cooling phases (e.g. Younger Dryas) during the last deglaciation of these mountain ranges.</p><p>This study provides <sup>10</sup>Be cosmic ray exposure ages of a succession of glacial landforms in the Jakupica Mt. (North Macedonia), aiming to improve the understanding of Late Pleistocene glacier development in the area [1].</p><p>In the Jakupica Mt. (~41.7° N, ~21.4 E; Solunska Glava, 2540 m asl) a large plateau glacier was reconstructed (max. area ~45 km<sup>2</sup>, max thickness: ~300 m), where three main ice accumulation areas could be delineated [2]. The study area comprises six northeastward facing, formerly glaciated valleys. Two of these valleys emerge from the plateau, one stands separate, and the remaining three are topographically separated by a relatively flat NNW-SSE oriented ridge. During the most extensive glacial stages, these three valleys were fed by ice overflowing above this ridge from the plateau. The lowest mapped moraines are descending down to 1550-1700 m asl suggesting the former existence of glacier tongues of ~3 km length. The large plateau ice and the complicated system of confluences makes glacier reconstructions and equilibrium line altitude (ELA) calculations challenging. Thus, the ELAs were preliminary estimated based on the maximum elevation of the lowermost lateral moraines, leading to ELA values of 1800±50 m a.s.l. for the most extended phase.</p><p>The maximum ice extent outlined by the lowest mapped moraines descending down to 1550-1500 m asl. occurred around ~24-19 ka (n=5), in agreement with the timing of the Last Glacial Maximum. During the Lateglacial, the exposure ages are getting younger by the glacier recession up to the moraines at ~1820 m asl (~19-14 ka, n=15). However, the highest sampled landforms (~2200 m asl) provided ages with a large scatter between ~25 and ~5 ka (n=6). This large scatter and the observed bias towards old ages are most probably the result of inherited cosmogenic nuclide concentrations within the rock. Consequently, <sup>10</sup>Be exposure ages alone are apparently not suitable to determine the age of final deglaciation of this mountain. Similar conditions have been observed in the Retezat Mts (Southern Carpathians, Romania) [3].</p><p>This research was supported by the NKFIH FK124807 and GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00009 projects and by the Radiate Transnational Access 19001688-ST.</p><p>[1] Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger et al., 2020. Last deglaciation in the central Balkan Peninsula: Geochronological evidence from Jablanica Mt. (North Macedonia). Geomorphology 351: 106985</p><p>[2] Temovski et al., 2019. Glacial geomorphology of the northeastern part of the Jakupica Mountain, Macedonia, Central Balkan Peninsula. GRA 21, EGU2019-7822</p><p>[3] Ruszkiczay-Rüdiger et al., 2018. Glacier reconstruction, deglaciation chronology and paleo-environment reconstruction, Retezat Mountains, Southern Carpathians, Romania. Geologica Balcanica; s of the XXI. CBGA Congress, Salzburg, 10-13 September; p. 240-241.</p>

<p>Late Miocene to Pleistocene volcanism within the Vardar zone (North Macedonia) covers a large area, has a wide range in composition and it is largely connected to the tectonic evolution of the South Balkan extensional system, the northern part of the Aegean extensional regime. The scattered potassic to ultrapotassic volcanism developed south from the Scutari-Peć fault zone since 6.57 Ma [1]. The focus of this study is on three volcanic centers located on deep structures or thrust faults along the western part of the Vardar zone, for which there is none to very little geochronological and geochemical data available. Pakoševo and Debrište localities are represented as small remnants of lava flows cropping out at the southern edge of Skopje basin and at the western edge of Tikveš basin, respectively. Šumovit Greben center is considered as part of the Kožuf-Kozjak/Voras massif (6.5-1.8 Ma [1]), and it is located on its westernmost side, at the southern edge of Mariovo basin, which is largely comprised of volcanoclastic sediments. Here we present new eruption ages applying the unspiked Cassignol-Gillot K-Ar technique on groundmass, petrological and geochemical data, supplemented with Sr and Nd isotopes to complement and better understand the Neogene-Quaternary volcanism in the region. Obtaining the eruption ages of these volcanic centers could also help to better constrain the evolution of the sedimentary basins. All of the three centers belong to the shoshonitic series based on their elevated K-content. The oldest center amongst these three localities, as well as other Late Miocene centers within the region, is the trachyandesitic Debrište, which formed at ca. 8.1 Ma, and exhibits the highest Nd isotopic ratios (0.512441-0.512535). The trachybasaltic Pakoševo center formed at ca. 3.8 Ma and, based on its Nd isotopic ratio (0.512260), represents the strongest sign of crustal contamination. The rhyolitic Šumovit Greben center is a composite volcanic structure formed at ca. 3.0-2.7 Ma. Its youngest eruption unit has a slightly larger Nd isotopic ratio (0.512382), representing a less evolved magma at the end of its activity.</p><p>This research was funded by the GINOP-2.3.2-15-2016-00009 ‘ICER’ project, the French-Hungarian Cooperation Program TÉT-FR-2018-00018 and the HORIZON 2020 grant N 676564.</p><p>References:</p><p>[1] Yanev et al., 2008 – Mineralogy and Petrology, 94(1-2), 45-60.</p>

According to the recent and historical records, the territory of the Republic of Mace-donia is at risk from various natural hazards. That is because the country has such geographical features that favour frequent occurrence of number of natural hazards: earthquakes, floods, torrents, landslides, rockfalls, avalanches, droughts, heat (and cold) waves etc. In the summer of 2016, large flash flood occur in Skopje region causing 23 deaths and huge damage. Only one month later, the city was hit by moderate earthquake (the latter fortunately without major consequences). Actually, in the last decade, numerous landslides and rockfalls were recorded around the country, then frequent fires, heat waves, floods etc. Numerous scenarios, analyzes and trends show that in the coming years and decades, the frequency of natural disasters will increase. Accordingly, as all other natural factors, in particular landscape configuration, geology, soils, etc., there should be designed, dimensioned and conducted appropriate preventive measures to be aimed not only for protection against floods, but also against landslides, excessive erosion, fires, the consequences of earthquakes and other hazards.

In this study, analysis of slope angle accuracy measured from the available digital elevation models (DEM) covering
the area of the Republic of Macedonia is made. Aside of global coarse to fine scale DEM’s (30"SRTM, 3"SRTM,
1"ASTER GDEM), two of the national 20 m and 5 m DEM’s are processed. Several test areas with different topography (plains, hilly-mountains and mountains) are selected for detailed analysis. Final data are compared with 5 m
DEM which is used as a referent and most accurate model previously validated with traditional cartographic measurements from 25K topographic maps. Results show significant differences and degree of inaccuracy which grown
from fine-scale to coarse scale DEM’s, and from flat areas to areas with high vertical relief. For minimize of these
DEM’s-resolution related errors, several simple equations are realized.

As a result of powerful local and regional geotectonic movements in the past, the landscape in the Republic of Macedonia (25.713 km2) is characterized with frequent changes of mountains and de-pressions with richness of diverse geomorphological processes and landforms. In general, the land-scape in Macedonia is formed by interdependence of internal (geotectonic) and external (geomor-phologic) forces, through a very long time process that takes millions of years. This area since the distant geological past was marked by violent movements of magma in the Earth's interior between the African plate on south and Eurasian plate on north. In local context, on the west is Adriatic plate, on the East is Moesian Platform, and on Southeast is Anatolian block. The Earth crust in the area of Macedonia is highly compressed between such large tectonic plates and blocks with opposite directions. Such pressures and movements caused deep cracking and faulting of the crust, when some parts are descending (forming grabens and depressions), and the neighboring tectonic blocks were uplifted (forming horsts). From uplifted blocks mountains was created, and from descending, valleys and depressions in between. In the past, especially in Late Miocene, along the deepest and most active faulting lines, volcanoes appeared and were periodically active until the Pliocene to Pleistocene. In the same time, the neighbor depressions were gradually filled with lakes, which in the middle to upper Pleistocene are expired or dried. In last stages, deep sandy and clay deposits were subsequently and partially eroded by fluvial and denudation processes. In general, Macedonia is country of landscape contrasts: from deep depressions to high mountains, from numerous volcanic remnants, karst landscapes, intensive hillslope processes, weathering and severe erosion, to various periglacial and glacial landforms.

One of the major environmental problems in the Republic of Macedonia is accelerated soil erosion. Steep slopes of the terrain combined with soft rocks (schists on the moun-tains; sands and sandstones in depressions), erodible soils, semi-arid continental climate and sparse vegetation cover, give high potential for soil erosion. For that reasons, different approaches and methods are used for assessment of soil erosion intensity in the country. Aside of field analyses and hydrological measurements, estimation of average soil erosion potential and sediment yield is generally achieved with Erosion Potential Model (EPM) of Gavrilovic [5] as one of the most frequently used in the region. However, unlike the traditional approach with high subjectivity, in latest decade GIS approach of EPM is introduced, with most of the model parameters derived from digital elevation model and satellite imagery. In this paper, one such approach for the entire country is presented, after numerous evaluations of smaller catchments. The results in general are similar with Soil Erosion Map of the Republic of Macedonia, but there are some significant local differences.

Soil erosion is one of the greatest environmental and agricultural problems in the Republic of Macedonia (25713 km2; 2,1 million inhabitants). The cause for that are very suitable natural factors (geology, slopes, climate, land cover), part of them (especially land cover) highly changed by human impact. There are several “hot spot” regions strongly affected with erosion and one of them is the upper part of Bregalnica catchment, upstream of Kalimanci dam (1126,1 km2).
Processes of soil erosion and sediment transport are strongly influenced by land use changes so the modelling of land use changes is important with respect to the simulation of soil degradation and its on-site and off-site consequences (Wang et al., 2012). The results from our research in the upper Bregalnica catchment shows that even relatively minor land use changes had a significant effect on regional soil erosion rates and sediment transport to rivers. Most severe cases are recorded after large forest fires in 2007, when reforested area were burn out and transformed to pastures.

Soil erosion is one of the leading environmental and agricultural problems in the Republic of Macedonia (25713 km sq; 2,1 million inhabitants). The cause for that are very favorable natural factors, part of them (especially land cover) heavily changed by human impact. According to the latest estimations, large area of the country (38%) is affected with moderate, severe and excess erosion. The final effect is about 30 million tons of eroded soils each year, and 10 million tons of total soil lost (Djordjevic et al., 1993). There are several regional “hot spots” strongly affected with erosion. One of them is the upper part of Bregalnica watershed, upstream of Kalimanci reservoir (1124.7 km sq).

Karst terrains in the Republic of Macedoniacover 12 % of its territory, generally as a number of separate karst areas with various sizes, most of which are located in the western and central parts of the country. Karst rocks are represented mostly by Triassic limestones and Precambrian marbles, with also parts composed of Paleozoic marbles and carbonate schists, Jurassic and Cretaceous limestones, Pleistocene tufa, tufaceous limestones and travertines and also Cretaceous gypsum and anhydrite. General morphometric characteristics of the karst surface were analyzed, with hypsometry, slope inclination and type, and aspect analyzed for both total karst surface and different karst rocks. Average elevation of karst terrains is 1100.4 m, reflective of the extension of karst terrains generally in mountainous regions, with limestone and marble having higher average elevations. As youngest rocks, tufaceous limestones, tufa & travertines are located mainly at lower elevations. Average slope (20.6°) is also significantly higher than mean slope of the entire country (15.4°), reflecting generally deeply incised fluvio-karstic landscapes and well preserved tectonic structures within the karst surface. Aspect analysis of karst surface shows generally even distribution between classes. Regarding slope type, large areas have linear downhill slope, especially in regards to the plan curvature. Beside that, convex terrains prevail with 28.9% for plan and 38.6% for profile curvature (with positive values for both). These results represent first attempt to analyze the general morphometric characteristics of the karst surface in Republic Macedonia. The outcome reveals certain specific characteristic of the karst surface, especially between different karst lithologies.

A common approach of potential natural hazards assessment in mountain areas is presented in this paper on the base of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) methods. It includes excess erosion, landslides, flash floods and forest fires. For this purpose, Vlahina Mountain (Kadiitsa, 1932 m) covering 471.2 km2 between Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria is selected as a case study. This mountain border territory suffers of frequent and severe natural hazards which have high local impact on the environment, social-demographic development and local economy. Firstly, most relevant stable factors for each type of natural hazard were selected (topography, land cover, anthropogenic objects and infrastructure). Multi-layer calculation was performed based on available traditional equations, clustering and classifying procedures, using GIS and satellite images. In this way, suitable relatively “stabile” natural hazard maps were produced (modeled). Then, variable (mostly climate related) factors are included in previous models correlated with different amounts of precipitation, temperature, wind direction etc. Finally, the resulting GIS-based models were evaluated and tested with field verification and high resolution Google Earth images. The verification of the models shows good accuracy. Further development of such GIS models is connected with situating of automatic remote meteorological stations and use of dynamic satellite imagery (like MODIS), which will provide a timely warning of coming natural hazard and avoiding potential damages.

RECENT EROSION IN THE KUMANOVO BASIN, AND ITS TREATMENT IN THE SPACE PLANNING

In this paper we attempt to gain real knowledge of Contemporary erosive processes and phenomena in Kumanovo Basin. For this purpose, we analyzed natural geographic features of the basin and their impact on the intensity of erosion. Specifically the impact of anthropogenic factors, which directly or indirectly change and natural and geographical factors of the environment is discussed. Relief forms that occur in Kumanovo Basin as a result of soil erosion processes are presented. Then we analyzed the methods used to determine the intensity of erosion, and based on some of them a model which provides spatial and quantitative representation of the potential erosion in the case study area is developed. Finally, land classification is performed according to the erosion degree and an approach for the treatment of soil erosion in spatial planning through the use of relevant criteria is developed.

Keywords: Soil erosion, denudation, accumulation, erosion factors, erosion, intensity of erosion, sediment, classification.

Учебник по предметот Геоинформатика на Институтот за географија при ПМФ-УКИМ во Скопје. Даден е само дел од материјалот кој се однесува на неколку софтверски пакети.
University book (short form) from Geoinformatics covering several software packages (SAGA GIS, Global Mapper, Surfer GS)

Skopska Crna Gora is a medium high mountain, extending as a horst between the Skopje valley from the south, the Kumanovo valley from the east, the Gnjilane valley (in Kosovo) from the north and the Lepenec Valley on the west side. It covers an area of ​​370.3 km sq., of which 188.3 km sq. is over 1000 m. Although there is not exactly a certain course of stretching, it is basically a northwest-southeast. The mountain is characterized by its long branches, rounded and partly stony peaks with more deep valleys between them. The highest peak is Ramno with 1651 m, and on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia there are 11 other peaks higher than 1500 m. With the deep valley of Lipkovska River, Skopska Crna Gora is divided into a western higher part and an eastern part called Karadak. Otherwise, the valley of Lipkovska with Kamena River is very interesting, steep, in some places rocky and with a canyon look. Skopska Crna Gora was formed by uplifting along the edge faults, and consists of crystalline schists and eruptive rocks through which Mesozoic and tertiary sediments lie. In some places there are also occurrence of scarce limestones and marbles with few short caves. On the southern slopes, the erosion is quite strong, with numerous landforms.

In the recent decades, there has been a lot of speculations about whether climate changes are underway and how much. The reflections of the world's leading climatologists go from total denial, to excessive exaggeration of climate change. In any case, many countries have developed scenarios for the expected climate change trends and appropriate action and adjustment measures.

Geomorphological study for the Management Plan of Protected Area "Monument of Nature Vevchani Spring" with 26 figures. The study is based on previous and our researches as well as several field trips during 2015 and 2016. In geomorphological aspect this part of Jablanitsa Mountain is very remarkable, especially regarding glacial, periglacial, fluvial and karstic landforms.

Практикум по геоморфологија користен за студентите на Институтот за географија во периодот 1999-2005 година. Содржи 12 вежби и збирка на геоморфолошки знаци.
Practice (exercises) in Geomorphology for the students on the Institute of Geography in Skopje during the period 1999-2005 with 12 exercises and geomorphological symbols explanation.

Because of large area with erodible rocks, steep slopes, semi-arid climate and weak vege¬ta¬tion, processes of mass movements and especially landslides are very often in Macedonia. They typically appear on steep and south inclined hillslopes in the lower mountain sides, generally below 1000 m of altitude, were human activity is significant. On these altitudes (on the rims of depressions-basins), geology is very favorable factor, because lacustrine sands and sandstones Pliocene in age (which fulfill most depressions), usually are superimposed over inclined lacustrine clays as a non-permeable layer. Climate is additional factor, especially in regard to precipitations, with mean annual value of only 500-700 mm. That inhibit vegetation growth, and frequent storms and heavy rains in summer half of the year contribute to excess runoff and high surface water absorption. Another cause is weak vegetation cover heavily changed and degraded under human impact, which permit over wetting of soils and surface layers of clastic or weathered rocks. However, the leading trigger of landslides is human activities in the landscape with road and channel construction in susceptible terrain, or by building of heavy objects on sloped terrains. Followed consequences of landslides can be significant not only in regard to economic costs, but sometimes with casualties; like in landslide of Gradot hill (Manakovic, 1960). For that reasons, there is a real need for estimation and mapping of potential landslide areas in Macedonia, which is very complex task, because of many natural and anthropogenic factors related with landslide processes.