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.

"This paper will present the general characteristics of karst in Mariovo, a hilly mountainous area in the southern part of Republic of Macedonia, its extension, surface morphology as well as speleogenesis and karst waters. Previous results will be combined with new research on surface karst, caves and karst waters in this area. Karst rocks present 16% of Mariovo area, where due to complex geological and geomorphological characteristic some specific karst features developed. Number of caves has been explored in the past few years, most of which have been studied, giving new insight in to the general karst development. Also new karst springs were documented, such as Gugjakovski Izvori (the largest spring along the river course of Crna Reka), which give further insight to the karst hydrogeology of the area. The importance of karst areas in Mariovo is mostly due to a number of specific karst features, mostly connected to thermal speleogenesis, such as Provalata Cave where sulfuric acid was involved in its formation. This cave is also the first dated cave in Macedonia, and only the second 40Ar/39Ar dated sulfuric acid cave in Europe. Mariovo, especially the eastern part (where karst is found) is now mostly depopulated area, leaving karst to have no immediate impact on people today, although some agriculture is still present. Nevertheless, projected future dam Galište is covering karst areas along Crna Reka valley, and proper understanding of karst in this area will be important for future management of this artificial reservoir. Also, given the scarce water resources in Mariovo, large springs such as Gugjakovski Izvori are an important resource."

Geomorphological heritage is a widely used term in European and North-American countries, but is still scarcely mentioned in Africa. Nevertheless, the attractiveness of the African countries is often intimately connected to its breathtaking and endless geological landscapes. Morocco is one of those countries that has the widest diversity in landscapes and landforms, ranging from the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts over the Rif, Middle Atlas, High Atlas and Anti-Atlas mountain chains to the great rocky and sandy deserts in the South. A wide variety of geological units hosting different types of important economic mineral deposits cover a temporal range from Late Precambrian to Quaternary. A detailed geomorphological study has been carried out in the region of Ifrane and Azrou (Middle Atlas, Central Morocco) using a combination of high resolution satellite data and direct field observations integrated by geological maps and scientific literature. In order to describe and evaluate the geomorphological heritage of this area, 40 geomorphosites have been selected comprising springs, karst landforms (polje, dolines, caves, sinkholes, stone forests, cryptokarstic dolines), carbonate depositional landforms (travertines and waterfalls), fluvial landforms (meanders, canyons, palaeo-valleys, etc.), structural landforms (triangular facets, hogbacks, cuestas, residual outcrops, etc.) and volcanic landforms (volcanoes, caldeira, pyroclastic cones, lava tube). The results of this research have been summarised in a thematic map, representing the geomorphosites related to various landscape units.

The world-class Angouran nonsulfide Zn–Pb deposit is one of the major Zn producers in Iran, with resources estimated at about 18 Mt at 28% Zn, mainly in the form of the Zn carbonate smithsonite. This study aims to characterize these carbonate ores by means of their mineralogy and geochemistry, which has also been extended to the host rocks of mineralization and other local carbonate rock types, including the prominent travertines in the Angouran district, as well as to the local spring waters. Petrographical, chemical, and stable isotope (O, H, C, Sr) data indicate that the genesis of the Zn carbonate ores at Angouran is fairly distinct from that of other “classical” nonsulfide Zn deposits that formed entirely by supergene processes. Mineralization occurred during two successive stages, with the zinc being derived from a preexisting sulfide ore body. A first, main stage of Zn carbonates (stage I carbonate ore) is associated with both preexisting and subordinate newly formed sulfides, whereas a second stage is characterized by supergene carbonates (Zn and minor Pb) coexisting with oxides and hydroxides (stage II carbonate ore). The coprecipitation of smithsonite with galena, pyrite and arsenopyrite, as well as the absence of Fe- and Mn-oxides/hydroxides and of any discernible oxidation or dissolution of the sphalerite-rich primary sulfide ore, shows that the fluids responsible for the main, stage I carbonate ores were relatively reduced and close to neutral to slightly basic pH with high fCO2. Smithsonite δ18OVSMOW values from stage I carbonate ore range from 18.3 to 23.6‰, while those of stage II carbonate ore show a much smaller range between 24.3 and 24.9‰. The δ13C values are fairly constant in smithsonite of stage I carbonate ore (3.2–6.0‰) but show a considerable spread towards lower δ13CVPDB values (4.6 to −11.2‰) in stage II carbonate ore. This suggests a hypogene formation of stage I carbonate ore at Angouran from low-temperature hydrothermal fluids, probably mobilized during the waning stages of Tertiary–Quaternary volcanic activity in an environment characterized by abundant travertine systems throughout the whole region. Conversely, stage II carbonate ore is unambiguously related to supergene weathering, as evidenced by the absence of sulfides, the presence of Fe-Mn-oxides and arsenates, and by high δ18O values found in smithsonite II. The variable, but still relatively heavy carbon isotope values of supergene smithsonite II, suggests only a very minor contribution by organic soil carbon, as is generally the case in supergene nonsulfide deposits.

In the middle of the 1st century intensive construction activities were conducted on the north-western boundary of the Roman military camp at Burnum. An amphitheatre, along with some additional military structures, was erected by the XI Legion CPF (Legio XI CPF) in that period. A natural doline was modified for the purposes of the amphitheatre construction, and therefore the physical and cultural landscape settings were permanently altered. The task of the interdisciplinary research team was to define the effect of the geomorphological and geological landscape settings on the formation of the Burnum agglomeration and to determine the physical and cultural landscape changes in the past.