BADLANDS AND EARTH PYRAMIDS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA Ivica Milevski, Blagoja Markoski, Svemir Gorin, Olgica Dimitrovska, Biljana ApostolovskaTosevska Institute of Geography University “Ss. Cyril and Methodius” Skopje-Macedonia GEOGRAPHIC POSITION OF MACEDONIA BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA








Country area: 25 713 km² Elevation: 44 m to 2764 m; average altitude is 830 m; Average slope 13.5° (among the steepest in Europe); Chessboard like landscape with 40 mountains (13 higher than 2000 m) and 22 depressions between them; Hilly-mountain area: 79%; true plains cover only 21%; Many different geologic formations-from Precambrian to Quaternary rocks; from very compact to very unresistant; About 30 different soil types; some of them very erodible; Average temperatures: 11.5 C°; average precipitations: 620 mm/y; Dense river network with Vardar as main river; most rivers are torrential in nature. BASIC FACTS ABOUT THE LANDSCAPE OF REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA





Population about 2.1 million, density of 81 inh/km2; 1600 settlements; 30 towns; Until 1960-ties highly dominant rural population with extensive farming and livestock activities; because of that, forests were continuously and heavily destroyed. After 1970-ties, urban population employed in secondary and tertiary sector become dominant; Today: large areas of abandoned lands; illegal forest cutting is still present and high! RESULT: Excess erosion and high human impact on the landscape. FACTS ABOUT SOIL EROSION IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA






Result of suitable natural factors and high human impact on the environment; Average erosion rate of 680 m3/km2/y or 0.7 mm/y; among the highest in Europe; Most affected hilly-mountain bottoms; Many sites with severe to excess erosion and deposition; Problem with loss of agriculture land, loss of soils, excess sediment load in rivers and excess siltation in reservoirs; From 1960-ties complex measures of erosion protection and conservation (afforestation, contour farming, reservoirs construction etc.). Sheet, rill and gully erosion, many landslides, badlands, earth pyramids; EROSION MAP OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, DJORDJEVIC ET AL., 1993 BADLANDS AND EARTH PYRAMIDS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA





Badlands and earth pyramids are not very exactly defined in international geomorphological literature, with many different approaches; However, it is known that they are usually related with sites of severe to excess erosion; Badlands morphologically represent sites extremely devastated by soil erosion. They are economically “lost” lands, which can’t be used almost for anything (except maybe in tourism) without complex and usually expensive restoration measures; Badlands have high production of sediments – more than 1500 m3/km2/y, or soil layer of more than 1.5 mm/y; They contribute to very high sediment pollution of near rivers and overload of reservoirs; BADLANDS AND EARTH PYRAMIDS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA Because of very high erosion rate, many sites in Macedonia can be recognized as badlands;
There is one type of characteristic badlands in sands and sandstones with amphitheatric shape, very steep slopes and diameter of 100-500 m; They are locally called “mel”, and cover an total area of about 25 km2;
Another type is “regional” badlands extended in areas highly devastated with rill and gully erosion. They occupies about 4500 km2
CRNIK BADLANDS- AMPHITHEATRIC TYPE”MELOVI” WEST-PLACHKOVICA REGIONAL BADLANDS; EXCESS GULLY EROSION AND DEPOSITION Crnik badland Radanje badland Crnik badland Radanje badland WEST-BOGOSLOVEC BADLANDS; EXCESS SHEET, RILL, GULLY EROSION IN ARID AREAS Bogoslovec badland Bogoslovec badland Kamenica badland STOGOVO BADLANDS ON STEEP SLOPES; RILLGULLY EROSION EARTH PYRAMIDS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA



There are several interesting sites of earth pyramids in the Republic of Macedonia; Some of these sites are parts of badlands; Usually formed where soft rocks are covered by more resistant rock layer on top; According to lithology, two types of earth pyramids can be recognized formed in:  

Easily erodible volcanic tuffs and breccias covered by cracked andesitic layer on top: Kuklica, Kratovo, Konopiste; Neogene sands covered by sandstone or clay layer on top as a more resistant: Kukulje, Lukovica, Pehcevo; Some earth pyramids are morphologically fully developed, in mature stage; others are in initial or young stage; Morphology of earth pyramids is highly depend of lithology and mode of formation. LOCATION OF EARTH PYRAMIDS… Earth pyramids in Kuklica SATELLITE IMAGE OF KUKLICA PYRAMIDS Earth pyramids Kukulje Earth pyramids in Bosava Earth pyramids in Konopiste Earth pyramids in LukovicaLukovica-initial SIGNIFICANCE OF BADLANDS AND EARTH PYRAMIDS IN THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA




Because of large areas of excess erosion in the Republic of Macedonia, “regional” type of badlands cover significant area and they are considered as a sites for landscape restoration; Some badland sites are treated with complex anti-erosion measures, mainly because of reservoir protection (Kamenica badlands). Expected success is only half-attained; Some morphologycally very interesting badlands like Crnik melovi have touristic attractivity; few others are interesting as possible geomorphosites; Badlands and earth pyramids in the Republic of Macedonia are interesting from scientific point of view; Some earth pyramids, like those in Kuklica are very attractive touristic sites and also protected as natural monument; Similar protection is planned for Kukulje site. THANKS FOR THE ATTENTION!