A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, Macedonia

<p>Budimirica Cave is a small cave located in the southern part of the Republic of Macedonia, in the Kamenica Valley, a tributary to the Crna Reka and part of the Vardar river drainage network. The response of the cave to Late Pleistocene environmental changes is interpreted based on a detaile...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Marjan Temovski, Petr Pruner, Helena Hercman, Pavel Bosák
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Croatian Geological Survey 2016-10-01
Series:Geologia Croatica
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.geologia-croatica.hr/ojs/index.php/GC/article/view/742
_version_ 1819059601466720256
author Marjan Temovski
Petr Pruner
Helena Hercman
Pavel Bosák
author_facet Marjan Temovski
Petr Pruner
Helena Hercman
Pavel Bosák
author_sort Marjan Temovski
collection DOAJ
description <p>Budimirica Cave is a small cave located in the southern part of the Republic of Macedonia, in the Kamenica Valley, a tributary to the Crna Reka and part of the Vardar river drainage network. The response of the cave to Late Pleistocene environmental changes is interpreted based on a detailed study of cave sediments, with previous data being supplemented, reinterpreted and compared to the Ohrid Lake palaeoclimate record. The oldest exposed speleothems in the Budimirica sediment profile were deposited during the MIS 5a (radiometric age of ca 83 ka). Sands to clays in the overburden are characterized by cycles separated by short-lived interruptions in deposition. They were deposited from a number of repeated flood events likely during the MIS 4 stage, the Weichselian (W&uuml;rmian) Glaciation, correlating to aggradation in the Kamenica Valley. The top flowstone is correlated with a warmer climate excursion at 45&ndash;50 ka (MIS 3) recorded from the Ohrid Lake deposits. The whole section was extensively eroded during the MIS 2 stage, due to strong incision in the Kamenica Valley, indicated by knickpoint retreat. The erosion surface is overlain by a fossil-bearing breccia (with <em>Ursus spelaeus</em>) derived from frost shattering of the cave walls close to the entrance due to climate deterioration and enlargement of the entrance by slope retreat during the MIS 2 stage. Budimirica Cave sediments reflect changes in the Kamenica Valley, as well as the environmental changes during the last glacial-interglacial cycle, with clastic cave sediments deposited during glacial stadials, and erosion and flowstone deposition characteristic of the interstadials. They also allow reconstruction of the evolution of the Kamenica Valley during the Late Pleistocene, with a general trend of valley incision hindered by climate influenced river aggradation, but reinforced by river knickpoint retreat.</p>
first_indexed 2024-12-21T14:13:41Z
format Article
id doaj.art-95a0268d3cec4122a3299716638707b7
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1330-030X
1333-4875
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-21T14:13:41Z
publishDate 2016-10-01
publisher Croatian Geological Survey
record_format Article
series Geologia Croatica
spelling doaj.art-95a0268d3cec4122a3299716638707b72022-12-21T19:00:58ZengCroatian Geological SurveyGeologia Croatica1330-030X1333-48752016-10-0169310.4154/gc.2016.29533A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, MacedoniaMarjan Temovski0Petr Pruner1Helena Hercman2Pavel Bosák3Hertelendi Laboratory of Environmental Studies, Institute of Nuclear Research of the Hungarian Academy of SciencesInstitute of Geology of the Czech Academy of SciencesInstitute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of SciencesInstitute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences<p>Budimirica Cave is a small cave located in the southern part of the Republic of Macedonia, in the Kamenica Valley, a tributary to the Crna Reka and part of the Vardar river drainage network. The response of the cave to Late Pleistocene environmental changes is interpreted based on a detailed study of cave sediments, with previous data being supplemented, reinterpreted and compared to the Ohrid Lake palaeoclimate record. The oldest exposed speleothems in the Budimirica sediment profile were deposited during the MIS 5a (radiometric age of ca 83 ka). Sands to clays in the overburden are characterized by cycles separated by short-lived interruptions in deposition. They were deposited from a number of repeated flood events likely during the MIS 4 stage, the Weichselian (W&uuml;rmian) Glaciation, correlating to aggradation in the Kamenica Valley. The top flowstone is correlated with a warmer climate excursion at 45&ndash;50 ka (MIS 3) recorded from the Ohrid Lake deposits. The whole section was extensively eroded during the MIS 2 stage, due to strong incision in the Kamenica Valley, indicated by knickpoint retreat. The erosion surface is overlain by a fossil-bearing breccia (with <em>Ursus spelaeus</em>) derived from frost shattering of the cave walls close to the entrance due to climate deterioration and enlargement of the entrance by slope retreat during the MIS 2 stage. Budimirica Cave sediments reflect changes in the Kamenica Valley, as well as the environmental changes during the last glacial-interglacial cycle, with clastic cave sediments deposited during glacial stadials, and erosion and flowstone deposition characteristic of the interstadials. They also allow reconstruction of the evolution of the Kamenica Valley during the Late Pleistocene, with a general trend of valley incision hindered by climate influenced river aggradation, but reinforced by river knickpoint retreat.</p>http://www.geologia-croatica.hr/ojs/index.php/GC/article/view/742Cave sedimentspaleoenvironmental changesLate PleistoceneBudimirica CaveMacedonia
spellingShingle Marjan Temovski
Petr Pruner
Helena Hercman
Pavel Bosák
A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, Macedonia
Geologia Croatica
Cave sediments
paleoenvironmental changes
Late Pleistocene
Budimirica Cave
Macedonia
title A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, Macedonia
title_full A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, Macedonia
title_fullStr A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, Macedonia
title_full_unstemmed A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, Macedonia
title_short A cave response to environmental changes in the Late Pleistocene: a study of Budimirica Cave sediments, Macedonia
title_sort cave response to environmental changes in the late pleistocene a study of budimirica cave sediments macedonia
topic Cave sediments
paleoenvironmental changes
Late Pleistocene
Budimirica Cave
Macedonia
url http://www.geologia-croatica.hr/ojs/index.php/GC/article/view/742
work_keys_str_mv AT marjantemovski acaveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia
AT petrpruner acaveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia
AT helenahercman acaveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia
AT pavelbosak acaveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia
AT marjantemovski caveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia
AT petrpruner caveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia
AT helenahercman caveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia
AT pavelbosak caveresponsetoenvironmentalchangesinthelatepleistoceneastudyofbudimiricacavesedimentsmacedonia