Glacial Geomorphology and Preliminary Glacier Reconstruction in the Jablanica Mountain, Macedonia, Central Balkan Peninsula

Abstract

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. Using morphostratigraphic data, a glacier reconstruction was carried out for the largest mapped glacial extent. On the basis of glacial geomorphology, a former equilibrium-line altitude (ELA) of ~1800 m and glacier cover of 22.6 km2 were estimated during this stage. The local ELA values were compared to the regional ELA record and enabled to tentatively attribute a MIS 6 age for the reconstructed maximum ice extent in the study area.

Keywords

• glacial geomorphology
• glacial reconstruction
• Jablanica Mt.
• Quaternary
• equilibrium line altitude
• cirque morphometry
• Macedonia