Periglacial Relief Phenomena on Mount Vardenik (Southeastern Serbia)

Abstract

In the medium-high mountains of Serbia (1,000-2,000 m.a.s.l), sporadic periglacial relief forms occur, which is also the case with Mount Vardenik (1,876 m.high), a mountain in the southeast of Serbia. During reconnaissance, certain relict and sub-recent periglacial phenomena and landforms in the highest part of the mountain have been identified: block slides, rock flows, thermogenic landslides in springs, nivation-induced relief and in one location cryoplanation terraces. Sparsely clustered and individual occurrences of frost splitting and solifluction of the land surface and small areas with grass turf indicate contemporary signs of sporadically present seasonal frost and freeze-thaw cycles. Periglacial morphology and its processes have been recorded and investigated using a qualitative geomorphological procedure. The main problem is the origin of periglacial phenomena (occurrences and landforms) of the relief, considering that the analysis of the contemporary climate, geoecological properties and anthropogenic activities indicate that there are no condi-tions for the existence and development of a contemporary periglacial environment on the mountain. The problem was analyzed considering the climate change in general and, in particular, geoecological conditions created under the influence of human activities. Due to the observed sporadic relict and sub-recent periglacial relief on Mount Vardenik, in contemporary conditions the periglacial environment of this area can be consid-ered as relict or as a phenomenon bordering the limits of differentiation. The relict property also results from the fact that on the mountain, due to the contemporary climate and changed geoecological conditions, the transition zone of the periglacial environment cannot be distinguished.