Kotel Balkan – an oasis of the East Balkan geodiversity

Abstract

The East Balkan offers picturesque mountain landscapes predetermined by а remarkable geological diversity: caves, waterfalls, karst springs and precipices, fossil deposits, stratigraphical, paleontological, tectonic and fossil slump phenomena. In its most attractive part, the Kotel Balkan, there are 28 natural landmarks, 3 protected areas and 2 reserves. Expanding the inventory with purely geological sites, such as fossils, olistostromes, thrusts, geological cycles and events, complemented by many historical sites and intangible cultural heritage (Karakachan minority traditions, craft and folklore festivals), the region of Kotel has excellent preconditions for a geopark development.

The presentation of some cultural-historical resources of Vidin district and their promotion as tourist objects

“…Evidence indicate that it obtained its current more European appearance under the guidance of French and Italian engineers. [2][3][4]28] Magurata is one of the largest caves in Bulgaria and is located 18 km away to the north of Belogradchik. It is famous for its rock drawings made with bat guano.…”

“…The tourist flow to Belogradchik is increasing and the local tourist business is being revived. [2][3][4] Attention is paid to the state's concern for the preservation of cultural-historical heritage and conclusions are drawn according to which knowing one's own culture is "the key to effective intercultural communication in tourism". [5] The Roman sites on the territory of Northwestern Bulgaria and the possibilities for their interpretation for the needs of tourism are part of a study aimed at inventorying the heritage, pointing out the problems and opportunities for tourism development.…”

The “Belemnitico rosso” facies in the East Balkan – a proposal of lithostratigraphic formalization

“…Подобни геоложки явления са от особен интерес при създаването на интерпретативни материали за широката публика. В настоящата работа се предлага въвеждането на термина "belemnitico rosso" за червените белемнитни варовици в основата на юрския разрез, което ще осигури научната разработка на атрак-тивни геотопи в проектния геопарк "Източен Балкан" (Sinnyovsky, Stoilov 2021).…”

Late Triassic Calcareous Nannofossils from the Pucará Group, Peru: A New Biostratigraphic Tool for Regional Correlation in Western South America

“…Calcareous nannofossils are known since the Late Triassic to the Present and become important primary producers of marine phytoplankton since the Early Jurassic (Bown et al , 2004; Payne & van de Schootbrugge, 2007). In the Late Triassic, they are represented by few species and are abundant only in some carbonate shelves of the Tethys Ocean (Moshkovitz, 1982; Jafar, 1983; Posch & Stradner, 1987; Bown, 1987; Bown & Lord, 1990; Bralower et al , 1991, 1992; Clémence et al , 2010; Gardin et al , 2012; Preto et al , 2013; Sinnyovsky, 2016; Bottini et al , 2016; Fraguas et al , 2019; Demangel et al , 2020, 2021), where they probe to be reliable marker fossils for the Norian and Rhaetian (Gardin et al , 2012; Demangel et al , 2021). Outside the Tethyan Realm, Late Triassic calcareous nannofossils are only known in three other regions in the Eastern Pacific basins of North and South America (Pérez Panera et al , 2021a, 2023).…”