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Ankesija Bosne i Hercegovine je politički čin kojim je Austro-Ugarska stekla suverenitet nad Bosnom i Hercegovinom – provincijom koja je bila pod okupacijom Austro-Ugarske Monarhije još od Berlinskog kongresa iz 1878. godine. Naime, kongres je dao Austro-Ugarskoj pravo da okupira Bosnu i Hercegovinu s ciljem uspostavljanja reda u provinciji koja je bila teško pogođena ratom. Iako je Austro-Ugarska zagospodarila nad provincijom, ona je i dalje ostala pod osmanskim suverenitetom. To se promijenilo 5. listopada 1908. godine kada je austro-ugarska vlada objavila aneksiju. Taj je čin prouzročio ozbiljnu internacionalnu krizu koja je mogla dovesti do rata. Naime, aneksija Bosne i Hercegovine nije samo izazvala Osmansko Carstvo, nego i Kraljevine Srbiju i Crnu Goru koje su se obje željele proširiti na bosanskohercegovački teritorij. Njihove namjere je podržavalo više od 40% stanovništva provincije koje je bilo srpske nacionalnosti. Situacija je postala još ozbiljnija nakon što je Rusija stala na stranu Srbije koja je bila jako blizu objavi rata Austro-Ugarskoj. Jedan nesmotren potez je mogao prouzročiti novi europski rat koji bi imao potencijala za proširenje na ostatak svijeta. Aneksija Bosne i Hercegovine je također prouzročila mnogo reakcija unutar multinacionalne Austro-Ugarske Monarhije, osobito od strane Hrvata čiji su sunarodnjaci nastanjivali Bosnu i Hercegovinu (oko 22%). Hrvatski teritoriji unutar Monarhije su bili podjeljeni između Austrije i Ugarske na način da je Austrija dobila Dalmaciju i Istru, dok su uža Hrvatske i Slavonija ostale pod ugarskom krunom. Iz tog razloga je svaka hrvatska pokrajina imala vlastito vodstvo. Međutim, sve su hrvatske stranke na početku 20. stoljeća imale isti cilj – ujedinjenje svih hrvatskih teritorija u jedan autonomni entitet pod Habsbuškom krunom. Drugim riječima, cilj Hrvata je bio preurediti Monarhiju iz dualističkog u trijalistički sistem u kojem bi Hrvatska postala treća federalna jedinica. Kad su Bosna i Hercegovina službeno postale dio Monarhije, hrvatski su lideri tražili i njeno ujedinjenje s Hrvatskom oslanjajući taj zahtjev na hrvatsko povijesno i etničko pravo. Jedna od glavnih figura ove kampanje je bio vođa Hrvatske stranke u Dalmaciji Ante Trumbić. Njegov pogled na aneksiju je fokus ovog diplomskog rada. Kako bi dobili odgovore na pitanja kakav je Trumbićev odnos spram aneksije, Bosni i Hercegovini te općenito hrvatskom pitanju, nužno je razumjeti Trumbićev svjetonazor. Veliku ulogu u formiranju Trumbićeva svjetonazora je imala Stranka prava – antimonarhistička stranka čiji je glavni cilj bio stvoriti nezavisnu Hrvatsku na temelju hrvatskog državnog i etničkog prava. Trumbić je postao sljedbenik Stranke prava još kao mladić kada je studirao pravo u Zagrebu. Kasnije je 53 postao jedan od vođa novoosnovane Stranke prava u Dalmaciji. Međutim, u prvim godinama 20. stoljeća Trumbićev se svjetonazor počinje mijenjati pod utjecajem politike „novog kursa“. U suštini, „novi kurs“ je zagovarao formiranje velike političke fronte protiv austrijskog vodstva s ciljem stjecanja hrvatske autonomije. Ova politička fronta nije nastojala okupiti samo hrvatske stranke, nego i njihove tradicionalne političke oponente – dalmatinske Srbe i Talijane te Mađare. Kako bi osnažio hrvatsko-srpsku suradnju „novi kurs“ je promovirao ideju kako su oni „jedan narod po krvi i jeziku“. Ova ideja se kosi s ideologijom Stranke prava čiji je osnivač, Ante Starčević, negirao postojanje Srba u hrvatskim zemljama. To je razlog zašto se Trumbić, u nekim aspektima, trebao udaljiti od Stranke prava. Unatoč tomu, on nije potpuno napustio ideologiju Stranke prava koja će i dalje imati jak utjecaj na Trumbića. Rezultat toga je jedan kompleksan svjetonazor u kojem ideje „novog kursa“, koje su po nekim aspektima projugoslavenske, koegzistiraju s ekskluzivističkim idejama Stranke prava. Kombinacija tih ideja će formirati Trumbićev stav o budućnosti Bosne i Hercegovine. Naime, Trumbić je prestao javno zagovarati ujedinjenje provincije s Hrvatskom kako bi sačuvao dobre odnose sa dalmatinskim Srbima koje je trebao za postizanje ciljeva „novog kursa“. Bez obzira na to, Trumbić neće promijeniti svoje mišljenje da se Bosna i Hercegovina trebaju ujediniti s Hrvatskom nakon što Monarhija provede aneksiju. Međutim, Trumbić je prestao s praksom zahtjevanja Bosne i Hercegovine. Umjesto toga, počinje zagovarati pravo na samoopredjeljenje koje bi se trebalo dati stanovništvu provincije kako bi mogli izjasniti svoje stavove i želje vezane za budućnost njihove zemlje. Trumbić je mislio da će se stanovištvo BiH odlučiti za, po njegovom mišljenju, jedino razumno rješenje, a to je ujedinjenje BiH s Hrvatskom. Na taj način bi se stvorio treći entitet u Monarhiji koji bi sačuvao južnoslavenski identitet tih zemalja i simultano osnažio Hrvatsku. Kada se aneksija dogodila, Trumbić je bio lider mlade Hrvatske stranke u Dalmaciji. Iako je „novi kurs“ zakazao u svom cilju stvaranja velikog antiaustrijskog fronta, većina njegovih ideja je sačuvana u novoj stranci. Pošto je Trumbić bio glavni ideolog Hrvatske stranke, pozicije stranke su korespondirale s Trumbićevim svjetonazorom. Iz tog razloga, možemo koristiti glasila stranke Narodni list i Velebit za istraživanje Trumbićevih stavova prama aneksiji i krizi koju je izazvala. Glasila su pokazala da je Trumbić ostao na prije elaboriranim pozicijama tijekom cijele aneksijske krize. Međutim, njegova nadanja da će se stanovništvo Bosne i Hercegovine izjasniti za ujedinjenje s Hrvatskom su se pokazala pogrešnima. Kao što se moglo i predvidjeti, samo su bosanskohercegovački Hrvati podržavali ujedinjenje dok su mu se Srbi i musimani protivili. Unatoč tomu, Trumbić je ostao na poziciji da je formiranje trećeg 54 južnoslavenskog entiteta u Monarhiji jedini način na koji se može osigurati budućnost za Hrvate, Srbe i bosanskohercegovačke muslimane. Trumbić je formalizirao rečene ciljeve u rezoluciji koja je objavljena u siječnju 1909. godine. Između ostalog, rezolucija je tražila ujedinjenje Bosne i Hercegovine s Hrvatskom, Slavonijom i Dalmacijom na temelju etničkog i državnog prava. To se tiče aneksijske krize, ona je dosegla vrhunac u prva tri mjeseca 1909. godine. Austro-Ugarska je uspjela doći do dogovora s Osmanskim Carstvom u veljači, ali odnosi s Kraljevinom Srbijom su i dalje bili izrazito loši. Kako su i srbijanska i austro-ugarska vojska bile mobilizirane, rat je izgledao neminovnim. Do rata bi najvjerojatnije i došlo da nije bilo njemačke diplomacije koja je nagovorila Rusiju da prestane davati podršku Srbiji. Bez moćnog zaštitnika, Srbija nije imala dovoljno snage za daljenje suprostavljanje moćnoj Austro-Ugarskoj Monarhiji. Dvije su strane došle do dogovora u ožujku 1909. godine kojim je Srbija priznala ankesiju Bosne i Hercegovine. Međutim, animozitet između Austro-Ugarske i Srbije će se nastaviti i u nadolazećim godinama, a kao što je opće opoznato, u lipnju 1914. godine će iznjedriti i povod Prvom svjetskom ratu. Što se tiče Bosne i Hercegovine, ona je aneksijom formalno postala dio Monarhije. Za razliku od drugih provincija, Bosna i Hercegovina nisu bile utjelovljenje ni jednoj ni drugoj polovici Monarhije, nego su dobile status corpus separatum. Aneksija je, međutim, imala pozitivan efekt za provinciju omogućivši joj liberalniji politički sustav. Iako je aneksija bila glavni politički događaj 1908. godine, ona nije zasjenila dva krucijalna pitanja za Dalmaciju – ujedinjenje s Hrvatskom i jezično pitanje. Kako bi razumjeli kakva je situacija bila u 1908. godini glede tih pitanja, ponovno ćemo se okrenuti glasilu Velebit. Sudeći po člancima u Velebitu, sjedinjenje Dalmacije s Hrvatskom u godini 1908. nije izgledalo kao realna mogućnost, iako su vodstva obiju provincija podržavala tu inicjativu. Bez obzira na to, car Franjo Josip i austro-ugarska vlada su se protivili sjedinjenju uglavnom zbog činjenice da su hrvatski teritoriji pripadali različitim polovicama Monarhije pa je, stoga, ujedinjenje bilo nemoguće bez reorganizacije cijele države. Za razliku od pitanje sjedinjenja, veliki su koraci napravljeni u borbi za proglašenje hrvatskog jezika službenim jezikom provincije. Naime, iako je 97% Dalmatinaca govorilo hrvatski ili srpski, službeni jezik provincije je bio talijanski. Međutim, u godini 1908. konstantan pritisak hrvatskih stranaka u Dalmaciji se konačno isplatio. Vlada je najavila da će proglasiti hrvatski jezik službenim u Dalmaciji čim se za to steknu uvjeti. Jezično pitanje će konačno biti riješeno u travnju 1909. godine kada je hrvatski dobio status službenog jezika provincije., The annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina refers to the political act of Austria-Hungary in 1908 by which it gained sovereignty over Bosnia and Herzegovina - a province which was under the Monarchy’s occupation since the Congress of Berlin in 1878. Namely, Austria-Hungary was given the right to occupy Bosnia and Herzegovina with the mission of restoring order in a war-stricken province. Even though Austria-Hungary took the rule over the province, it still remained under the Ottoman sovereignty for another 30 years. This all changed on the 5th of October 1908 when the Austro-Hungarian government announced the annexation. This act caused a serious international crisis which almost escalated into a war. Namely, the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina did not only provoke the Ottoman Empire, but also the Kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro who both wanted to expand to the Bosnian territory. Their intentions were backed by more than 40% of the province’s inhabitants who considered themselves to be nationally Serbian. The situation got even more serious after Russia allied with Serbia who was very close to declaring war upon Austria-Hungary. One careless move could have led to a new European war which would have had a great possibility of expanding itself into the rest of the world. The act of annexing Bosnia and Herzegovina also caused a lot of reactions from the inside of the multinational Austria-Hungary, especially from the Croats whose fellow compatriots inhabited the province (about 22%). The Croatian territories in the Monarchy were divided among Austria and Hungary in the way that Austria got Dalmatia and Istria while Croatia proper and Slavonia remained under the Hungarian Crown. Because of that fact, each Croatian region had its own leadership. However, all of the Croatian parties at the start of the 20th century had the same goal - the unification of Croatian territories into one autonomous entity under the Habsburg Crown. In other words, the goal of the Croats was to rearrange the Monarchy into a trialist system where Croatia would become the third federal unit. When Bosnia and Herzegovina officially became a part of the Monarchy, the Croatian leaders demanded its unification with Croatia which they based on the Croatian historical and ethnic rights. One of the main figures of this campaign was the leader of the Croatian party in Dalmatia Ante Trumbić. His viewpoint of the annexation is the focus of this master thesis. In order to answer what Trumbić’s relation towards the annexation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and finally the Croatian question altogether was, it is crucial to understand Trumbić’s worldview. A huge role in the forming of Trumbić’s mindset had the Party of Rights - an antimonarchist party 57 whose main goal was to create an independent Croatian state on the basis of Croatian historical and ethnic rights. Trumbić was a follower of the Party’s ideology since his young adulthood when he was a law student in Zagreb. Later, he became one of the leaders of the new-founded Party of Rights in Dalmatia. However, in the first years of the 20th century, Trumbić’s worldview starts to change under the influence of the “new course” policy. In a nutshell, the “new course” advocated a formation of a huge political front against the Austrian leadership with the goal of achieving Croatian autonomy. This political front was not only ment to consist out of Croatian parties, but also of their traditional political opponents - Dalmatian Serbs and Italians and the Hungarians. In order to strengthen the relationship between Croats and Serbs, the “new course” promoted the idea of them being one nation in “blood and language”. This idea is opposed to the ideology of the Party of Rights whose founder, Ante Starčević, denied the existing of Serbs in Croatian lands. That is the reason why Trumbić needed to distance himself in some aspects from the Party of Rights. In spite of that, he did not fully abandon the ideology of the Party which will still have a strong influence over Trumbić. The result was a complex mindset where the “new course” ideas, which were in some instances pro-Yugoslav, coexisted with the exclusivist Croatian ideas of the Party of Rights. A combination of those ideas would form Trumbić’s opinion and wishes about the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Namely, Trumbić ceased to publically demand the unification of the province with Croatia in order to create and preserve a better relationship with the Dalmatian Serbs whom he needed for achieving the goals of the “new course”. Nevertheless, he would not change his opinion that Bosnia and Herzegovina should be unified with Croatia after the Monarchy carried out the annexation. However, Trumbić quit with the praxis of demanding Bosnia and Herzegovina. Instead, he introduced the notion of self-determination which should be given to the people of the province, so that they could express their own positions and wills about the future of their native land. Trumbić thought that the people would opt for, in his opinion, the only reasonable solution and that was to unify Bosnia and Herzegovina with the rest of the Croatian lands, thus, forming a third entity in the Monarchy which would preserve its South Slavic identity and simultaneously empower Croatia. In the time when the annexation finally happened, Trumbić was the key figure of the young Croatian Party in Dalmatia. Even though the “new course” failed in its attempt to form a wide political anti-Austrian front, most of its ideas were preserved in the new Party. Due to the fact that Trumbić was the main ideologist of the Croatian Party, the positions of the Party corresponded with Trumbić’s viewpoint. Therefore, the Party’s journals Narodni list (People’s 58 paper) and Velebit were safe to use for examining Trumbić’s attitudes towards the annexation and the crises it provoked. The journals showed that Trumbić remained on the before elaborated positions throughout the annexation crisis. However, his hopes that the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina would be in favour of the unification with Croatia, proved to be wrong. As it was expected, only the Bosnian Croats supported this idea while the Serbs and Muslims remained strongly against it. Despite that, Trumbić remained on the position that forming a third South Slavic entity in the Monarchy was the only way of securing a future for Croats, Serbs and Bosnian Muslims. Trumbić formalized said goals in a resolution which was made public in January 1909. Among else, the resolution requested the unification of Bosnia and Herzegovina with Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia on the basis of ethnic and historical rights. Regarding the annexation crisis, it reached its peak in the first three months of 1909. Austria-Hungary had managed to reach an agreement with the Ottoman Empire in February, but the relations with the Kingdom of Serbia only worsened. As both the Austro-Hungarian and the Serbian army were mobilized, a new European war seemed inevitable. And it most probably would have happened had it not been for the German diplomacy which persuaded Russia to stop supporting Serbia. Without its powerful friend, Serbia did not have enough strength to oppose the mighty Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. The two sides reached an agreement at the end of March 1909, by which Serbia acknowledged the annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, the animosity between Austro-Hungary and Serbia would continue in the following years and, as it is commonly known, in June of 1914 it would trigger the First World War. As for Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the annexation it formally became a part of the Monarchy. Unlike the rest of the provinces, Bosnia and Herzegovina was not incorporated neither with the Austrian nor the Hungarian half, but received a status of corpus separatum. The annexation itself had a positive effect for the province as it enabled it to obtain a more liberal political system. Even though the annexation was the main political event of the year, it did not push aside two crucial questions for Dalmatia – the unification with Croatia and the language question. In order to understand what the situation was like in 1908 concerning those two questions, we again must turn to the journal Velebit. According to Velebit's writing, the unification of Dalmatia with Croatia in the year 1908 seemed very unlikely in spite of the fact that both province leaderships were strongly backing this initiative. Nevertheless, the emperor Franz Joseph and the Austro-Hungarian government were against such idea mostly due to the fact that Croatia and Dalmatia belonged to different halfs of the Monarchy, and therefore, an unification 59 was not possible without rearanging the whole state all together. As opposed to the unification, major steps forward had been made in the struggle for making Croatian language the official language of the province. Namely, even though 97% of Dalmatians spoke Croatian or Serbian, the official language of the province remained Italian. However, in the year 1908 the constant pressure of the Croatian parties in Dalmatia had finally payed off. The government announced that it would reognize Croatian as the official language in Dalmatia as soon as all conditions were fulfilled. The language question would finally be solved in April of 1909 when Croatian acquired the status of the official language in the province.

Brojne su pojave naslaga i erozije podrijetlom iz aktivnosti u malim ledenjačkim dolinama ili cirkovima, a koje su postojale na najvišim hrvatskim planinama – Velebitu (1757 m) i Biokovu (1762 m). Takve pojave nastale su tijekom gornjega pleistocena, u virmu (dobu prema alpskoj klasifikaciji). Akumulacijski oblici obuhvaćaju površinske, terminalne i recesijske morene, drumline, eskere, glacijalne prekide te glacijalno-riječne i glacijalno-jezerske taložine. Pojedinačni ledenjački talozi, grebeni tipa eskera, često su udruženi s topografskim oblicima, tj. područjima kama (brežuljaka) i kotlića (udubina). Također se pojavljuju i oblici roche moutonnée, tj. oblici stijena nastali prolaskom ledenjaka, te doline U-oblika koje variraju od mezoveličina do makroveličina. Zatim su opažene arête, uski grebeni koji dijele dvije doline, urezane doline, mezocirkovi, ledenjačke udubine te pojave strija. Unutar hrvatskih Dinarida takve pojave opažene su na visinama od 900 do 1400 metara. Tijekom ranoga do srednjega virma, u vrijeme ledenjačkoga maksimuma, snježna granica nalazila se iznad 900, a možda i 1000 metara, dok je morska razina bila 120 metara niža od današnje. Promatrajući današnji reljef, zaključeno je kako je ledeni pokrivač bio vjerojatne debljine 200 – 300 metara. Pojave poput drumlina, eskera i kotlića upućuju na ledenjake iznad ili blizu točke topljenja leda uz podlogu (engl. warm-based). Drumlini su mali, dimenzija do 100 m dužine i 50 m širine, dok im duža os uglavnom ima orijentaciju 130°– 310°. Gotovo potpuno nedostaju ravni klasti što, uz njihovu stratigrafsku pripadnost, upućuje na svojstva ishodišnih stijena., Numerous accumulation and erosional forms originating from the activity of small valley glaciers or cirque glaciers occur in the highest mountains in Croatia: Velebit (1757 m) and Biokovo (1762 m). They were produced during the Upper Pleistocene, in the Würm glacial stage of the Alpine classification. Accumulation forms comprise ground, terminal and recessional moraines, drumlins, eskers, glacial erratics and glaciofluvial and glaciolacustrine sediments. Single ridge eskers are often associated with areas of kame and kettle topography. Among erosional occurrences roche moutonnée (sheepback rocks), U-shaped valleys ranging in size from meso-macro, arêtes, hanging valleys, meso-sized cirques, kettles, and striations were noted. In Croatian Dinarides such forms in most cases occur between 900 and 1400 meters altitude. During the early to middle Würm glacial maximum, the snow line was above 900 m, perhaps even above 1000 m altitude, and sea levels were 120 meters lower than at present day. Considering the features of the present relief, ice cover was probably 200 to 300 m thick. Features of drumlins, eskers and kettles point to warm-based glaciers. The drumlins are small – up to 100 meters long and 50 meters wide, with the most common long axis ranging orientation from 130o – 310o. The near total absence of platy clasts, as well as their stratigraphic affiliation, largely reflects features of source rocks.

Ponikve pripadaju među najznačajnije krške oblike koji se stoga smatraju i dijagnostičkim oblicima krša. Njihov prostorni raspored i gustoća važan su pokazatelj stupnja okršenosti nekog prostora, ali i njegova cjelokupnoga geomorfološkog razvoja. Cilj ovoga rada je utvrditi prostorni raspored i gustoću ponikava te analizirati utjecaj geološke građe i morfometrijskih karakteristika terena (hipsometrija, nagib padina, vertikalna raščlanjenost) na prostorni raspored ponikava na području jugoistočnog Velebita. Prvi je put na području krša Hrvatske uspoređen prostorni raspored ponikava s prostornim rasporedom ulaza u speleološke objekte i to samo na dijelu jugoistočnog Velebita – Crnopcu. Podaci o položaju ponikava preuzeti su s topografskih karata 1:25 000. Svi podaci su digitalizirani i računalno analizirani s pomoću ArcGIS 10.1 programskog paketa u GIS laboratoriju GO PMF-a u Zagrebu. Istraživanjem je ustanovljen snažan utjecaj morfometrijskih parametara reljefa na gustoću ponikava. Najznačajnija pojava ponikava vezana je za područja nadmorskih visina 1000 – 1200 m, nagiba padina manjeg od 2° i vertikalne raščlanjenosti reljefa 100 – 200 m/km2. Također, najveća gustoća ponikava zabilježena je u karbonatnim naslagama jurske starosti te je utvrđeno da zone glavnih rasjeda nemaju značajniji utjecaj na povećanje gustoće ponikava. Usporedbom prostornog rasporeda i gustoće ponikava i ulaza u speleološke objekte utvrđen je njihov visok stupanj korelacije., Dolines are considered to be among the most prominent karst formations, which is why they can serve as diagnostic forms of karst. Their spatial distribution and density are important indicators of an area’s degree of karstification, as well as of an overall geomorphological development. The aim of this paper is to determine the spatial distribution and the density of dolines, and also to analyse the influence of geological structure and morphometric features of the terrain (hypsometry, slope inclination, relative relief) on the spatial distribution of dolines in the area of southeastern Velebit. Moreover, for the first time with regards to the Croatian karst, the spatial distribution of dolines was compared with the spatial distribution of entrances into caves in the southeastern Velebit’s area of Crnopac. The data on the dolines’ position were adopted from 1:25,000 scaled topographic maps. All data were digitalised and analysed with ArcGIS 10.1 software in the GIS laboratory of the Geographic Department of the Faculty of Science in Zagreb. The research showed a strong influence of morphometric parameters of the relief on dolines’ density. The most prominent occurrence of dolines is linked with the areas ranging from 1000 to 1200 meters of altitude, slope inclination lower than 2° and the relative relief of 100 – 200 m per km2. Furthermore, the highest density of dolines was recorded in the Jurassic carbonate layers, while it was determined that the zones of main faults do not have a significant influence on the increase of dolines’ density. A high degree of correlation was determined by comparing spatial distributions and density of dolines and entrances into caves.

Lithiotis-type bivalves are characteristic faunal element of many Lower Jurassic successions in southern Europe, western Arabia, western and central Asia, as well as western margin of North and South America. These large bivalves were most significant buildup-makers in Early Jurassic shallow-marine environments of many Tethyan carbonate platforms. The study of carbonates with Lithiotis-type bivalves was carried out in Central Velebit Mt. (Kubus section) and Southern Velebit Mt. area (Libinje and Mali Alan sections), which are 50 km apart. Benthic foraminifera assemblage (Lituosepta recoarensis, Paleomayncina termieri, Lituosepta compressa, Orbitopsella primaeva, O. praecursor, Pseudocyclammina liasica, Socotraina serpentina) indicates Late Sinemurian to earliest Toarcian age. The thickness of sections with Lithiotis-type bivalves varies from 210 m on Kubus, to 171 m on Libinje and 145 m on Mali Alan. The oldest Lithiotis-type bivalves were found in the lowermost Upper Sinemurian beds at Kubus and youngest in the Lower Toarcian beds at all three sections. Lithiotis-type bivalve shells mostly occur in micritic limestones indicating growth on muddy substrates, as typical mud-stickers fauna, in low- to moderate-energy shallow-marine lagoonal environments of the inner carbonate platform. Shells are mostly reworked, and therefore rarely preserved in their primary life position. All studied sections were characterized by similar shallow-marine environments during the Late Sinemurian and beginning of the Early Pliensbachian. Relative deepening started in late Early Pliensbachian at Kubus (as indicated by occurrence of coarser-grained limestones with slumps), while in Southern Velebit sections shallow-marine environments persisted until the latest Pliensbachian. The Pliensbachian–Toarcian transition and earliest Toarcian were characterized by deposition of dark grey micritic limestones with Lithiotis-type bivalves and clayey limestones with thin marly beds. Intensely bioturbated micritic limestones, known as “spotted limestones” sharply overlay the last beds with Lithiotis-type bivalves and S. serpentina indicating middle Early Toarcian age. Lithiotis-type bivalves are most abundant in the Upper Pliensbachian and lowermost Toarcian deposits in all sections and are generally more frequent in Southern Velebit Mt. Preliminary results show that Lithioperna scutata occurred as the first among Lithiotis-type bivalves, and is the most common species in the Upper Sinemurian and Lower Pliensbachian beds. First occurrence of Cochlearites loppianus can be noticed in the middle Lower Pliensbachian beds. L. scutata and C. loppianus were equally frequent during the Late Pliensbachian. Lithiotis problematica was certainly determined only in the Lower Toarcian beds of the Kubus section. However, most of the Early Toarcian Lithiotis-type bivalves cannot be determined on generic level. The trend of increasing shell size is clearly seen in all Lithiotis-type bivalves: Late Sinemurian L. scutata shells were smaller (average shell length 4–5 cm) comparing to the Pliensbachian ones (9–12 cm) and generally, they are smaller than shells of C. loppianus, which measured 15–30 cm in length from the Late Pliensbachian and 25–30 cm from the Toarcian. Rapid development and wide diversity of these unique bivalves during the Early Jurassic indicate recovery of optimal conditions within shallow-marine environments before their final demise caused by the worldwide early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE).

This paper analyses for the first time the influence of glaciation on underground karst landforms in the Croatian part of the Dinarides, as well as the interrelation between underground and surface relief developments under glacial conditions. The karst environment, as a good recorder of palaeo-environments, provides some new information on Quaternary glaciation in the Velebit Mountain in Croatia, and reveals, generally, the morphogenetic evolution of Štirovača Ice Cave (in Croatian, "Ledenica u Štirovači") and of the surrounding area. During cold periods, glacial exaration produced a particularly significant quantity of sediments. Consequently, underground karst conduits situated below the snow line during the Pleistocene were filled with high-energy sedimentary structures, glacial and fluvioglacial sediments. This reduced or even stopped their conduit function, and led to difficulties in the drainage of meteoric water, to lake formation within morphological depressions and to a rise in the local water-table level. With the denudation of these deposits, conduit reactivation and a drop in the underground water level occurred. Stabilisation during milder climatic conditions led to aggradation of the cave and to the deposition of flowstones from 8230 ± 150 years BP.

Krasno polje tipično je krško polje u Dinarskom gorju. Smješteno je na planini Velebit. U istraživanju smo primijenili morfografske, morfostrukturne i morfometrijske analize polja kako bismo prikazali njegove morfogenetske karakteristike. Polje je u potpunosti ispunjeno šljunkom, a površinskih tokova nema. Padine iznad polja uvelike su izmijenjene glacijalnim procesima tijekom hladnijeg razdoblja pleistocena, zbog čega je proglacijalna lepeza ispunila kršku depresiju i stvorila pijedmontski tip polja. Glacijalni dokazi sugeriraju postojanje dviju odvojenih faza intenzivne proglacijalne akumulacije polja., Krasno polje is one of the less typical karst poljes within the Dinaric Mountains. It is situated within Velebit Mountain. Our research utilized morphographic, morphostructural and morphometric analysis of the polje to present its morphogenetic characteristics. It is completely filled with gravel and lacking any surface flows. Slopes above the polje were severely altered by glacial action during the colder periods of the Pleistocene. As a result, proglacial fans filled the karst depression, creating a piedmont type polje. Glacial evidence suggests that there were at least two separate phases of intense proglacial deposition within the polje.

Cerovačke caves are situated at the foot of the northern slope of Crnopac massif (SE part of Velebit Mt.) on the southern edge of the Gračac karst polje. There are three caves: Gornja (Upper) Cerovačka 1290 m length, Srednja (Middle) Cerovačka 390 m length and Donja (Lower) Cerovačka cave around 4200 m length (explorations are in progress). Upper Cerovačka cave was known to local inhabitants as the Kesića cave or the Cave in Kesića cliff. Lower Cerovačka cave was discovered during the construction of the Lika railroad in 1914. For the beginning of their research most credit goes to the railway supervising engineer Nikola Turkalj. Therefore, the name Turkaljeve caves can also be found. The adaptations of caves for tourist purposes started in 1951, in 1961 they were protected as geomorphological natural monument and electric lighting was installed in 1977. Today the caves are governed by the Velebit Nature Park Public Institution. These caves have been explored by the famous Croatian speleologists like Mirko Malez, Zlatko Pepeonik, Srećko Božičević and others. Due to dominantly carbonate structure of this part of Velebit, waters flow subterraneous through Crnopac massif, generally towards the south. Underground waters get water from the sinking streams that come from karst poljes in Lika and Gračac area and flow underground towards south. So, the Cerovačke caves have very strong geospeleogical significance. They are, together with other big known caves on Crnopac (Kita Gačešina cave 28629 m length, Munižaba cave 9175 m length) part of inactive zone of this hydrological karst system which drains surface waters from Gračac karst polje. Cerovačke caves are also an important palaeontological, archaeological and biospeleological site. Remains of the Pleistocene animals like cave bear and cave lion were found there, as well as many other animals especially smaller rodents and birds. Also, bone remains of Palaeolithic human Homo sapiens fossils were found. Archaeological artefacts (pottery fragments, metallic, bone and stone findings) show that the Lower Cerovačka cave was used since the Middle Bronze Age (1400-1200 B.C.). Cerovačke caves also have a very rich underground fauna. Upper cave is type locality for three species, while Lower cave is type locality site for five species. Numerous speleological and scientific researches in these caves are also carried out today. So, priceless scientific, speleological and tourist importance of the Cerovačke caves can be seen. We can conclude that they are among the most valuable caves in the Croatian karst. It is very important to continue with speleological explorations in order to discover new, so far unknown parts. It is also necessary to continue with systematic scientific researches.

The new data showed that age of this ice part is at bottom about 58, 000 years old, and near of top of this ice part is about 560 years old.

The first record of the pyrophilous ground beetle Sericoda quadripunctata (De Geer, 1774) (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in Croatia is presented. A large population of the species was found during field studies in the beech forests between the Veliko Rujno and Stražbenica, south Velebit Mountain. Findings of this rare carabid beetle, which are common in habitats of naturally-occurring forest combustion, as mentioned in the Red Data Books of different European countries, imply the possibility of further findings of this rare pyrophilous species in inaccessible parts of their potential habitat distribution., U ovom radu se opisuje prvi nalaz pirofilne vrste trčka Sericoda quadripunctata (De Geer, 1774) (Coleoptera, Carabidae) u Hrvatskoj. Ova vrsta je pronađena tijekom terenskih istraživanja faune trčaka u bukovim šumama na području južnog Velebita od Velikog Rujna do Stražbenice. Pronalazak ove rijetke vrste trčka, tipične za prirodno opožarena staništa, koja se nalazi na popisima ugroženih životinjskih vrsta diljem Europe, ukazuje na mogućnost pronalaska novih vrsta trčaka u Hrvatskoj i to posebno u teže pristupačnim krajevima.

Vukušiš Ice Cave (Vukušiš snijeţnica, 44.8N, 14.98E 1490 m asl) is located near the Zaviţan Peak in the northern Velebit Mountains. Thickness of its ice deposit is estimated to be more than 10 m. Lead concentration and stable lead isotopes were analysed on 36 samples of a 2 m long ice core extracted from the ice deposit on 28.10.2008. Pb concentration record is characterized by an overall increasing trend toward the surface. Topmost sample showed the highest Pb concentration, while an interesting secondary maximum emerged between 0.59 and 0.81 m depth. 206Pb/207Pb ratio is characteristically below the expected regional geogenic background (1.202-1.245). Samples from the 1.34-1.49 m depth range, with highly elevated mud content in the ice profile, provided the best agreement (mean 206Pb/207Pb: 1.235) with the expected geogenic background. The rest of the profile showed a slightly decreasing trend towards the surface. The minimum was found in the topmost sample (206Pb/207Pb: 1.069). Ternary plot of 206Pb/207Pb/208Pb shows a gradual shift from a dominantly geogenic composition toward the Broken Hill galena used as antiknock additive in European petrol during the second half of the 20th century. Cave ice record documented an increasing lead contamination being in line with the regional 20th century lead contamination history. Lead isotope ratios provide evidence that increased lead concentrations are due to the increased anthropogenic contribution. The estimated age of the 2 m cave ice core (c. 1950-1980) based on lead concentration and lead isotopes agrees with earlier tritium measurements and the expected lost of most recent accumulation due to negative surface ice mass balance observed in the first decade of the 21th century.

New localities of some rare and floristically interesting species in the Dinaric Mountains are listed in the paper. Daphne cneorum L. was previously found in the hinterland mountains of the town of Rijeka, Paeonia mascula (L.) Mill. on Mt Velebit, Rhamnus pumila Turra on Mt Obruč and Mt Risnjak, Sorbus chamaemespilus (L.) Crantz on Mt Obruč and Mt Velebit, and Salix waldsteiniana Willd. on Mt Risnjak., U radu su navedeni dosad nezabilježeni lokaliteti pet floristički zanimljivih i rijetkih biljnih vrsta na području sjeverozapadnih Dinarida u Hrvatskoj. Novi lokaliteti vrste Daphne cneorum L. su zabilježeni na planinama u zaleđu grada Rijeke, vrste Paeonia mascula na Velebitu, vrsta Rhamnus pumila Turra i Sorbus chamaemespilus (L.) Crantz) na planinama Obruč i Risnjak, te vrste Salix waldsteiniana Willd. na Risnjaku.

Two new highly specialised troglobitic beetles from the Velebit massif (Croatia, Dinaric chain) are described from deep caves in the Crnopac massif. Velebitaphaenops (new genus) giganteus Casale & Jalžić, new species (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini) is markedly characterised by its large size, and the peculiar combination of features in the mouth parts, chaetotaxy, and male genitalia. Its putative position amongst the aphaenopsoid trechine taxa of the Dinaric range is illustrated and discussed. Velebitodromus ozrenlukici Lohaj, Mlejnek & Jalžić, new species (Coleoptera: Cholevidae: Leptodirini) is close to the type species of the genus, Velebitodromus smidai Casale, Giachino & Jalžić, 2004, described from Nothern Velebit (Lubenovac). The new species is markedly distinct by its shorter and wider elytra, and other diagnostic features illustrated both in text and in a key for identification. Data on the distributions and habitats of these two new, unexpected and interesting taxa are also provided., U radu se opisuju dvije nove visokospecijalizirane vrste troglobiontnih kornjaša s Velebita, iz dubokih špilja Crnopca (Hrvatska, Dinaridi). Najznačajnije osobine nove vrste Velebitaphaenops (n. g.) giganteus Casale & Jalžić (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechini) su veličina te posebna kombinacija značajki usnih dijelova, osobitosti četina i genitalija mužjaka. Obrazlaže se i razmatra njen vjerojatan položaj među svojtama afenopsoidnih trehina Dinarida. Nova vrsta Velebitodromus ozrenlukici Lohaj, Mlejnek & Jalžić (Coleoptera: Cholevidae: Leptodirini) bliska je tipskoj vrsti roda, Velebitodromus smidai Casale, Giachino & Jalžić, 2004, opisanoj sa sjevernog Velebita (Lubenovac). Novu vrstu karakterizira kraće i šire pokrilje, i ostale dijagnostičke značajke opisane u tekstu i u ključu za identifikaciju. U radu se daju i podaci o rasprostranjenosti i staništima tih novih, neočekivanih i zanimljivih svojti.

New localities of some rare and floristically interesting species in the Dinaric Mountains are listed in the paper. Daphne cneorum L. was previously found in the hinterland mountains of the town of Rijeka, Paeonia mascula (L.) Mill. on Mt Velebit, Rhamnus pumila Turra on Mt Obru~ and Mt Risnjak, Sorbus chamaemespilus (L.) Crantz on Mt Obru~ and Mt Velebit, and Salix waldsteiniana Willd. on Mt Risnjak.

The first approach to the relationships between societies and physical environments on Velebit Mountain shows narrow correlations between spatial distribution of dolines, soil formation, hydric resources, vegetation and land occupation. In 2002, sediment cores have been obtained from different dolines of Velebit Mountain to evaluate the potential of their sedimentary archives in order to reconstruct the landscape history. On the littoral slopes and on the top parts of the mountain, the dolines were difficult to dig due to the presence of rocks in depth. Nevertheless, the cores have been sampled and soil analyses have been made (physical and chemical analyses: colour, grain size, pH, CaCO3, C, N, P, K, Mg, CEC). No dating materials were found. The first results attest to rather homogeneous pedologic processes in each area studied (Kamenica, Stinica, Baske Ostarije and Bilensko Mirevo), but they also indicate colluvial contributions. These contributions differ from one doline to another according to their location and morphology. Dolines reveal themselves to be not very good traps, as the representative nature of their sedimentary archives could be very local. However, the best profile has been obtained at Bilensko Mirevo, which shows a change in the soil nutrient content from an impoverishment in its middle part toward an increase of the soil nutrients in recent parts. Those environmental changes could not be precisely dated, but could be correlated with the 17th to 20th century phase of strong human impact on the Velebit environment and with the rural depopulation observed since the second half of the 20th century. Keywords: karst, dolines, Mediterranean soils, Velebit Mountain, Dinarides, Croatia.

The rare myco-heterotrophic orchid Epipogium aphyllum Swartz was recorded on Mt Velebit for the first time. It was found in beech and fir dominated primeval forest (ass. Omphalodo-Fagetum) in Klepina duliba. After Mt Medvednica, Plitvička jezera and Samoborsko gorje, this is the fourth record of that species in Croatia in the last eighty years., Rijetka mikoheterotrofna orhideja bezlisni nadbradac Epipogium aphyllum Swartz pronađena je po prvi put na Velebitu. Zabilježena je u bukovo-jelovoj prašumi (as. Omphalodo-Fagetum) u Klepinoj dulibi. Uz Medvednicu, Plitvička jezera i Samoborsko gorje ovo je četvrto nalazište vrste u Hrvatskoj u posljednjih osamdeset godina.

The rare myco-heterotrophic orchid Epipogium aphyllum Swartz was recorded on Mt Velebit for the first time. It was found in beech and fir dominated forest (ass. Omphalodo-Fagetum) in Klepina duliba. After Mt Medvednica, Plitvička jezera and Samoborsko gorje, this is the dourth record of this species in Croatia in last eighty years.

The transhumance, traditionally the most important form of cattle breeding in Mediterranean basin, has been the main factor in landscape formation. Two thousand years of cattle breeding and agriculture on mountains along Eastern Adriatic Coast changed the primarily forest landscape into a mosaic of different open habitats. However, transhumance has been almost completely abounded on Croatian Mediterranean range of Dinarides in the last fifty years, which caused a dramatic change of grassland habitats. Mt. Velebit, located along the North Adriatic Coast, with its long and continuous tradition of cattle breeding and migrations has been chosen as a perfect natural laboratory for investigation of rapid vegetation changes. Along the slopes of Mt Velebit, forest vegetation is predominantly deciduous, presented by dominating Quercus pubescens, Carpinus orientalis and Ostrya carpinifolia on lower, and Fagus sylvatica on higher elevations. Evergreen forests with dwarf Mountain Pine (Pinus mugo) form only the highest forest belt. Different mountain grassland types mainly match altitudinal forest belts. Analysis of multiple, recently made releve’s of grassland and shrub vegetation along the altitudinal gradient as well as life form spectra analysis indicates the different velocity of habitat change in each mountain belt and stresses different species included. Along the vertical gradient the velocity of habitat changes decreases. On the lower grasslands the progressive vegetation succesion is faster. Alhough the maintenance of larger number of species is mainly allowed, the general physiognomy of landscape is being substantially changing. In the belt above 1200 m.a.s.l., a thin layer of soil, strong influence of wind and shorter growing season do not allow as rapid succession as in lower altitudes. Nevertheless, it is present thanks to the growth of dense, procumbent shrubs, which also change the composition of grassland communities, although the general physiognomy seems unchanged. The loss of biodiversity on species, habitat and landscape level of the Mediterranean mountain grasslands is more than evident and call for urgent active protection planning.

During two year research period on the Velebit Mt, 106 butterfly species were recorded at 70 localities. With a length of 145 km, Velebit is the longest mountain of the Dinaric Alps, characterized with high indentedness, abrupt karstic slopes, high daily temperature variations, mixed climate regimes and a combination of central European and Mediterranean vegetation. Overall number of recorded species for the mountain is 137, representing 73% of Croatian butterfly fauna. Main factors influencing butterfly diversity on Velebit Mt. include habitat structure and quality including plant diversity. Biogeographical analysis shows the dominance of Eurosibirean (62%), Oriental (14%) and Mediterranean (13%) species. From 106 species detect on Velebit Mt., 13 are listed on The Red List of Croatian butterflies: Maculinea rebeli, Parnassius apollo, Apatura iris, Glaucopsyche alexis, Limenitis populi, Parnassius mnemosyne, Scolitantides orion, Erebia medusa, Euphydryas aurinia, Maculinea arion, Melitaea aurelia, Melitaea britomartis and Pseudophilotes vicrama. Human depopulation and no land use in this mountain area led to habitat succession, which is nowadays the major treat for butterfly diversity. Urgent practical conservation measures were proposed within three large protected areas like grazing or mowing for maintaining suitable habitats.

Geomorphologic researches have shown that the Pleistocene glaciation spread over a large part of the northern, central and southern Velebit. Various types of glaciers were differentiated and surface morphologic (dunudation and accumulation) proofs of their expansion were found. As we are talking about a karst area, this work analyses the possibility that the glaciation proofs are alsno deposited in the underground, i.e. in some speleological features especialy in the cave "Snježnica u Štirovači" (central part of Velebit Mt.). The cave position has been analysed in relation to the proved expansion of glaciers, as well as their interior morphology and the possibility of glacial and fluvioglacial origin of clastic sediments inside the cave.

The book represents field trip guidebook and the book of abstracts of the "9th International Symposium on Fossil Algae" that is organised in the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the research on fossil algae in Croatia. Croatian scientists have made a significant contribution to the knowledge on fossil algae of the younger Palaeozoic and Mesozoic. The book shows some of the results of these investigations. It contains descriptions and illustrations of 19 pre-symposium and 10 post-symposium field trip stops, together with chapters on the geology of Croatia, carbonate sequences of Mt. Velebit, Mt. Biokovo and Žumberak - Samoborsko Gorje Mts., Permian of Mt. Velebit, Miocene of Northern Croatia, and recent biocalcification at Plitvice lakes. The second part of the book contains 40 abstracts from the scientific sessions that include diverse topics on fossil and living algae and microbes.

The results of floristic research of the National Park "Paklenica" carried out in the period 1999-2003 are presented. The NP "Paklenica" located in the South part of the Velebit Mt. (Croatia: N Dalmatia) comprises the canyons ot two rivulets transversally cut in the mountain with surrounding and high mountain area. The National Park was proclaimed in 1949 with total area of 36 km2, whilw in 1997 it was widen on 107 km2. Generally, the area belongs to the sub-Mediterranean climatic zone, but as a result of complex relief with wide range of altitudes (20-1757 m a.s.), expositions and inclinations the microclimatic diversity is high. Consequently, the diversity of vegetation is also high. Centuries long human impact has resulted in formation of new habitat types: pastures meadows, fields, orchards, gardens and forest degradation stages which also are floristically very rich. During the research period the 809 taxa of vascular plants from 86 families has been found. The most abundant families are Compositae s.l. (Asteraceae and Cichoriaceae) represented with 13, 8%, Poaceae (7, 4%), Fabaceae (6, 6%), Lamiaceae (5, 8%), Rosaceae (5, 3%), Caryophyllaceae (5, 2%) and Campanulaceae (2, 1%), while 79 taxa (9, 77%) of the total flora can be considered as endemics. Since the portion of endemic taxa in the whole Croatian flora is 6, 04% the area of the Paklenica can be considered as one of plant diversity centres in Croatia.

We present results of speleological exploration and cave climate measurements in the caves of Kita Gavranusa region (Mt.Velebit), Croatia.

Many aeromycological studies showed the presence of airspora of different allergologicaly important fungi in the air of indoor and outdoor environment. The airspora concentrations of outdoor environments depend on numerous factors including time of day, meteorological factors, seasonal climatic factors, and type of vegetation. The aim of our study was to determine seasonal variations of the common airborne fungi, as potential allergens, of the outdoor environment in Continental and Mediterranean parts of Croatia. Samples were collected bimonthly during: February and March, April and May, June and July. In addition, sampling was done in the area of Velebit during June. Method employed in this study was exposure of Sabouraud agar plates (diameter 9 cm) to air for 1 hour, and total of 500 samples were collected. Results, expressed as CFU/h/plate, were statistically analysed by a one-way analysis of variance (repeated measures ANOVA) followed by a multiple comparison procedure (Bonferroni test). Probability values less than 0, 05 (P

In 2002 specimens of Eptesicus nilssonii and Vespertilio murinus were caught in mist-nets in mixed forests of spruce, fir and beech in two localities on Mt Velebit. These are the first records in Croatia for 130 years for E. nilssonii, and for 68 years for V. murinus. Considering all the available data from Croatia and neighbouring countries, we discuss the possible status of these species in the mountain area of the Dinaric Alps. Although all the new findings were males caught in the migratory period (August and September) which indicates the possibility of hibernation in the karstic area of the Dinaric mountains, we do not exclude the possible existence of resident populations., Metodom lova mrežama za šišmiše na dva lokaliteta na planini Velebitu zabilježeni su u miješanim šumama smreke, jele i bukve borealni šišmiši Eptesicus nilssonii i Vespertilio murinus. To su prvi podaci nakon 130, odnosno 68 godina od zadnjih nalaza tih vrsta za Hrvatsku. Na temelju svih dosadašnjih podataka za Hrvatsku i susjedne države diskutira se o mogućem statusu ovih vrsta na planinskom području Dinarida. Iako se novi nalazi odnose samo na mužjake iz doba migracije (u kolovozu i rujnu) koji ukazuju na vjerojatnost zimovanja u kršu Dinarida, ne isključuje se postojanje mogućih rezidentnih populacija.

The influence of tectonic forces on the karst relief development has been studied using dolines as geomorphological markers. The strain and stress orientations have been calculated from the doline distribution applying the centre to centre method.

Geomorphology of the Dinaric mountain belt in Croatia (some examples)encompas several papers on Geomorphological characteristics from the Dinarides, like those from Kornati archipelago, of the drainage basin of the Velika and Mala Paklenica and Velebit Mountain.

In the present time relief one may observe structures that developed duirng former tectonically active period and of course those developed during recent period. In order to offer any explanation how the recente relif developed, it is very important to identify the deirection and situatuin of earlier developed structures, therefore the ridge crests were chosen as the study landform.

Due to the height and the position of the mountain along the Adriatic coast, Velebit mountain sides differ significantly in their climatic characteristics. In addition, locally, on mountain passes, dolinas and canyons there are significant changes of climatic elements. Climatic elements influence the distribution and the intensity of various geomorphologic processes on karst here presented.

The paper deals with the species Gypsophyla repens L., the occurrence of which in Croatia has previously been doubtful. G. repens was found on the east slope of Segestin (south Velebit) on alpine grassland ca 1700 m a.s.l.

The paper deals with the species Gypsophila repens L., the occurence of which in Croatia has previously been doubtful. G. repens was found on the east slope of Segestin (South Velebit) on alpine grassland ca 1700 m a.s.l.

The relation between geological structure and landforms has always been an important subject in geomorphology, but, in the last few decades, the plate tectonic theory has strongly increased the interest in this subject. Many researchers have focussed their attention on the influence of active tectonism on landform development. As the style and location of landform development are determined by the type, location and rate of tectonic movements and their associated stress field (Brunsden, 1990) the aim of this work is the determination of the relation between the karstic relief forms and tectonic processes. We wanted to discover to what extent the tectonic movements influence the development of karst relief and in what measure these influences can be studied from relief. Stress has been invoked in explanation of a number of minor forms, developed mainly in granite (e.g. Jennings and Twidale, 1971), but also in other lithological settings. From this, two questions arise : Can the stress and strain be measured from relief ? Can the deformation rate be measured from relief ? The analyses were applied to the Velebit mountain range which is a typical karstic area. It is a part of the Outer Dinarides, which is in turn a part of the Adriatic-Eurasia collision zone. Its numerous specific relief forms and the recent tectonic activity make the Velebit mountain range pertinent for such analyses. In the karstic domain, dolines can be used as a sensitive indicator of tectonic activity. Even if the development of dolines is primarily the consequence of the rock nature and climatic conditions, its spatial repartition is basically determined by the geological structure. The spatial analysis of dolines allows us the measurement of strain and stress to which the studied area has been submitted during recent periods.

This article offers an account of the Triplex Confinium from an eco-historic perspective. The emphasis is on the relationship between a characteristic type of the natural environment and a corresponding type of subsistence economy. This relationship was examined from the Prehistoric Era till the Early Modern Era, when the dominant herding economy was even more accentuated amongst complex socio-political circumstances.

Ledena jama pit is located on the north of mountain Velebit (Croatia) on the elevation of 1240 m, in the middle of meadow belonging to the association Festucetum pungentis Ht. 1930. This cave is a complicated speleological object 514 m deep, mostly filled with the snow and the ice. The specificity of Ledena jama is its entrance with dimensions of 74 m × 43 m, which gradually becomes narrower down to the depth of 40 m where is an ice stopper which separates it from the rest of the channel. During different seasons (spring, summer and autumn) of 1995 and 1996, the plants growing around the entrance and at various depths and different expositions inside the object were collected and listed. Momentary illumination was one of the ecological factors measured. Outside and inside the object at the lower boundary of plant growth, daily air temperature changes as well as relative air humidity were also observed. This research showed that, with regard to the plant species growing there, the entrance area of Ledena jama pit can be divided into three zones. The first zone (+6 m to -6 m) which due to a higher influence of external microclimatic conditions floristically is similar to the meadow on which Ledena jama pit is situated ; the second zone (-6 m to -23 m) which floristically differs considerably from the first zone due to a higher influence of internal microclimatic conditions, there occur a large number of ferns, mosses and algae ; the third zone (-23 m to -40 m) where mostly mosses and algae grow due to the highest influence of the internal microclimatic conditions.

Prvi put su utvrđeni tragovi pleistocenske oledbe područja Sjevernog Velebita. Oni se odnose na egzaracijske morfološke oblike i na odgovarajuće korelativne sedimente i morenske oblika.