See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257780815 Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria: Geological Setting, Genesis and Geoconservation Value Article in Geoheritage · September 2011 DOI: 10.1007/s12371-011-0048-7 CITATIONS READS 8 381 2 authors, including: Dimitar Sinnyovsky University of Mining and Geology 32 PUBLICATIONS 108 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All content following this page was uploaded by Dimitar Sinnyovsky on 26 December 2014. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria: Geological Setting, Genesis and Geoconservation Value Dimitar Tronkov & Dimitar Sinnyovsky Geoheritage ISSN 1867-2477 Volume 4 Number 3 Geoheritage (2012) 4:153-164 DOI 10.1007/s12371-011-0048-7 1 23 Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer- Verlag. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be self-archived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your work, please use the accepted author’s version for posting to your own website or your institution’s repository. You may further deposit the accepted author’s version on a funder’s repository at a funder’s request, provided it is not made publicly available until 12 months after publication. 1 23 Author's personal copy Geoheritage (2012) 4:153–164 DOI 10.1007/s12371-011-0048-7 REVIEW ARTICLE Belogradchik Rocks, Bulgaria: Geological Setting, Genesis and Geoconservation Value Dimitar Tronkov & Dimitar Sinnyovsky Received: 25 September 2010 /Accepted: 7 October 2011 /Published online: 4 November 2011 # Springer-Verlag 2011 Abstract The Belogradchik Rocks are one of the most cance, Belogradchik Rocks are the Bulgarian nomination famous natural landmarks in Bulgaria. This spectacular for the “New Seven Natural Wonders of the World”. The rock assemblage represents a remarkable combination of present protected area is going through the procedure for imposing rock monuments and a beautiful mountain acceptance into the European Geopark Network. landscape. It is formed in Lower Triassic red continental sandstones and conglomerates of the Petrohan Terrigenous Keywords Lower Triassic . Rock monuments . Group. The thick layers were deposited by continental Geoconservation . Bulgaria rivers in the west Balkans (Northwest Bulgaria). In a protected area of about 600 ha close to the town of Belogradchik, the impressive stone giants are named after Introduction persons and animals that they resemble: Adam and Eve, the Madonna, the Schoolgirl, the Monks, the Dinosaurs, the Bulgaria is a natural geological museum with wonderful rock Lion, and so on. However, the restricted protected area does outcrops of different ages and compositions, from Archean to not represent the entire variety and natural beauty of the Quaternary. The complicated geological structure and con- region. There are numerous impressive outcrops, rock trasting relief favour the formation of extraordinary geological formations, and single buttes in a large area of the West and geomorphological phenomena with aesthetic, scientific Balkans—a 3-km wide and 18-km long strip that meets the and educational value. At the end of the twentieth century, the requirements of a national geopark. Along with its natural Bulgarian geological society joined the GEOSITES and beauty, Belogradchik has a long history, closely connected GEOPARKS initiatives, and the Ministry of Environment to the natural landscape. It dates as far back as the and Water financed the creation of the Register and Cadastre of Palaeolithic Period as documented by simple pebble tools, the Bulgarian geological phenomena (2000–2003). This was prehistoric graphic art (mural paintings), and many relicts developed using scientific criteria and an original scientific of the Bronze and Iron ages. The Roman fortress on top of methodology established for the purpose of the project the monument field served various garrisons for many (Sinnyovsky et al. 2002). In the frame of this project, the centuries. Due to its natural beauty and historical signifi- geopark “Iskar Gorge” was developed and presented at the Third European Geoparks Network Meeting in Eggenburg D. Tronkov (Jelev et al. 2002). Unfortunately, it was not accepted and the Geological Institute “Strashimir Dimitrov” Bulgarian development of geoparks in Bulgaria is still in its initial Academy of Sciences, stage. Belogradchik Rocks are one of the most famous and Georgi Bonchev Str. Bl.24, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria attractive natural landmarks in Bulgaria and are regarded as a geological phenomenon of international significance. This D. Sinnyovsky (*) remarkable rock assemblage, considered to be of geomor- “ ” University of Mining and Geology St. Ivan Rilski , phological–scenic interest, meets the requirements of a Studentski grad, Sofia 1700, Bulgaria geopark. Its nomination as the Bulgarian representative of e-mail: [email protected] the “New Seven Natural Wonders of the World” has Author's personal copy 154 Geoheritage (2012) 4:153–164 provoked a broad public interest expressed by numerous Geological Setting publications and statements in the mass media. As usual, some of these demonstrate incorrect notions about the The remarkable rock assemblage Belogradchik Rocks geological characteristics, origin and age of the rocks. The (Fig. 2) is located in the western part of the large most usual mistake is the confusion between the age of the Belogradchik Tectonic Unit (Anticlinorium after Tronkov rock formation and formation of the rock monuments. Many 1973) in the West Balkan Tectonic Zone (Angelov et al. newspapers announced that “Belogradchik Rocks were 2006a, b) (Fig. 3). It is located close to Belogradchik town formed 220 million years ago”, considering the age of (43.62449°N, 22.68526°E). The area is composed of deposition of the red sandstones. Actually, formation of the sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks of various rock monuments started during the Eocene, about 35 million age and petrographic compositions. The outlines of the years ago, when the Triassic red sandstone unit was exposed Belogradchik Anticlinorium are marked mainly by the at the surface. Another misleading statement is that the distribution of Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous beds, but its Belogradchik Rocks are built of marine sediments. In some core is composed of Palaeozoic rocks. publications, the red sandstones are considered to be The oldest rocks in the Belogradchik Anticlinorium core “deposited in the Triassic Sea”. Principally in such types of are metamorphites of Berkovitsa Group (Cambrian?), but popular publications, strict respect to the geological termi- most of the outcrops belong to the Early Palaeozoic nology is not so important. Nevertheless, an admissible level Sredogriv Metamorphites (Ordovician?). of journalistic accuracy should be retained through “expert West of the town of Belogradchik low metamorphic control” by the geological community when considering probably Devonian rocks crop out composed of two units— nationally important geosites. In 2003, the authors compiled Struindol Diabase and Shashka Siltstone with a thickness of the file “Belogradchik Rocks” for the Register and Cadastre more than 1,000 m. Struindol Diabase is a volcanic– of the Bulgarian geological phenomena, with a short version sedimentary rock association of diabase and diabase tuffs published in the review of the Ministry of Environment and with rare thin interbeds of phyllites. The Shashka Siltstone Water “Geology and Mineral Resources” (Tronkov and is composed mainly of siltstones, shales and sandstones. Sinnyovsky 2005). This paper aims to point out the scientific, These rocks are interrupted by an Upper Palaeozoic educational and historic value of the Belogradchik Rocks as (Carboniferous?) granite intrusion of the Belogradchik an outstanding geological phenomenon. The geological Pluton represented mainly of leucocratic granite which review comprises a new outlook on the geological structure crops out north of Belogradchik town. The Belogradchik of the area according to the new geological map at 1:50,000 Pluton is covered by Upper Carboniferous–Permian conti- scale (Fig. 1). The authors stress the genetic characteristics of nental terrigenous and volcano–sedimentary formations the conglomerate–sandstone formation and geological pre- with thicknesses of more than 1,000 m. The Borovitsa requisites that are responsible for the recent shape of the Formation (Stephanian) is composed mainly of red con- rocks and new rock monuments outside the protected area, glomerates, sandstones and siltstones, deposited under the using original photographs. In compliance with this, a brief conditions of a riverbed and floodplains. These sediments overview on the historical heritage and archive documents pass gradually into the coal bearing Zelenigrad Formation concerning the beauty of Belogradchik Rocks is given. (Upper Stephanian), composed of grey conglomerates, Venetsa SW Kleputs NE Stakevska r. BELOGRADCHIK 800 Izvos 600 400 200 0 m 2000 1200 400 m a b 1346257 8 Fig. 1 Schematic geological profile of the Belogradchik Anticlino- formed in the sandstones of the Petrohan Terrigenous Group; 5 rium (after Tronkov 1998, with additional data): 1 Lower Cretaceous; coal-bearing Carboniferous and Permian; 6 Palaeozoic granite; 7 2 Jurassic; 3 Triassic: a Petrohan Terrigenous Group, b Iskar Ordovician metamorphites; 8 fault Carbonate Group; 4 geological phenomenon Belogradchik Rocks, Author's personal copy Geoheritage (2012) 4:153–164