In this area we are conducting geochemical research on cave deposits and karst springs, and have recently selected few caves as possible speleothem study sites. One of them is Drenska Peštera, an old cave rich in speleothems, which we recently visited to check its suitability for a speleothem-based paleoclimate study.

As there is almost no data on isotope composition of precipitation in Macedonia, during this field trip we have also installed four precipitation collectors at different locations and elevations, to monitor the isotopic composition of the precipitation water. This data will complement our speleothem-based paleoclimatological study, as well as our geochemical study of the karst springs in the area. This field trip, in collaboration with SK Zlatovrv from Prilep, provided the chance for one of our PhD students to get a basic training in caving techniques.

Dr. Marjan Temovski