Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
6.4.3 Aspects and Land Use
Terrain aspects are also significant morphometric elements on the high mountains
in the Republic of Macedonia, resulted from geotectonic processes and geomorphic
evolution. At the same time, aspects have importance for the intensity of erosion pro-
cesses, local climate and vegetation, type of soils, as well as for the anthropogenic
activities in the space.
Table
6.8
shows large differences in the aspects' structure between mountains
due to numerous causes: geotectonic and morphologic elements, dominant direc-
tions of mountains, directions of valleys, position of the border mountains (where
only the area in Macedonia is analysed), etc. Overall, west aspects dominate, as well
as east ones which are in line with NW-SE (Dinaric) directions of the mountains.
Nidze, Kozuf, Osogovo and Belasitsa are exceptions because of their E-W direc-
tions (consequence of N-S neotectonic extension; Milevski,
2006
). It is interesting
that the largest aspects have lower and longer slopes than least present, which have
much stepper slopes, and vice versa (Milevski,
2009
).
Aspects significantly influence local climate, vegetation, hydrography, soils and
human activities in the space, as well as on land use. On this latitude, north aspects
are colder and wetter than others, with dense vegetation, deep soils and less human
impact. The opposite is on south slopes, where because of intensive human impact,
usually severe land degradation and erosion occur. However, major types of land-
use patterns are presented in this chapter according to the four main aspects: east,
south, west and north (Table
6.9
).
According to the CLC2000 data, artificial and agriculture land-use types domi-
nate in the south, south-east and east sides, where there is the greatest distribution
of population and human activities. For the same reasons, scrubs, especially grass-
lands, are present more in the south aspects (relative to the percent of south areas)
Table 6.8
Aspects on the high mountains in the Republic of Macedonia
Mountain NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
N
Total
Korab
52.1
64.3
50.0
38.5
26.7
15.0
11.7
31.1
289.5
Shara Mt.
109.4
153.7 177.8
140.9
90.0
48.6
46.4
61.9
828.6
Pelister
50.7
54.3
50.0
32.1
40.8
54.9
51.5
62.3
396.6
Jakupitsa
171.5
181.8 143.0
131.4
160.7
191.9
154.2
138.2
1, 272.7
Nidze
66.6
42.8
33.0
35.2
54.9
75.4
76.5
75.5
460.0
Galichitsa
42.8
55.1
35.2
25.9
34.3
74.1
49.5
29.5
346.3
Stogovo
58.9
61.8
52.2
53.7
75.6
63.4
46.3
46.3
458.0
Jablanitsa
48.9
55.8
33.4
20.8
10.1
6.5
10.8
21.1
207.6
Osogovo
102.7
121.4 112.5
126.2
163.2
147.8
109.6
97.6
981.0
Kozuf
87.1
75.1
43.7
31.9
47.9
89.3
88.2
80.5
543.9
Bistra
93.6
93.2
75.0
67.4
72.0
81.5
79.9
81.1
643.7
Suva Gora
118.4
125.4 131.0
118.1
92.8
93.7
111.4
132.4
923.4
Belasitsa
27.5
14.9
7.4
11.6
19.1
22.3
26.4
38.4
167.5
Total
1, 030.3 1, 099.6 944.1
833.7
888.2
964.4
862.3
895.9
7, 518.7
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