Contribution to the understanding of the origin of caves in the valley of Slatinska Reka (Gorna Slatinska Peštera, Slatinska II, Ovčarska Peštera, Puralo and Slatinski Izvor)

There are five caves in the river valley of Slatinska Reka, a tributary of the river Treska: Gorna Slatinska Peštera, Slatinska II, Ovčarska Peštera, Puralo and Slatinski Izvor. The morphology of caves, the cross-section of the passages, the micro-relief forms, and cave sediments were analyzed in order to determine the caves’ origin. The results showed that the main controlling factor in the karst development has been the evolution of the river Slatinska Reka, which was dependent on the evolution of the Treska valley as a regional base-level controlling factor. Also, the tectonic and geologic conditions control the karst development in the area. All caves have “normal” epigenic development. Paragenesis driven by allogenic sediment input shaped cave development. The caves Gorna Slatinska Peštera, Slatinska II, and the higher level of the caves Ovčarska Peštera and Puralo date from the same period, whereas the lower level of the caves Ovčarska Peštera and Puralo, as well as the Slatinski Izvor were formed later. The Slatinski Izvor cave is the youngest one in the study area.