The Zagreb city area is located in a geologically diverse and complex area: on the southern slopes of Medvednica Mountain, the alluvial plains of the Sava River, and on the northern slopes of the Vukomeričke gorice hilly area. The urbanisation of this relatively large area is an ongoing process, and nowadays, the city’s development is proceeding rapidly in unfavourable locations in terms of geohazards, meaning that areas with a possible seismic, flood, or landslide risk are becoming increasingly populated. To achieve sustainable development, geohazards and ground types need to be addressed and assessed for the whole area of Zagreb city as the input for seismic risk assessment. As one step in that direction, existing geological data were reviewed and analysed, and accordingly, geozonation of the Zagreb city area was carried out, differentiating four zones with six geological complexes. Based on the available geological data, we assessed the geohazard processes, ground types, and seismic risk for each differentiated zone and complex, and in that way, a smallscale regional zonation map was developed. Further detailed geo-research of the Zagreb city area is recommended as the city area is relatively large and heterogeneous in terms of geological settings, and detailed geo-data are needed to define local geo-conditions, geohazards, and ground types. With detailed geo-data, the presented geozonation of the Zagreb city area could be upscaled and directly applied in urban planning. The presented results were used as input for the seismic risk assessment for the research area, and the developed regional map is already being used by the local government.

Human-induced changes in sedimentation rates, pollution, and eutrophication significantly transformed the benthic communities in the northern Adriatic Sea during the late Holocene, particularly in recent centuries. Fossil assemblages from sediment cores record these changes but are often affected by stratigraphic condensation and mixing. Here, we show that molluscan, foraminiferal, and ostracod assemblages preserved in a condensed sediment core collected off the Po delta at 31 m water depth, still archive information about the composition of benthic communities prior to anthropogenic changes. All three groups exhibit a similar trend in total abundance (density): a gradual increase peaking in a 10 cm-thick shelly lag (≈ 2 – 6 kyr BP) with millennial time-averaging, followed by a significant decline in the uppermost 5 cm of highstand silts (representing the past 2 kyr BP) with centennial time-averaging. The molluscan assemblage in the shelly lag integrates across several baseline community states. The assemblage mainly comprises shallow-subtidal filter feeders and soft-bottom infauna, with the bivalve Varicorbula gibba and the gastropod Turritellinella tricarinata dominating and increasing in proportional abundance in the highstand silts. The ostracod and benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the shelly lag are dominated by opportunistic species such as Cytheridea neapolitana, Ammonia beccarii, and Haynesina germanica. In contrast, the foraminifera Nonionella sp. and the ostracod Loxoconcha sp. increase in proportional abundance in the highstand silts, characterised by an increase in filter-feeders among the molluscs, infaunalisation and a decrease in epiphytic species. Although an increase in net sediment accumulation primarily causes the decline in fossil density in the uppermost part of the core, upward changes in the relative abundance of species and functional groups reveal a difference between the baseline and impacted community states. Therefore, the time-averaged fossil assemblage in the shelly lag provides a valuable long-term record of an ecosystem in the region before human impact.

The tectonic structure and orogenic evolution of the central part of the External (Outer) Dinarides in Croatia (northern Dalmatia, Velebit, and Lika) has been interpreted in different, sometimes conflicting ways. One of the recent models interprets the External Dinarides as a fold and thrust belt, characterized by the early orogenic thin-skinned contractional phase, followed by thick-skinned exhumation and related gravitational collapse of the thin-skinned cover. Another recent model offers the same tectonic style in the first phase of the orogenesis, followed by formation of a triangle zone and low angle north directed passive roof backthrusts in the intermediate phase, and final uplift because of antiformal south directed duplex stacking and multiple thrusting in the former tectonic basement. However, despite up-to-date geological cross section analysis, the later model seems to lack field data supporting it. This paper will discuss the need for such a complex and completely new regional tectonic interpretation that requires more thorough checking of existing observations previously published in numerous local studies and maps, and meticulous redebating of earlier interpretations before they are replaced. Moreover, it is concluded that the former model, reinterpreted here, combining the early-orogenic thin-skinned and late-orogenic crustal thick-skinned tectonics, seems to fit better both the seismological fault mechanism solutions and updated geological maps of the area.

This study provides the first analysis of the Quaternary pedo-sedimentary complex to understand the succession of palaeosol and sediments, the mechanism of deposition, and the source and age of the material. Each distinctive layer was sampled. Palaeosols are rich in fine-grained components, predominantly silt. Quartz dominates in the light mineral fraction, suggesting that the sediments underwent more redeposition than for typical continental loess. The increase in weathered quartz grains with increasing depth could indicate that the proportion of fluvial sediments has increased compared to the aeolian sediments. Mineralogical and petrographic analyses confirmed the presence of chromite, serpentinite, and serpentinized olivine basalt, indicating an area of origin with ultramafic rocks, which could be the Dinaric ophiolitic zone in the hinterland. The carbonates are polygenetic in origin and consist of equal parts of highly spherical upper Cretaceous rudist limestones, Eocene nummulitic limestones, and low spherical pedogenic carbonate concretions, indicating local transport. According to the OSL dating results, the glacio-fluvial material is either early Weichselian or Saalian in age, while the palaeosol most likely cannot be younger than the Eemian and may even have a Middle Pleistocene age.

New biostratigraphic data obtained by studying ammonoids, calcareous algae, conodonts, and foraminifera from the westernmost part of the East Bosnian – Durmitor mega-unit in northern Montenegro, result in a detailed reconstruction of the Middle – Late Anisian (Pelsonian-Illyrian) subsidence history related to tectonic motion. Two independent times of extension with formation of a horst-and-graben structure and neptunian dikes can be distinguished. During the first phase of extension, a rapid deepening of the footwall block during late Pelsonian times can be recognized. The initial late Pelsonian deepening is characterized by the formation of neptunian dikes in the older Pelsonian shallow-water limestones, which are filled with open-marine red micrite showing a microfacies typical for shallow deepswells. This initial phase is only preserved in the infilling of neptunian dikes and represents the onset of the drowning sequence. The final late Pelsonian depositional deep-swell environment is preserved in a level with stratigraphic condensation, but a deep-water microfacies. The second (late Illyrian) deepening also resulted in the formation of neptunian dikes, a horst-and-graben topography, and the mobilization of mass-transport deposits related to the onset of intense volcanism.

Public health protection, sustainable agricultural practices, and environmental degradation mitigation, all depend on the quality of groundwater. Groundwater quality remains a critical concern in the densely populated cities of Pakistan. Integrated assessment of groundwater quality in an area provides a comprehensive understanding to support effective resource management and policy-making. The focus of this study is to evaluate the ionic concentration of groundwater and subsequent consequences based on twenty-eight groundwater samples acquired from different water schemes in the Gujranwala District, Punjab, Upper Indus Basin, Pakistan. This study analyzes the type of ions, the effect of contamination on agriculture and groundwater contamination-based health risks. Results show that the concentration of major ions in nearly all the groundwater samples lies within World Health Organization (WHO) limits except for arsenic (As). In about 64% of the total samples, the arsenic concentration exceeds the limit recommended by WHO which is 10 μg/L. The chemical composition of groundwater is influenced by rock weathering according to the Gibbs plot. Magnesium, bicarbonate, and sodium ions contribute to the groundwater's total dissolved solids as indicated by a Piper plot. Most of the water samples are suitable for irrigation purposes, except magnesium hazard values of about 57% substantially impact soil alkalinity. Hazard quotient (HQ) and carcinogenic risk (CR) assessments were also used in the study. The HQ values in the study area lie in the range of 0.012 to 4.97, with an average value of 1.21, and about 57% of samples exceed the toxic risk index values. The CR value range is 5.41667×10-6 to 0.001, indicating a serious health threat to the residents in the area. Prolonged use of arsenic-contaminated water will cause severe health issues for the area's residents. Appropriate remedial and preventive actions should be undertaken to mitigate arsenic pollution in the area.

Within the Upper Jurassic deposits of the Cioclovina-Băniţa area (Southern Carpathians), an outcrop was identified that most likely corresponds to a cavern fill. In several clasts of this fill, including black-pebbles, we found a dasycladalean alga whose morphological features differentiate it from all other Jurassic-Cretaceous dasycladalean algae with two orders of laterals. This alga is described in the present work as a new species of a new genus: Schlagintweitella inopinata nov. gen., nov. sp.

Topsoil geochemistry maps of the city of Sisak were compared with historical maps to explain the geochemistry of the topsoil. Historically, three periods of Sisak's development can be distinguished: 1) the Celtic and Roman period; 2) the Medieval period, and 3) the industrial era during the 20th century. Comparison of the geochemical maps with the historical maps reveals 1) the accumulation of elements in the soil and their preservation over 2,000 years; 2) the influence of infrastructural interventions on the geochemical composition of the topsoil and 3) the high rate of accumulation of potentially toxic elements in the topsoil due to rapid industrialisation on purely arable land.

The Geochemical Atlas of Croatia revealed differences in the spatial distribution of geochemical elements between the Croatian Dinaric coastal region and the Pannonian Basin. In the Pannonian Basin, 1,254 topsoil samples (0–25 cm) were analysed for 27 elements and pH values. This geodynamic unit is characterised by the variability of geological, pedological and land-use-related characteristics. To analyse the geochemical properties of soil above different lithological units, soil types and land use and land cover classes, a discriminant function analysis was performed using the compositional data. The study shows significant geochemical and ecological patterns, with the first two discriminant functions explaining a major proportion of the variability: in the GEOLOGY model, DF1 explains 33.31% and DF2 17.97%; in the SOIL model, DF1 explains 51.59% and DF2 20.22%; in the CLC model DF1 explains 59.85% and DF2 30.30%. The geological model distinguishes between the Quaternary sediments and the older lithological units and highlights alkaline and acidic soil conditions. The soil model shows the effects of fluvial and alluvial deposits, agricultural practices and the underlying geology on soil composition and emphasises the enrichment of essential nutrients and heavy metals in the soils. The land use and land cover model illustrates the anthropogenic influence on agricultural soils and the susceptibility of wetlands to heavy metal accumulation. The results obtained illustrate the complex interaction between geology, the topsoil layer, as well as land use and land cover, providing awareness for environmental management and monitoring, and the need for further geochemical studies of the soils in the Pannonian Basin.