Nebojša Vasić

Phytogenic lacustrine sedimentation - oil shales in Neogene from Serbia, Yugoslavia

Lacustrine basins of Neogene age in Serbia were formed either in intramountain valleys-graben and half-graben structures or in the marginal part of the Pannonian sea during Oligocene or at the beginning of Miocene, lasted and ended at the end of Miocene or Pliocene. The formation of the numerous depressions of the Balkan Peninsula, due to tectonic activity, gave lake basins with alluvial, swamp and lacustrine facies. The cycle with these facies was repeated several times. The lakes are mostly meromictic, often permanently stratified (oil-shale). A high rate of sedimentation with thickness up to 2000 m is characteristic for many of these basins. In many lakes phytogenic sedimentation occurs, giving facies with coal and with oil-shales. In this paper only some basins with oil-shales will be discussed, e.g. Valjevo-Mionica, Jadar and Pranjani basin. The characteristics of Vranje and Aleksinac basin will be discussed only in general. The organic rich sequences (oil shales) are characterized by the thin lamination, preservations of fish remains and plant leaves and absence of bioturbation, which needed permanent stratification of water body and anoxic conditions. Paleoclimatic regimes at the time of deposition and diagenesis were warm, subtropic with the changes of humid and dry periods.

Metals in the sediment and liver of four fish species from different trophic levels in Tisza River, Serbia

In aquatic environments metals originate from various natural and anthropogenic sources. The degree of contamination in fish tissues depends on the pollutant, fish species, their mode of feeding, sampling site and trophic level. This study presents concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Se, Sr and Zn in sediment and liver of four ecologically different fish species: piscivorous northern pike (Esox lucius L.), benthivorous sterlet (Acipenser ruthenus L.) and silver bream (Brama brama L.), and omnivorous common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.). Fish were caught at four sites along the stretch of the River Tisza in Serbia during October 2010. The concentrations of metals have been assessed using the inductively coupled plasma – optical emission spectrometry. Results revealed that metals with the highest values in sediment and fish samples were Al and Fe, respectively and sometimes concentrations of Zn are in the same order of magnitude as Fe concentrations. The highest concentration of metals was recorded in omnivorous common carp.

Effects of mine tailing and mixed contamination on metals, trace elements accumulation and histopathology of the chub ( Squalius cephalus ) tissues: Evidence from three differently contaminated sites in Serbia

Chub (Squalius cephalus) specimens were collected in Korenita River seven months after spillover from the waste water of antimony mine tailing pond and compared with chub living in Kruščica reservoir (intended for water supply) and Međuvršje reservoir (influenced by intense emission of industrial, urban and rural wastewater). Concentrations of 15 elements (Al, As, B, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Si, Sr, Zn) were determined in muscle, liver and gills of chub by inductively coupled plasma optical spectrometry (ICP-OES) and histopathological alterations in liver and gills were assessed. Chub specimens from Korenita River had higher concentrations of As, Ba and Pb in all three investigated tissues as well as higher total histopathological index values than chub from reservoirs. Specimens from Međuvršje reservoir were characterized by higher values for concentrations of Cu and Si in muscle tissue and higher values for regressive histopathological alterations in gills. Individuals of chub from Kruščica reservoir had the highest concentrations of Fe in liver, Hg in muscle and Sr and Zn in muscle while gills had the lowest value of total histopathological index. The results from the present study showed higher level of histopathological alterations as a result of mine tailing accident. As a result of mixed contamination on the Međuvršje site, histopathological index values of gills were in line with the index value from Korenita River. Increased values for Fe and Sr in chub tissue from Kruščica reservoir could be explained by geological structure of the site which is characterized by magmatic rock rich in Cu, Fe and Ni as well as dominant carbonate sediment complex of marine origin with increased level of Sr.