City Guide of  PANAGYURISHTE

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Nature

Climate

The territory around Panagyurishte belongs to the transitional continental climatic area. The average January air temperature is minus 1.1оС, the average July temperature is 20.6оС, and the average annual temperature is 10.1оС. The character of the relief and the considerable differences in the altitude above sea level predetermine the variety in the microclimate and the landscapes and its mountain character in the northern part of the municipality. The favourable combination of the altitude above sea level (1050 m - the level of prevalent low cloud) and the southern exposure of the climatic resort Panagyurski Kolonii contributes to the ionization of the air from 1 200 to 1500 ions per sm3 (light positive and negative ions), which has a curative effect.

The percentage of calm weather cases in the Panagyurishte Hollow is unsubstantial (67.5%), temperature inversions often occur (11-15 cases monthly) and the precipitation is insufficient. The average annual precipitation is 653 mm and decreases from 750 mm in the mountain part of the municipality to 550 mm in its most southern parts, which are cultivated. The annual precipitation sums are lower than the corresponding many-year norms in 53% of the cases. This tendency has been especially pronounced since 1985, and is also accompanied by increased values of the average annual temperature. This leads to an expressive aridization of the climate in the region, which alters the conditions for vegetation of the cultivated and the natural vegetation, and also for the formation of the surface drainage of the waters.

The region is strongly exposed to hails (with a probability for more than one hailstorm per year in the period May-August) and with averagely 28 intensive rainfalls (over 30 l/s/ha) per year.

 

Relief and soils

The northern part of the Panagyurishte municipality is occupied by a ridge flattening at an altitude 1 300-1 500 m, preserved at the summits Bratia, Lisets and Bunaya. An Old-Pliocene (Pontic) denudation evenness has formed around these summits, and the village of Panagyuriski Kolonii and many pastures are situated upon it, between the summits Bratia and Bounaya. The Sredna Gora slopes are not steep to the south and gradually pass into the Thracian Lowland (the Plovdiv - Pazarjik Field). The small Panagyurishte and Bata-Banya hollows have formed between the mountain parts, A characteristic element in their development is the fault tectonics, to which the mineral springs testify.

The municipality is situated entirely upon the southern slopes of Real Sredna Gora. The character of the relief is from middle-mountain to low-mountain and hilly with an average altitude above sea level 683 m. The altitude above sea level changes from 1 500 m at the ridge parts of the mountain to the north to 500 m to the south. The whole territory of the municipality is indented and cut through by the valleys of the tributaries to the rivers Louda Yana and Topolnitsa. The vertical indentation of the relief in the northern parts of the municipality is from 100 to 400 m/km2, and the horizontal indentation -1-2 km/km2. There are steep slopes and valleys in the region of the canyon of the Panagyurska Louda Yana River between the town of Panagyurishte and the village of Bata and northwest from the village of Popintsi. The average inclines of the slopes are 20-30 є.

The characteristics of the relief, the prevalent shallow soils, the active anthropogenesis and the intensive precipitation in the region are a prerequisite for the development of unfavourable erosion processes on the municipality's territory.

The Sredna Gora relief and the rich forest vegetation with prevailing beech forests, combined with a favourable climate and ionization of the air, are a serious potential for the development of tourism. 

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Minerals                                                                                                 

A large part of the copper ore reserves in the country are concentrated on the municipality's territory – 13 deposits, belonging to the Panagyurishte Ore Zone, with a total amount of the reserves 380 844.5 thousand metric tons. 344 118.2 thousand tons of them are in the Assarel Deposit (by 01.01.1994). The deposits Radka and Elshitsa are of pyrite, pyrite-copper and polymetal-copper ores, and the deposits Medet, Assarel, etc. are of molybdenum-copper ores.

Of the natural mineral resources on the territory of the Panagyurishte municipality, of priority importance are the formed gold-bearing river-bed deposits. They are connected with the paleogeomorphological development of the region and occur in the southern, lowest part of the municipality. There are especially favourable conditions for the accumulation of gold-bearing placer materials along the paleo-valleys of the rivers Topolnitsa, Panagyurska Louda Yana and the Banya-Popintsi valley extension.

The content, distribution and the shape of the placer gold in the old and young Quaternary sediments is found mostly in the heavy fraction. The size of the gold grains is from 0.01 to 0.05 mm and they are usually shaped as irregular grains, plates or flakes with a typical metal glitter and a golden-yellow colour. 

The canyon valleys of the rivers Mechenska Reka and Panagyurska Louda Yana were a serious barrier for the transportation of gold-containing placers from the Real Sredna Gora massif to the south.

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Copyright 2002, Nadejda Karaboycheva. Photos: Dimitar Karaboychev 
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