A junction of mountain ranges of the Carpathians, the Balkans, and the Dinarides in Central and Eastern Europe creates a fascinating puzzle for understanding of land forms and dynamics on territories with a complex geomorphological setting. The conference held in Hungary in 2007 gathered some teams of specialists, who explore the noted region. Their contributions are now published in a special journal issue. The latter comprises 15 individual research articles accompanied with summaries (sometimes also in French and German) and lists of references. Although this is defi nitely a conference volume, its subject is rather diverse and reflects many achievements in regional geomorphology.

The contributions focus on 4 main topics, namely morphology and geodynamics, mass wasting, hydrology and relevant geomorphology, and human impact on land forms. DEMEK et al. overview morphostructures existing in the Czech Republic and fi nd their remarkable heterogeneity. The paper is supported by an excellent full-colour map (Fig. 2, pp. 6–7). A multi-approach study attempted by FORCZEK permitted the author to conclude about the long-lived slope movements in the Bohemian Paradise natural reserve. MINÁR & SLÁDEK demonstrate how an analysis of lineaments may help in establishing the relative ages of morphotectonic systems and reconstruction of the past topography-tectonics relationships. The GIS-based study by MICU & BĂLTEANU permits to judge about landslide susceptibility in a mountainous domain of the Carpathians. Similar research was attempted by DŁUGOSZ in the Polish Flysch Carpathians and ZORN & KOMAC in Slovenia. The latter authors emphasize rather complicated relationships between landsliding and rainfall. GĄDEK et al. suggest that sporadic permaforst in the High Tatras may trigger debris falls, but the existing land forms do not serve as ultimate indicators of permafrost. BOENGIU & AVRAM establish 5 phases in the development of the Bălăciţa Piedmont. The paper is an excellent geological synthesis. The reviewer just wonders why the “Laramic” orogenic phase is shown on Fig. 1 (p. 102). It would be better to name it anyhow else, because it is difficult to correlate the Laramide orogeny in western North America with tectonic deformations in Romania. BUGYA shows an effi cacy of GIS-based digital elevation model for an investigation of fl uvial terraces on the basis of data from boreholes. The 2002 flash flood in Hungary is analyzed by FÁBIÁN et al. These authors judge intensity of rainfall, topography, soil state, vegetation cover, and anthropogenic activity as important controls on such natural hazards. PIRKHOFFER et al. develop an idea. Particularly, they indicate a control of flash flood-triggering rainfall by surface topography as well as a cyclic appearance of this natural hazard. STANKOVIANSKY suggests important geomorphologic and environmental effects of muddy floods in Slovakia. The reviewer is especially interested in a conclusion about higher effect of such an hazard during the Little Ice Age. RADVÁNSZKY & JACOB predict that the ongoing global warming affect the annual distribution of the rainfall in the Tisza River drainage area. This state-of-the-art investigation warns about major fl oods (to follow in the nearest future?). Human alteration of the natural regime of the Hernád River in Hungary, according to KISS et al., has led to dramatic changes in the river valley morphology and the lithology of transported material. LÓCZY & PIRKHOHHER map the direct human impact on the relief of Hungary. A colourful folded sheet supplied to the volume allows to perceive an immense anthropogenic disturbance everywhere. Sample air photos illustrating each kind of human infl uence are great. Just topography patterns existing on the map are not explained. Well, similar maps are strongly necessary for each country! The last two papers provide impressive examples of far-going and rather unpredictable changes on the Earth surface on a local-to-national scale.

In order to make the volume really comprehensive and easy-to-understand for specialists unfamiliar with the Carpathians and neighbouring regions, the editors would compose an extended foreword explaining the key features of geomorphology, hydrology, geology, and geodynamics of the whole territory considered in the volume. Alternatively, they could ask any specialist(s) to do this. Reading the title of the volume, one may hope to learn about geomorphology of a very large territory. In fact, the information from the Czech Republic, Slovakia,Romania, Slovenia, Poland, and Hungary is available. This is much, but not enough to tell about the entirety of Carpatho-Balkan-Dinaric countries. Moreover, such an interesting topic as human impact on land forms is discussed with examples from only Hungary. The reviewer would like to see two additional discussions in this volume, which consider 1) links of present topography with deep crustal architecture and dynamics (see example in CLOETINGH et al. 2005) and 2) an age of the relief derived from high-tech explorations or modelling (a good example of such a study carried out in the Alps is given by HERGARTEN et al. 2010).

A broad scope of the present volume makes it an excellent supportive reference for all scientists, who study geomorphology of Central and Eastern Europe. Many readers will enjoy with nice examples of classical research on land forms and dynamics. Finally, a lot of “pure” geological data are available in the volume, and, therefore, it will be interesting for specialists in tectonics and Quaternary subjects.

D.A. Ruban

Zentralblatt f. Geo. u. Pal. Teil II Jg. 2010 Heft 5/6