Soil samples from the industrial area in the town of Bužim, Bosnia and Herzegovina were analysed in order to determine their different manganese species. Samples were extracted from seven locations - at the manganese mine and the surrounding area. The paper aims to present the use of the sequential extraction method in determination of the specific distribution of Mn in soil, as well as in estimation of its origin, mobility and bioavailability in the sampling locations. Sequential extraction used here included determination of the amount of Mn in various soil fractions: the water-soluble fraction, exchangeable fraction, carbonate fraction, easily reduced fraction and the organic fraction. Additionally, it included manganese oxides or moderately reduced oxides, amorphous iron oxide, crystalline iron oxide and the residual fraction. It was determined that chemical properties of soil considerably affect the distribution of heavy metals within different soil fractions. The highest percentage of natural Mn was determined in the residual fraction (27.00%) at Popovic polje, while the highest percentage of anthropogenic origin Mn was determined at Bucevci (57.00%) in the Fe-Mn oxides fraction. The highest near-total content of Mn was determined at Popovic polje (20950.00 mg/kg). The highest percentage of natural Mn (27.00%) was determined in the same area. The highest percentage of Mn of an anthropogenic origin (57.00%) was determined at Bucevci.

Seismotectonics of Bosnia seems to follow the Mediterranean marine regime. Earthquakes occur mostly in the outer Dinaric Alps (southern Bosnia), while the strongest earthquakes occur within the Sarajevo Fault system in southern and northwestern Bosnia. In addition to active tectonics being strong, crustal earthquakes occur often as well. Due to rich hydrogeology, crustal loading such as by snow and rain, or reservoir inundation, represents the most important secondary seismogenic source in the region. Despite its exquisite and active geomorphology no comprehensive and reliable geodynamical studies exist on the region. Seismic sensors coverage is extremely poor also. One centenary analogue, and a few recently installed digital seismometers are insufficient for a region that exhibits mild to high seismic activity. Significant investments are needed in order for GPS, seismic and other sensor instrumented networks to be put in place or enhanced. Technical personnel needs to be educated to enable support provide for studies that are done within broader scientific activities. Such efforts that presently seek to include Bosnia under their scope are ESF COST Action 625, NATO Stability Pact DPPI program, and EUREF CERGOP geophysics projects.

A suite of nickel minerals, gaspeite, retgersite and nickelhexahydrite, was found in veins of altered ultramafic rocks from Dubostica, Bosnia and Hercegovina, in material deposited in the National Museum in Sarajevo. Unit-cell dimensions and volumes of the minerals are: gaspeite: a 4.648(3), c 14.95(2) A (rhombohedral cell a 5.660 A, α 48.49°), V 279.7 A 3 ; retgersite: a 6.787(5), c 18.27(2) A, V 842(1) A 3 ; nickelhexahydrite: a 9.925(7), b 7.232(7), c 24.16(2), β 98.55(7)°, V 1715(2) A 3 . The chemical composition of the gaspeite from Dubostica, obtained by ICP–AES analysis, is: NiO 49.63, MgO 0.17, CaO 0.45, FeO 6.36, CO 2 43.25, total 99.87 wt%. This gives the empirical formula (based on three atoms of oxygen) (Ni 0.73 Fe 0.10 Ca 0.01 ) ∑0.84 C 1.08 O 3.00 . The association of gaspeite, retgersite and nickelhexahydrite has formed as a result of reactions involving a series of kinetically controlled transitory equilibria, and is characteristic of near-surface hydrothermal alteration.