The role of neotectonics and glaciation on terrace formation along the Nysa K odzka River in the Sudeten Mountains (southwestern Poland)

The Nysa K odzka river drainage basin in the Sudeten Mts., SW Poland, preserves a complex late Cainozoic succession that includes eight fluvial series or terraces and deposits from two glacial episodes as well as local volcanic rocks, slope deposits and loess. Fluvial sedimentation took place during the Late Pliocene and from the early Middle Pleistocene (Cromerian), with a long erosion phase (gap) during the Early Pleistocene. Fluvial series are dated to the Late Pliocene, Cromerian, Holsteinian, late Saalian/Eemian, Weichselian, and the Holocene. Glacial deposits represent the early Elsterian and early Saalian stages. Almost all these stratigraphic units have been observed in all geomorphic zones of the river: the mountainous K odzko Basin, the Bardo Mts. (Bardo gorge) and in the mountain foreland. The main phase of tectonic uplift and strong erosion was during the Early Pleistocene. Minor uplift is documented also during the post-early Saalian and probably the post-Elsterian. The post-early Saalian and post-Elstrian uplift phases are probably due to glacio-isostatic rebound. The Quaternary terrace sequence was formed due to base-level changes, epigenetic erosion after glaciations and neotectonic movements. The Cromerian fluvial deposits/terraces do not indicate tectonic influence at all. All other Quaternary terraces indicate clear divergence, and the post-early Saalian terraces also show fault scarps. The fluvial pattern remained stable, once formed during the Pliocene, with only minor changes along the uplifted block along the Bardo gorge, inferring an antecedent origin for the Bardo gorge. Only during the post-glacial times, have epigenetic incisions slightly modified the valley.     

Paleolithic hunting in a southern Moravian landscape: The case of Milovice IV,Czech Republic

The Dolní Věstonice–Pavlov–Milovice area (Czech Republic) on the slopes of the Pavlov Hills provides an opportunity for correlating the geomorphology of the Dyje River valley with Gravettian settlement patterns. Although the sites vary in size and complexity, they create a regular chain of strategic locations at elevations between 200 m and 240 m asl. In 2009, a road collapsed into deserted cellars inside the village of Milovice and revealed a complex of archaeological layers deep within loess, at an elevation of only 175 m asl. This paper presents an analysis of this atypical archaeological site location and compares the results with the other sites. We argue that this location allowed direct contact with mammoth herds concentrated on the floodplain, while the aquatic environment offered possibilities for gathering plants and fishing. This site represents a new aspect of organized settlement, hunting strategies, and short‐distance human movements during the Gravettian within this area. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Frost peat mounds on Hermansenøya (Oscar II Land,NW Svalbard) – their genesis,age and terminology

Here we present research on previously uninvestigated frost peat mounds occurring on a peat bog in the southern part of Hermansenøya, NW Svalbard. Detailed characteristics are given of the environmental conditions of the peat bog and of the morphological features and surface structure of the frost peat mounds, as well as an analysis of the internal structure of one mound. Three types of frost peat mounds have been distinguished: disc‐shaped mounds (low), mid‐sized mounds with gentle sides, and high mounds with steep sides. Radiocarbon dating of the peat within the frost peat mound performed for the first time on Svalbard and a detailed analysis of the deposits demonstrated that in the high mound (1.3 m) there is an ice‐peat core and peat cover without ice. There are three layers of peat of different ages separated by at least two hiatuses. A generalized history of the development of the peat bog from about 8 ka BP is established. The studied mound displays two development cycles unknown elsewhere. The older relict part of the peat mound was formed during a climatic cooling about 3.0–2.5 ka BP, while the younger part originated during the Little Ice Age (c. AD 1550–1850). Despite certain similarities of these mounds to some palsas, this term should not be applied to the mounds because they are smaller and their cores consist mostly of layers of massive injection ice, the presence of which indicates a pressurized system in their genesis.     

Airborne Fungal Spores of Subalpine Zone of the Karkonosze and Izerskie Mountains （Poland）

The incidence of the airborne fungal spores was determined in the air of subalpine zone of the Karkonosze Mountains and of the Izerskie Mountains in the borderland between Poland and the Czech Republic. The experiment was conducted in 2011 and 2012 at three to four week intervals from May to October. Air samples were taken from three locations in the Karkonosze Mts. and one from the Izerskie Mts. To examine the air, the Air Ideal 3P sampler and acidified PDA medium were used. The results show that Cladosporium cladosporioides was the most abundant spore type in all the sampling locations （up to 30%）, followed by Alternaria alternata （16%-20%）, Fusarium （up to 10%） and Sclerotinia sclerotiorium （up to 6%）. The lower spore counts were recorded in May samples, compared to the other months. In this case the snow cover, that was still present in the area at the beginning of May, may be the reason for the lower, compared to June, July and August samplings, CFU （Colony Forming Unit） counts in that month.. The influx of air masses from SE, S and SW sectors in the area under study may affect dissemination of the plant-pathogenic fungi from the Czech Republic and from the South of Europe in general.     

Modelling rainfall partitioning with sparse Gash and Rutter models in a downy oak stand in leafed and leafless periods

Application of models for estimating rainfall partitioning in deciduous forests may be considered time consuming and laborious given the need for two different parameter sets to describe leafed and leafless periods. This paper reports how rainfall partitioning modelling was done for a downy oak forest plot (Eastern Pyrenees Mountains, NE Spain) using sparse Rutter and Gash interception loss models and their suitability for such studies. Moreover, variability in model sensitivity is evaluated, and an attempt to simplify their application is also presented. The estimation error for interception loss in the leafed period was ?26.3% and ?4.2% with the Rutter model and the Gash model applied with Penman–Monteith‐based evaporation rate, respectively. The estimate for the leafless period was less accurate in both models, suggesting that modelling in the leafless period is more susceptible to error. Nevertheless, with the Gash model, the result was well below the expected measurement error. Models proved to be highly sensitive to change in canopy cover in all periods tested. The Rutter model was especially sensitive to zero plane displacement changes in the leafed period, while the Gash model showed high linear sensitivity to evaporation rate. In addition, a decrease in rainfall rate affects the estimation of interception loss more than an increase in it. Regardless of its high sensitivity to these parameters, the Gash model yielded a good estimate of rainfall partitioning for the total period, when only one set of parameters was used, although event‐based error compensation occurred, and some periods were over or underestimated. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reliability of selected procedures of stress inversion and data separation for inhomogeneous populations of calcite twins and striated faults: insights from numerical experiments

In the course of numerical experiments selected algorithms for stress tensor inversion and separation of heterogeneous populations of calcite twins and striated faults were tested. Artificial data sets were created in a manner simulating natural processes. They were composed of data, dynamically compatible with one or two stress tensors and chaotic “noise” imitating natural imperfections. For calcite twins the classical inversion procedure is considered valid, with restrictions regarding a high proportion of chaotic data, when shape ratio of the stress tensor Φ is poorly constrained. The algorithm of Etchecopar (1984 fide Tourneret and Laurent in Tectonophysics 180:287–302, 1990) devised originally for calcite twins has been modified and applied to fault/slip data, facilitating a rejection of incompatible outliers. Two main classes of data separation procedures were tested: separation contemporary with inversion and separation prior to inversion, utilising hierarchical clustering. The separation contemporary with inversion performs moderately but often fails with complex calcite twin sets. The performance of hierarchical clustering is high, but only with a σ ₁ orientation as a similarity criterion—the new strategy introduced in this contribution. For fault/slip data the hierarchical clustering with the right-dihedra construction as the similarity criterion (Nemcok et al. 1999) is satisfactory. Additionally, a new approach is proposed for fault/slip data, utilising principles of the classical algorithm for heterogeneous populations of calcite twins. Validated algorithms for striated faults were successfully applied to a natural data set from the Holy Cross Mts (central Poland).     

Seismic doublets and multiplets at Polish coal and copper mines

The following criteria for selection of doublets at Polish coal mines were accepted: the difference in magnitude (based on seismic moment) of two events not larger than 0.15, the distance between their hypocenters not greater than 150 m, and the time interval between their occurrence not longer than 10 days. Similarly, the criteria for seismic events at copper mines are: the difference in magnitude not exceeding 0.15, the distance not greater than 200 m, and the time interval not longer than 20 days. Seismic events from the Wujek and Ziemowit coal mines that occurred between 1993 and 1995, and seismic events from the Polkowice copper mine that occurred between 1994 and 1996 and from the Rudna copper mine that occurred between 1994 and 2004 were considered. Their source parameters and focal mechanisms were known in most cases from previous studies. Altogether 108 seismic pairs from coal mines and 118 pairs from copper mines were found, forming doublets, triplets and quadruplets, within the magnitude range from 0.7 to 3.5. The distance and time intervals between two events forming pairs are not dependent on magnitude of these events. The focal mechanism of seismic events forming pairs is similar in over 60 percent of pairs at coal mines and in about one third of pairs at copper mines. Spatial distributions of doublets in particular sections of coal and copper mines display dominant linear trends, characteristic for a given area, which are often in conformity with the direction of nodal planes determined by fault plane solution of one or both the events forming a doublet. In such cases, the rupture plane can be discriminated among the nodal planes.     

The influence of meander bend evolution on the formation of multiple cutoffs: findings inferred from floodplain architecture and bend geometry

The evolution of meander bends and formation of cutoffs, including a series of cutoffs developed simultaneously in a number of bends, have been investigated by many researchers. However, relatively little is known about factors that lead to the development of multiple cutoffs that are formed subsequently at one location. The present study aims to determine the influence of meander bend development on multiple chute cutoff formation in a single bend. The research is based on the sedimentary record of meander migration and cutoffs preserved in a lowland river floodplain (the lower Obra River, Poland). Analysis of changes in meander geometry was conducted to describe the influence of their migration on cutoff formation and in other rivers where multiple cutoffs occurred. The results showed that multiple cutoffs in the lower Obra River have occurred during the last 3000 years, owing to the interaction of upstream and downstream controls: migration of meander bends in opposing directions accompanied by an increase of flood frequency and sediment supply. The flow and sediment supply has been further altered since the nineteenth century due to anthropogenic impacts: an artificial cutoff of the downstream bend and elevation of channel levées. Similar mechanisms driving the formation of multiple cutoff have been found in other river courses, despite significantly higher energy of the compared rivers. Moreover, development of a confined‐shape bend (caused by artificial barrier or autogenic bend behaviour) may also favour the formation of multiple cutoffs. However, counter migration of meanders enhanced by increased flood frequency and sediment supply are primary triggers for such events. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contamination of tsunami sediments in a coastal zone inundated by the 26 December 2004 tsunami in Thailand

Tsunami sediments deposited in a coastal zone of Thailand by the 26 December 2004 tsunami wave were sampled within 50 days after the event. All surface and ground waters in tsunami- inundated zone revealed significant salinity at that time. The tsunami sediments, composed mainly of fine to medium sand, contain significantly elevated contents of salts (Na⁺, K⁺, Ca⁺², Mg⁺², Cl and SO ₄ ⁻² ) in water-soluble fraction, and of Cd, Cu, Zn, Pb in the bioavailable fraction and As in the exchangeable fraction in relation to the reference sample. The origin of contaminants is marine, as well as litho- and anthropogenic. The salts and Pb, Zn and Cu reveal high correlation to each other and to the mean grain size (pore size and porosity). Serious environmental hazard exists in that region because, due to gentle morphology, there is a risk of migration of the contaminants into ground waters and food chain.