Piotr Owczarek

Abstract

The Sudetes are a mid-mountain range located in the temperate climatic zone of Central Europe. Deep valley sides are covered with a thick mantle of peri-glacial regolith. Migrating cyclones cause intensive rainstorms, debris flow and floods. Geomorphological and sedimentological traces of a previous large flood have been found in the upper course of the Bila Opava and Bela valley floors, which drain the northern slope of the Hruby Jesenik massif, 1000-1400 m a. s. 1. Dendrochronological investigation has shown that this large flood took place around the turn of the 20th century. Meteorolo-gical archival records have confirmed that extremely heavy precipitation occurred here on 9 July 1903.The periglacial regolith covering the steep, deforested slopes were the source of the coarse-grained clastic material supplied into the Bila Opava and Bela river beds.

Keywords: climatic and human impact, mountain valleys, alluviation, braided river pattern, Sudetes

Kazimierz Klimek, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Ireneusz Malik, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Piotr Owczarek, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland.University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland
Edyta Zygmunt, University of Silesia , Earth Sciences Faculty, ul Będzińska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland