Terraces of the Bystrzyca river valley, Middle Sudetes, and their deformation along the Sudetic Marginal Fault

Abstract

There are three stages in the evolution of the Bystrzyca river valley, dated to the Pliocene, the Early to late Middle Pleistocene, and the late Middle Pleistocene to recent. The Pliocene landscape was flat to hilly, with a weakly developed margin of the mountains. The valleys were shallow and wide, most probably with sinuous rivers, and are today represented by the 100-120 m high terrace. The scarp of the Sudetic Marginal Fault and the mountain landscape with deeply incised valleys were not formed until the Early Pleistocene tectonic phase, during which the uplift was about 60-70 m. The late Middle to Late Pleistocene stage of the valley development may be subdivided into several sub-stages, during each of which, one of three morphogenetic factors, namely fluvial activity, glacial erosion and sedimentation and tectonic uplift, prevailed. Five fluvial terraces have been found, one formed before glaciation and the other four during the post-glacial times. The valley was glaciated only once, during the early Saalian (Odranian) stage. The total postglacial uplift was about 40-50 m and fluvial activity that time was influenced by varying uplift rates. At first, erosion prevailed due to strong glacio-isostatic uplift. Then, it diminished quickly and was replaced by more localised tectonic uplift, which decreased with time. As a result, fluvial activity in the mountains and in the foreland became different, as is highlighted by the increased thickness of fluvial deposits in the foremoutain zone, the rapid change of terrace height, formation of a distinct, 25-30 m high, fault scarp along the Sudetic Marginal Fault, and the increased erodibility along the fault lines.