Geomorphology of the Sowie Mountains (Sudetes, SW Poland) – Landform patterns and anthropogenic impact

Abstract

The Sowie Mountains in the central part of the Sudetes range are an under-researched area in terms of geomorphology, despite their potential representativeness for a large number of terrains within the Bohemian Massif, built of metamorphic bedrock. Apart from providing an overview of past work, the paper summarizes the main topographic features of the massif using visualizations of the digital terrain model, and outlines the wide range of anthropogenic impacts on relief. Characteristic landforms of the Sowie Mountains include faultgenerated lithology-controlled escarpments, ridge-and-valley topography near the escarpments, water-divide flats, gneissic tors, agrarian terraces and various landforms related to former mining and military use.