Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) of pit-and-mound microrelief, Mt Rogowa Kopa case study, the Stołowe Mountains, SW Poland

This article presents results of geophysical analyses based on electrical imaging of slope mantles with pit-and-mound microtopography developed on the Rogowa Kopa hillslope in the Stolowe Mountains, SW Poland. The use of two dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (2D ERT) to non-invasive analyses of the hillslope microrelief allowed completing previous results of geomorphological and soil studies. The tomograms (inversion results) acquired across individual forms of treethrow pits and mounds can be interpreted according to regolith thickness and its wetness, but also smaller features such as relict and fresh tree root systems detected in the mounds. These features were compared to a general picture of geoelectrical resistivity measured in the main cross-section of the analyzed hillslope. The differences in slope cover characteristics observed on the tomograms confirm important role of the tree uprooting process in formation of some basic features of the regolith and soils, including their uneven redistribution across the hillslope.