Formation of Gully Erosion in the Myjava Region

Abstract

The article deals with the problems of the occurrence and formation of gully erosion in the Myjava catchment. Gully erosion is a significant problem in that region of Slovakia. Together with this type of soil erosion, muddy floods, waste ground, economic losses in agriculture, and many other problems are involved. The main objectives of this article are an analysis of the occurrence of gully erosion in the Myjava region in different periods of time and identification of the most significant factors that have impacted the formation of the gully network. The appearance of gully erosion has been identified from historical maps and other historical documents preserved from the region. The factors analysed were mainly human activities that resulted in changes in land use and physical-geographic catchment characteristics such as the soil, the geology, and the morphology. Nowadays, we are seriously lagging behind in dealing with this issue compared to other European countries.

Keywords

• myjava catchment
• gully erosion
• land use change
• historical maps