Geomorphology of the high-elevated flysch range – Mt. Babia Góra Massif (Western Carpathians)

Abstract

A detailed geomorphological map of the Mt. Babia Góra Massif (1725 m a.s.l.), at a scale 1:10,000 is presented. A slope, glacial, periglacial and fluvial features were mapped on the base of the coupled field studies and LiDAR DEM analyses. This study underlines the complexity of rock slope failures (RSFs), in shaping the morphology of compact and isolated upland, exhibiting one of the highest incidences of RSFs yet recorded in Europe (29% for a whole massif, and 45% for the north face). A total of 212 RSFs were mapped of which 18 failures are large landslides (>0.25 km2), among them is one of the largest known (2.6 km2 and 150 × 106 m3) in the Polish Flysch Carpathians. The mapping and Schmidt-hammer results shed light on the problem of glacial relief of the massif, documenting the remnants of glacial deposits beyond the tongues of landslides in the Szumiąca Woda valley.