Landform modifications within an intramontane urban landscape due to industrial activity, Wałbrzych, SW Poland

Abstract

The city of Wałbrzych represents a geomorphic landscape, heavily modified by nearly three centuries of industrial activity, related mainly to coal mining. The key landforms due to human impact include spoil tips of various types, extensive levelled terrains, waste ponds, and railway embankments and cuts. Ground subsidence due to mining and water pumping have affected large areas. The map shows the distribution of anthropogenic landforms due to industrial activity, mainly coal mining, over an area of 85 km2. The thematic symbol set for the main map contains 22 classes of objects which show 13 distinctive types of landform modification due to construction, excavation, levelling and complex features. The Main Map is accompanied by inset maps showing generalized geology of the area, extent and magnitude of ground subsidence, as well as relief visualization.

Keywords

• anthropogenic landforms
• mining
• coal
• ground subsidence
• sudetes