Sedimentary Tablelands – Landforms, Evolution and Controls

Piotr Migoń

Abstract:

Sedimentary tablelands developed in clastic successions are among the most widespread geomorphic landscapes globally, present in different morphoclimatic zones. They represent considerable geomorphic diversity, ranging from monotonous plains to towering plateaus and highly dissected terrains, which suggests complexity of controls behind the landscape. Alteration of rock series of different strength and resistance is the unifying theme among various tablelands and appears as an overarching factor governing their evolution at all spatial scales. In the lecture I will first review characteristics landforms in tablelands, using examples from different parts of the world, aided by DTM visualizations. Then I will discuss the patterns of geomorphic evolution of tablelands, emphasizing the role of weathering, mass movements and fluvial dissection. However, I will particularly focus on processes acting in the subsurface, both of karstic (silicate karst) and non-karstic nature, arguing for their critical role in the development of landforms. A special section of the talk will be devoted to our ongoing research carried out in the Polish/Czech borderland, in the central part of the Sudetes (Stołowe Mts. in Poland, Broumovská vrchovina in Czechia).