Geomorphosites of Poland – the role played by the Central Register of Geosites

Abstract

Poland is a country of considerable geomorphological diversity and includes a range of physical landscapes, from high mountains through uplands, plains, glaciated lowlands, large river valleys, to coasts. Within them, numerous localities may be considered as geomorphosites, illustrating key stages in the geomorphic evolution of the territory, classic landforms and the recent operation of geomorphic processes. The only database that aims to cover all geosites in Poland, including sites of geomorphological interest, is the Polish Central Register of Geosites (PCRG), managed by the state geological survey – the Polish Geological Institute (PIG). Among more than 2200 geosites recorded about 30% can be considered as geomorphosites. Their spatial coverage is very uneven. Most are located in the upland belt of southern Poland (40%) and in northern part of the country, within the extent of the late Pleistocene ice sheet (29%), while the Carpathians are under-represented. Thematically, geosites illustrating various examples of denudational relief dominate (45%). Significantly less common are glacifluvial (13%), glacial (11%) and fluvial (10%) landforms. Tors and residual hills are most common among geomorphosites (205 sites), followed by moraines (52), dunes (49), gullies and their systems (45) and river valleys (34). Thus, PCRG does not yet adequately reflect the diversity of the geomorphological heritage of Poland.