The paper discusses variances in the relief of erosional-denudational valleys that are scattered across the woodland areas of the threshold of the Carpathian foothill region – in the Wiśnicz Foothills. Relief in the study area was characterized via geomorphological mapping and analyses of cartographic materials such as a LIDAR DEM. The paper also discusses valley types and valley morphometry along with the diversity of morphogenetic processes occurring in the study area. Deposits forming the floors of the studied valleys were also characterized through the use of 12 geologic drilling sites. The resulting data included the deposit grain size range and degree of deposit sorting. In the section on the analysis of present-day relief and relief evolution, the research focuses on the joint action of landslides and fluvial erosion. The following sequence of valley types is discussed for the main valleys presented in the study: denudational trough or gully, active V-shaped valley, V-shaped valley with a flat accumulation floor – found near the mouth of the watercourse. Active V-shaped valleys are characterized by the presence of short but numerous valley sections featuring predominant downcutting erosion or small, local accumulation zones. In this case, the presence of these sections is determined by the intensity of landslides on hill slopes in the studied valley, influx of material from tributary valleys, erosional capacity of local streams, and the presence of woody or rock steps in stream channels. The characteristics of deposits composing valley floors, described in the present study, indicate large differences in deposition process energy and short-distance transport of mineral-type material in stream channels. Research has shown significant complexity of regional factors and local factors affecting the evolution of small erosional-denudational valleys in forested areas in the southern part of the Wiśnicz Foothills. The location of the study area in the Silesian unit overthrust associated with the presence of a visible morphologic threshold, the middle foothills threshold, leads to significant, local differences in elevation, high degree of hill slope fragmentation, high activity of morphogenetic processes, and also affects the impact of these processes on deposits forming the floor of the studied valley.
Wykształcenie i funkcjonowanie koryt rzecznych uwarunkowane jest cechami środowiska przyrodniczego zlewni oraz antropopresją. Uwarunkowania te mają zasadnicze znaczenie w kształtowaniu cech osadów aluwialnych. Głównym celem badań było poznanie zróżnicowania cech teksturalnych współczesnych osadów korytowych Wilgi w nawiązaniu do zróżnicowania struktury jej koryta oraz źródeł dostawy materiału do systemu fluwialnego. Scharakteryzowano strukturę koryta Wilgi ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem rozmieszczenia i cech form akumulacyjnych oraz erozyjnych. Na czterech stanowiskach badawczych, powiązanych z różnymi źródłami dostawy, określono uziarnienie osadów korytowych, ich skład petrograficzny i stopień obróbki. Uzyskane wyniki pokazały zróżnicowanie źródeł dostawy materiału wzdłuż profilu podłużnego koryta. W pogórskim odcinku źródłami dostawy są podcięcia erozji bocznej oraz progi w dnie koryta. Materiał aluwialny w korycie jest ostrokrawędzisty i grubofrakcyjny. W niżej położonej części zlewni, do koryta dostarczany jest materiał drobnoziarnisty budujący szerokie, płaskie dno doliny. Stwierdzono również, że wzdłuż profilu podłużnego koryta największym zmianom ulega uziarnienie oraz stopień obróbki materiału, w mniejszym stopniu skład petrograficzny.
EN
The structure and functioning of river bed are conditioned by the natural environment and human activity. These conditions significantly affect the texture of the channel material. The main aim of the research was to study the texture of bed material and their variability in the present-day alluvium in the channel of Wilga River. The structure of the Wilga River bed was described. The main focus was on the distribution and location of accumulation and erosion forms. On four study sites, related to sediment sources, grain size distributions, petrographic composition, and degree of rounding were analysed. The obtained results show how the sources of material differ in the longitudinal profile. In the foothills sources are connected with lateral erosion and occurrence of channel steps. The alluvial material is angular and has a larger grain size. In lower part of the catchment, bed material is fine and builds a wide, flat valley floor. Research shows that the biggest changes in the longitudinal profile are connected with grain size and degree of rounding and to a lesser extent in the petrographic composition.