Evaluation of tectonic activity using morphometric indices: case study of the Tatra Mts. (Western Carpathians, Poland)

Marek Górnik,Krzysztof Buczek

doi:10.1007/s12665-020-08912-9

Marek Górnik, Krzysztof Buczek

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-020-08912-9

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Abstract

The Tatra Mountains (Tatra Mts.) are the highest and most glacially reshaped mountain massif in the Carpathians. Previous studies suggested the tectonic uplift of this massif along the large sub-Tatric fault during Quaternary. The main goal of this paper is to characterise the tectonic activity in the Tatra Mts. using 6 geomorphic indices for 78 drainage basins: the stream-gradient index (SL), asymmetry factor (Af), basin shape ratio (Bs), hypsometric integral (Hi), valley floor width–valley height ratio (Vf), as well as mountain-front sinuosity (Smf). These parameters were combined in order to obtain the relative tectonic activity index (Iat) using GIS. The average of the six computed geomorphic indices was used to evaluate the distribution of relative tectonic activity in the study area. According to Iat values, four classes of different tectonic activity can be distinguished in the Tatra Mts.: class 1 of very high tectonic activity (0.7% of Tatra Mts.); class 2 of high activity (24.3%); class 3 of moderate activity (68.4%); and class 4 of low activity (6.6%). Our study confirmed previous suggestions about unequal uplift of different parts of the massif. Iat values show high tectonic activity along the Sub-Tatric fault, as well as in the northern part of the Belianskie Tatra. Distribution of Vf and Hi values correlate with extend of glaciers during Last Glacial Maximum. It seems that values of some geomorphic indices, such as Vf and HI, are strongly associated with glacial reshaping of the Tatra Mts. during the Pleistocene.

Highlights

Present-day topography of mountain ranges is a result of interaction between tectonic and erosional processes (Bishop 2007)
This paper aims to evaluate the tectonic activity in the highest mountain massif in the Carpathians: Tatra Mountains, based on selected geomorphic indices and relative tectonic activity index (Iat)
Late Quaternary normal faulting in Tatra Mts. was confirmed only by luminescence dating of Vikarovce fault, which is parallel to the Sub-Tatra fault (Vojtko et al 2011) and U-series datings of speleothems from tectonically deformed caves in Tatra Mts (Szczygieł 2015)

Summary

Introduction

Present-day topography of mountain ranges is a result of interaction between tectonic and erosional processes (Bishop 2007). Geomorphological analysis of mountain fronts provides substantial clues to the reconstruction of tectonic activity of range-bounding faults in variable timescales (103–106 years; Burbank and Anderson 2001; Keller and Pinter 2002; Bull 2007; Demoulin et al 2015). Numerous studies have shown high utility of drainage basin-scale morphometric analyses to evaluate tectonic activity (Bull and McFadden 1977; Azor et al 2002; Keller and Pinter 1996, 2002; Silva et al 2003; Dehbozorgi et al 2010; Matoš et al 2016). Low-temperature chronology indicates early and middle Miocene rapid exhumation of the study area (Śmigelski et al 2016), recent relief and elevation of Tatra Mts. could be a result of tectonic uplift during Quarternary (Králiková et al 2014).

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