The Tatra Mountains during the Last Glacial Maximum

Abstract

The Tatra Mountains extend along the border between Slovakia and Poland in the Western Carpathians. It is the highest and formerly one of the most glaciated massifs in the entire Carpathian mountain chain. We present a paleoglaciological map of the Tatra Mts. and its foreland (ca. 1270 km2) for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) at the scale 1:50 000. We re-evaluate geomorphological evidence for all Tatra glacial systems identified in the literature based on new field mapping and remote sensing data analysis. Utilizing geographic information systems (GIS) and 10 m resolution digital elevation model (DEM) as a base topography, we have reconstructed, for the first time, the detailed extent and surface geometry of all Tatra LGM glaciers (55 glacier systems, total area ca. 280 km2) based on the distribution of glacial erosional and depositional landforms. Our research results confirm stronger glaciation on the southern slopes of the Tatras due to local topography. We also conclude that distinct morainic amphitheaters, which predominate on the southern side of the highest, eastern part of the Tatras, were formed by debris-covered glaciers.