No abstract

No abstract

Anthropogenic landforms are attractive landscape structures. They are linked to the cultural elements of the landscape and they also support biodiversity on the landscape level. Concerning their position within heritage concepts, anthropogenic landforms can be seen as a bridge between natural and cultural heritages. This paper is focused on the relevance of anthropogenic landforms to landscape management and planning. The study is based on the concept of geomorphosites, which can be applied within sustainable management and the conservation of geomorphological heritage. The case study was applied in the urban area of Brno (Czech Republic). The results of the study indicated the importance of anthropogenic landforms for urban landscape conservation and sustainable tourism development. The assessment of landforms in the study area enabled to establish a set of recommendations for the sustainable management of anthropogenic landforms in Brno. This study suggested the assessment of anthropogenic landforms as a support tool for sustainable landscape management in urban areas.

Neogene deposits of the Carpathian Foredeep were newly recognized in the sedimentary succession within the outcrop close to Nový Hradek site in the area of the Podyjí National Park covered by extensive Quaternary deposits. These deposits are preserved as erosional relics within a bowl shaped depression on the top of the crystalline basement. Facies analysis shows that the recognised Neogene beds represent fluvial deposits. Two facies associations were identified within the Quaternary deposits. Although both of them are interpreted as colluvial deposits, they were formed by a series of gravity flows with highly varied water content. The provenance analysis (pebble petrography, association of heavy minerals, zircon study) confirmed, that the source area of both Neogene and Quaternary deposits was located in the adjacent geological units with strong dominance of Moravian Unit. Relatively high mineral maturity of the studied deposits points to extended blanket of intensely weathered crystalline basement, which underwent erosion and redeposition. Higher content of quartz clasts within the Neogene deposits reveals different mode of transport and possible redeposition from older sediments. Studied Neogene deposits are preliminary related to quartzose gravel and sands known from the close surrounding of the nearby Lukov village. Comparison of Neogene and Quaternary deposits in the surroundings of Nový Hrádek and occurrences of similar sediments within the National Park in Austria (e.g. surroundings of Merkersdorf) might provide a further data about the poorly known history of the area during Neogene.

The use of ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) geophysical methods are considered a useful tool for assessing forest soil slope instabilities. These techniques provide a detailed survey regarding changes because of logging operations in an area, where the combination of soil, water, and rock conditions predisposes to the development of slope instabilities. In the current study, such geophysical survey techniques were applied at two localities, Bukovinka and Zemanu ˚v žleb near Křtiny (Southern Moravia, Czech Republic), during three sessions over 1 year. The selected survey sites were on different terrains but the same subsurface (sediments of Lower Marine Carboniferous). The condition for their selection was the absence of other major external influences apart from wood harvesting. The GPR and ERT measurements were carried out along the same lines, and changes in the geophysical profiles over time were observed. The results demonstrate the processes that lead to visible changes on both localities in the results of measurements.Both methods showed shifts in some soil properties configuration, separating partial rock masses or even incipient soil/rock movement. The ERT also detected a significant expansion of wet areas inside both studied rock masses, which may be because of the development of new channels for infiltration of rainwater. Considering that the only major external factor that could change the slopes drainage properties was the wood harvesting, it is reasonable to conclude that the observed changes are associated with the logging operations.