Karkonosze Mountains and Jelenia Góra Basin—Unique Variety of Granite Landforms

This chapter presents the essential geomorphological characteristics of the Karkonosze Mts. and Jelenia Góra Basin in southwestern Poland. These two adjacent mesoregions were mostly formed on bedrock of one plutonic body. Together, they present a unique example of a graniteGranites, granitoides landscape differentiated by tectonic and denudational factors in Poland. The Karkonosze Mts., which also constitute a border area between Poland and the Czech Republic, are the highest mountain massif within the Sudetes and the entire VariscanVariscan belt of Central Europe. They are distinguished from other massifs in the Polish Sudetes by high local elevation, the presence of tree line, clear morphological evidence of Pleistocene mountain glaciation, and periglacialPeriglacial landforms. Harsh environmental conditions of the ridge parts are often compared to the areas of northern Fennoscandia, especially extensive summit planation surfacesPlanationplanation surface, located at an altitude of 1200–1400 m asl and partially occupied by blanket mires. The morphology and origin of the Jelenia Góra Basin are no less intriguing. Its surface resembles an exposed weathering front. Numerous inselbergsInselberg rise above the basin floor, reflecting specific fracture patterns in granitesGranites, granitoides and petrographic diversity. The whole area abounds in torsTor with a rich inventory of microforms due to graniteGranites, granitoides weathering. In the past, the region was subjected to mountain floodsFlood, flooding at an exceptional scale. They have been well documented, as are mass movementsMass movement on the mountain slopes, mainly debris flowsDebris flow. The area is also interesting because of the centuries-old human impactHuman impact on geomorphology.