Cryogenic phenomena in the caves and chasms of the Tatra Mountains
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26485/BP/1972/21/12Keywords:
cryogenic forms, ice types, cave microclimateAbstract
Article in French.
ORIGINAL TITLE: Phénomènes cryogènes dans les grottes et gouffres des Tatras
Between 1958 and 1968, research on cryogenic phenomena was conducted in the caves and chasms of the Tatra Mountains. Present-day cryogenic forms develop in the anterior parts of caves, which are subject to the dynamic climate zone characterised by the high amplitudes of various meteorological elements. Three groups of cryogenic forms were distinguished: (1) frost-weathering forms (debris and block covers), (2) frost-segregation forms (ridges, paved ground surfaces, microstructural soil forms, stone garlands, solifluction lenses), (3) cave and chasm ice
Various types of ice were studied in order to determine the crystallographic orientation of the longitudinal axes of the crystals and to assess their mechanical and chemical activity (e.g., calcite efflorescences).
In selected experimental plots within caves and chasms, the dynamics of ongoing processes were monitored through periodic measurements and observations of successive changes in the physical properties of the sediments covering the bottom of karst forms.
In the subterranean networks of the Tatra Mountains, a microclimate similar to a periglacial climate, high air humidity, poor sorting of the sediments lining the cave floors, and the absence of vegetation cover all contribute to the development of cryogenic processes. The occurrence of active processes enables experimental studies and facilitates comparisons between contemporary cryogenic forms and fossil periglacial forms found in Poland.
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