Geomorphic response to the Little Ice Age in Slovakia

Abstract

Geomorphic response to the Little Ice Age (LIA; ca 1250-1890 AD) in Slovakia was marked by the increased occurrence and effectiveness of fluvial, runoff, and some gravitational processes.We identified four periods of increased frequency of big floods, namely: (1250) 1378-1526 AD, the 1560s-1570s, the 1590s-1620s, and the 1660s-1850s, while the last period shows two stages (the 1660s-1720s and the 1760s-1850s).Three identified periods of disastrous gullying accompanied by muddy floods (the 14 th century, the mid-16 th century -the 1730s, the 1780s -the mid-19 th century) refer to temporal conformity of both fluvial and runoff processes.High frequency of debris flows in the Slovak part of the Tatra Mts.occurred in the period of 1400-1860 AD.Sparse mentions on precipitation-induced particular events of debris flows, landslides or rockfalls are mostly linked with simultaneous occurrence of floods.