Comparison of morphometric characteristics of cirques in the Bohemian Forest

Abstract

This study analyses selected morphometric characteristics of seven glacial cirques in the Bohemian Forest. Firstly, a glacial system of a glacial cirque typical of the Bohemian Forest was postulated. Then, morpho-metric characteristics were counted and compared for components of the system (cirque floor, headwall, deflation plateau, etc.). It is probable that the total altitude (mainly the position of deflation plateaus) was an important factor for the development of glaciers. The following hypothesis was postulated based on con-nections between morphometric characteristics and genesis of the cirques: (1) the lengthening of the cirques occurred primarily during the cold stages of the Pleistocene depending on the size and position of the defla-tion plateau, (2) development of the cirques continued after the disappearance of the glaciers by other (particularly periglacial) processes, and (3) fluvial and gravitational processes reshaped the cirques during the warmer stages of the Pleistocene. Two types of ELA (equilibrium line altitude) were calculated: the