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WATER BODIES IN SUBSIDENCE BASINS AS NEW SEDIMENTARY BASINS AND LOCAL EROSION BASES - SELECTED EXAMPLES FROM THE SILESIAN UPLAND

Robert Machowski

Abstract

The land subsidence caused by underground mining results in land form transformations in the Silesian Upland, which is located in southern Poland. The aim of the research was to determine the role of subsidence basins as new sedimentary basins and local erosion bases. Detailed research was carried out in selected mining subsidence areas where most extensive and spectacular subsidence basins in the Silesian Upland have formed. As part of the field work, the geological structure of the area was examined and detailed geomorphological and hydrological mapping was conducted. Bottom sediment samples were collected from water bodies and were subsequently subjected to laboratory analyses in order to determine their basic composition and the presence of selected elements. Cartometric measurements were carried out on the basis of the cartographic material collected. The underground extraction of coal in the study area has resulted in far-reaching changes in land forms and in the water cycle. In extreme cases, the area has subsided by slightly more than 25 metres compared to the level prior to the commencement of underground coal mining. The emergence of subsidence basins has caused significant transformations in matter circulation, which are essentially local in their nature. The resulting depressions are endorheic basins where sediments accumulate which contain numerous substances, including toxic metals.

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