Geomorphologic evolution and landforms

Most of the world's land surface has been sculpted by running water. Fluvial landforms are made by fluvial processes, which include overland flow and streamflow. All the slopes are affected by fluvial processes. Most common fluvial landforms are waterfalls, fluvial terraces, floodplains, alluvial fans.

Large rivers in the Czech Republic (e.g. Labe, Vltava, Morava, Dyje) move large quantities of sediments. The meandering of these rivers forms ox-bow lakes in cutoff meanders, natural levees, backswamps. The river terraces are also present. These are the result of river discharge fluctuations during the Quaternary climate changes.

Fig. 1.Old meanders of Labe river near the town of Kolín. Ox-bow lakes and old meanders filled by the sediments and covered by the vegetation are visible along the river in the floodplain.

Fig. 2. Pančava waterfall (148 m) in the Krkonoše Mts. is the Czech highest waterfall (https://www.kudyznudy.cz/aktivity/pancavsky-vodopad-v-krkonosich).