1. Introduction

Small area of the Czech Republic has varied geology and tectonic development. The area of CR is subdivided in two geological units - the Bohemian Massif and the Western Carpathians, and its development involves a long time period from the Paleoproterozoic to the recent period, i.e. about 2.1 billion of years.

The Bohemian Massif is a significant and extensive fragment of the Variscan orogen formed during the Devonian and the Carboniferous (over the interval c. 380-320 Ma). The eastern part of Moravia and Silesia belong to the Western Carpathian orogen, which is one of sub-parts of the Alpine orogen—a vast mountain system of southern Europe. It was formed by collisions of continental fragments situated between the northern edge of Africa and the so-called Epi-Variscan Platform of Western Europe during the Mesozoic and the Tertiary.


Fig. 1. Simplified geological map of CR (Source: Czech Geological Survey in Pánek a Hradecký Eds., 2016). The boundary between the Bohemian Massif and the Western Carpathians is the right edge of the Neogene rocks (yellow) in the eastern part of the CR.


Fig. 2. Extremly simplified geological map.


From the geological point of view it is important to realize that the territory of the CR:

  • did not always have its current geographical location
  • did not always have the temperate climate
  • did not always have the current elevation and relief
  • wasn't always a dry land
The territory of the CR started its development in the south hemisphere, during the Carboniferous and Permian was situated near the equator. During the geological time the climate has changed, the relics of the glacial to tropical climate can be found in the CR. However, it is not necessarily the result of changing climate but just the result of the continental drift. The relief of the CR is a result of longterm interaction between tectonics, denudation and erosion.

Further reading

Grygar, R. Geology and Tectonic Development of the Czech Republic. In Pánek, T. a Hradecký, J. (Eds.) Landscapes and Landforms of the Czech Republic. Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 2016, p. 7-18.