New publication on active tectonics in the Western Carpathians, Poland

Little is known about the tectonic activity of the western Carpathians. However, a team of Polish scientists, supported by Christoph Grützner from Friedrich Schiller University Jena, has found evidence that strong post-glacial earthquakes must have occurred here as well. An unusually high fault scarp (4 m) given its short length of just over three kilometers suggests seismic events that must have ruptured the surface. This finding has now been confirmed for the first time using boreholes, geophysical measurements, and paleoseismological investigations. The NNW-trending Brzegi Fault works regionally as an antithetical fault to the large sinistral faults with a northeastern strike. The study describes the mechanism of the Brzegi Fault and discusses its unusual morphology.

Reference:

Szczygieł, J., Zasadni, J., Kłapyta, P., Woszczycka, M., Gaidzik, K., Mendecki, M., Sobczyk, A., & Grützner, C. (2025). The curious case of a short fault scarp in the Podhale Basin: Implications for late Pleistocene geodynamics of the central Western Carpathians. Geomorphology. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.110134External link