Gdy spada temperatura, zmienia się stan skupienia wody. Rzeki, jeziora i morza skuwa lód, para wodna w atmosferze zamienia się w kryształki śniegu, a woda pod powierzchnią gruntu przyjmuje postać drobnych soczewek lub żył lodowych. W wysokich górach i w obszarach polarnych tworzą się lodowce i czapy lodowe. Wszystkie te duże i małe, widoczne i niewidoczne formy występowania wody w stałym stanie skupienia na kuli ziemskiej tworzą kriosferę.

When the temperature drops, rivers, lakes and seas become covered with ice, the water vapor in the atmosphere turns into snow crystals, and underground water turns into tiny ice lenses or veins. Glaciers and ice caps are formed in high mountains and in polar regions. All these large and small, visible and invisible forms of solid water on Earth together form what is known as the “cryosphere.”

This contribution characterises the stratigraphic schemes of the Quaternary as constructed and published by Leszek Lindner in 1967–2019. The oldest schemes assume the subdivision of the Pleistocene into three glaciations (i.e., Cracow, Middle-Polish and Baltic) separated by two interglacials (Great and Eemian). The scheme published in 1992 comprises eight glacial and seven interglacial units. The most recent scheme for the Quaternary contains seven advances of the Scandinavian ice-sheet on the area of Poland during the Nidanian (MIS 22), Sanian 1 (MIS 16), Sanian 2 (MIS 12), Liviecian (MIS 10), Krznanian (MIS 8), Odranian (MIS 6), and Vistulian (MIS 2–5d) glaciations. They are separated by six interglacials: Podlasian, Ferdynandovian, Mazovian, Zbójnian, Lublinian and Eemian. The ranges of glacial transgressions, and key interglacial and preglacial sites are assembled in a cumulative scheme for the area of Poland. We review the main study methods on which the subsequent versions of the stratigraphic scheme were based. These include Prof. Lindner’s own detailed field research in glaciated and extraglacial areas, and paleofloristic, paleontological and paleomagnetic studies of major interglacial sites carried out by numerous researchers, as well as thorough literature studies.

The paper presents characteristics of the Pleistocene sediments in the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains. They are subdivided into four complexes and their stratigraphic setting is referred to the updated scheme for the Pleistocene of Poland. The Preglacial Complex includes fluvial sediments characteristic for its lack of Scandinavian material. Sediments of three main glaciations (Nidanian, Sanian 1 and Sanian 2) within the South Polish Complex, are referred also as the South Polish Glaciations. The oldest of these glaciations (Nidanian) is separated from the middle glaciation (Sanian 1) by sediments of the Podlasian Interglacial, represented by clay at the Kozi Grzbiet Cave that contains faunal remains and record of the Brunhes/Matuyama palaeomagnetic boundary. During the middle (Sanian 1) and youngest glaciation (Sanian 2), the Holy Cross Mountains were almost completely covered by the Scandinavian ice sheet, forming glacial deposits separated by fluvial series of the Ferdynandovian Interglacial. The Middle Polish Complex begins with sediments of the Mazovian Interglacial, represented by a pollen record from the Zakrucze site. They are followed by deposits of periglacial and fluvial origin of the Liwiecian Glaciation, Zbójnian Interglacial, Krznanian Glaciation and Lublinian Interglacial. The following glaciation (Odranian) is represented by the youngest glacial deposits that document presence of the Scandinavian ice-sheet in the westernmost part of the Holy Cross Mountains. The North Polish Complex is composed of a climatic warming (Eemian Interglacial) and cooling (Vistulian Glaciation), and is represented by valley and periglacial deposits. The last cooling of the Pleistocene is recorded in faunal remains in the Raj Cave.

The paper presents results of studies focused on occurrence and correlation of four main horizons of Younger Loesses: Lowest Younger Loess (LMn – after Maruszczak, 2001), Lower Younger Loess (LMd), Middle Younger Loess (LMs), and Upper Younger Loess (LMg) recorded in five sections (Politów, Wąchock, Nietulisko Małe, Komorniki and Bodzechów) in the Holy Cross Mountains area. All analysed loesses were accumulated during the Vistulian Glaciation (Weichselian). The horizons were distinguished based on separating interstadial tundra soils, coupled with thermoluminescence dating, and correlated with marine oxygen-isotope stages MIS 5d−2. The Lowermost Younger Loess (LMn) covers the Nietulisko I soil complex (Jersak, 1973), developed on deposits of the Odranian Glaciation (MIS 6) and representing a forest soil of the Eemian Interglacial (MIS 5e) and the Brørup warming (MIS 5c). A thin horizon of the Oldest Younger Loess and a thin sandy horizon, both probably corresponding to the Herning cooling phase (MIS 5d) at the boundary with the Eemian Interglacial, were distinguished within this complex. Based on previously performed grain-size and heavy mineral analysis of the Upper Younger Loess (LMg) and a topographic position of the loesses in four loessy islands of diverse regional extent, accumulation of this loess in the Holy Cross Mountains area is found to have been stimulated by the western winds. The proposed model of loess accumulation takes into account the influence of the topography of the area and its geological structure.

Studies over talus cones in nothwestern Wedel Jarlsberg Land enable to define main parameters of these forms, their morphogenetic features and longitudinal profiles. Three zones of occurrence of talus cones have been distinguished, dependent on microlimatic influence of glaciers. Zone A (below 150 m a.s.l.) is not influenced by glaciers. Zone В (from 150 to 350 m a.s.l.) is influenced by glacier snouts. Zone С (over 350 m a.s.l.) is under influence of firn fields. Most intensive development of talus cones in the studied area occurred during the Little Ice Age.

Methods and results of mass movement measurements on mountain slopes in northwestern Wedel Jarlsberg Land are presented in connection with morphoclimatic zones. Debris movement was investigated using fishing nets while movement of solifluction tonques was studied with series of nails. Marks and lines crosswise the investigated forms were also painted. Creeping of stone belts was measured with a use of tree-nails. Observations of these measuring points after twelve months show usability of employed methods for a record of mass movements.

Three types of rock glaciers (moraine, cirque and subslope ones) were distinguished in northwestern Wedel Jarlsberg Land. Subslope rock glaciers were found different from nival moraines. A development of subslope and fossil cirque rock glaciers was connected with the older Holocene whereas of active cirque and moraine rock glaciers with the Little Ice Age.

According to the current state of research five sand-gravel accumulation levels of Quaternary age are visible in the morphology of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains, within the Wierna Rzeka, Hutka and Bobrza river valley systems and the lower stretches of the Biała Nida and Czarna Nida river valleys. Two upper levels (V and IV) correspond to valleys formed during the Odranian Glaciation-Saalian, MIS6 and its reccesional phases under the influence of proglacial and extraglacial waters beyond the extent (to the east) of the maximal ice-sheet limit of this glaciation, reaching to the present-day Leśnica-Gnieździska-Łopuszno line. Two lower levels (III and II) are terraces that were typically formed during the climatic conditions thatprevailed during Vistulian stadials. Sands and gravels of the three upper levels (V−III) contain numerous debris flow deposits and cryoturbation structures documenting periglacial conditions during their accumulation. The lowermost level (I) is a typical Holocene floodplain.

The paper is focused on the palaeographic development of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains, Poland, during the maximum extent of the Sanian 2 (MIS 12) ice sheet and its retreat. The studies were based on archival cartographic data, coupled with new lithological and petrographic analyses of limni- and fluvioglacial sands, i.e., grain-size composition, quartz grain morphology and heavy mineral analysis, as well as analysis of the erratic material of tills. The results confirm the regional variability of the erratic material in the Sanian 2 tills and point to the long-term development of fluvioglacial sands cover documenting cold climate conditions. They also evidence that the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains was the area where two oppositely directed ice sheet lobes (Radoszyce and Sandomierz) advanced during the Sanian 2 Glaciation and that deglaciation of the area took place in two stages. Huge quantities of meltwater released at that time contributed to the intensification of earlier initiated karst phenomena, as well as filling of the existing caves by fluvioglacial sands.

We propose contents of topographic maps for polar areas to be supplemented with such landforms that are easily identified during the analysis of air or terrestial photographs. Such landforms include rock outliers (monadnocks), glacial boundaries, a beach and thick mantles of tundra vegetation. All these landforms create together with fluvial and lake patterns a system of elements that enable location of users and therefore make preparation of other (e.g. geological, geomorphological or glaciological) maps possible.

This paper is a summary of the results of research on the accumulation conditions of the Upper Younger Loess (LMg) in Poland and Bug loess (bg) in Ukraine from the maximum stage (MIS 2) of the Vistulian (Weichselian) Glaciation in central and eastern Europe. These studies included an analysis of the morphological (topographic) situation of the loess cover, its grain size and heavy mineral composition, the preserved structures of loess sedimentation as well as mollusc and pollen analyses of this loess. They revealed that the accumulation of Upper Younger Loess (UYL) might have been more dependent on the prevailing moisture conditions than previously thought. These conditions could have been caused by cold air masses from an ice sheet and warm air masses from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic coming together in the Carpathians and the Holy Cross Mountains and favouring the formation of dust storms and precipitation. In this process, a loading of loess dust (formed from local rocks weathering in periglacial conditions) by atmospheric moisture particles was especially significant. The moist substrate not only favoured the periodic development of vegetation and molluscs but also enabled the interception of dust and the accumulation of an increasingly thick loess cover. Westerly and south-westerly winds predominated in the UYL as indicated by the topographic position of loess patches and the mineral composition of the studied loess. Periodically an increased air circulation from the east and northeast occurred.