Generations of meanders in Serbian part of Tisa valley

Abstract

This study discusses the evolution of the Serbian part of Tisa (Tisza/Theiss) valley in the context of phase meandering process during the Late Pleniglacial and Holocene. This study is focused on the subsiding central part of the Pannonian (Carpathian) Basin in the Vojvodina province. Palaeomeanders are reconstructed by using digital elevation models. Large number of old river beds are eroded and filled with deposits, and only a few remainings of them can be found on modern maps. The identification of these channels were achieved by studying historical maps of the region, and by creation of a digital elevation model. Spatial disposal and altitude correlation allowed identification of several palaeomeander generations in the Tisa valley. The formation of different generations are the result of concurrence influences of neo-tectonic processes of subduction in the western part of the Great Hungarian Plain and climate variability during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Studying hydro-geomorphologic characteristics of meanders is based on determination and analysis of their characteristic parameters: wavelength, arc length and radius of curvature.