Changes to the environment of intramontane basins in the light of malacological research of calcareous tufa: Podhale Basin (Carpathians, Southern Poland)

The profiles of calcareous tufa occurring in the Podhale Basin (Carpathians, Southern Poland) were subject to a detailed malacological analysis. Studies were carried out in 15 sites. Five of them represent the period of the Late Glacial and Holocene, and the remainder is tufa deposited during historical times. On the basis of malacological analysis, 10 faunistic assemblages were defined. Each developed under specific environmental and climatic conditions. The observed sequences of molluscan assemblages in vertical profiles were the basis for paleoenvironmental reconstruction, determining the main phases of climatic changes and the human impact on the natural environment. The faunal sequence observed indicates a cold climate and the predominance of open habitats in the Late Glacial, with progressing warming and the increasing significance of shaded habitats in the Early and Middle Holocene, as well as anthropogenic pressure in modern times. The results of malacological analysis were complemented with determination of the age of deposits by radiocarbon dating and the results of palynological analyses conducted in the sites of peatbogs occurring in Podhale. The reconstruction indicates similarities and differences in the paleogeographic development of mountain and upland areas of Central Europe.