Geological and geomorphological interpretation of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data of the Kasprowy Wierch area (Tatra Mts.)

The paper presents the geological interpretation of Airborne Laser Scanning data of Kasprowy Wierch Mt. area. The analyzed points cloud data represent the ground surface after removal of the land cover (primarily vegetation) objects. The ALS data were characterized by very high density, presenting even minor terrain forms, very difficult to identify in forested and mountain dwarfpine areas as well. The resulting image of detailed geomorphology of the study area was compared with existing maps at scale of 1 : 10 000 and literature data. This allowed verifying the extent of geological units of basement rocks and shed new light on existing opinions on the genesis of glacial sediments. An extensive landslide has been identified on the eastern slopes of Sucha Czuba Mt. The landslide has not been reported in the literature so far. Application of laser scanning data was extremely useful and allowed making new observations that enrich the existing knowledge about the geology of this part of the Tatra Mts