Geografie 1978, 83, 40-45
Inversion of the Relief
There is an amount of widely spread and commonly used precepts anj explanations in geology and geomorphology which we believed to be entirely correct. But there are no results of any research at hand which could verify them. To make it clear we can bring up the so-called erosional inversion of relief (Fig. 1 A,B). The complex of natural factors is at variance with the erosional explanation of this inversion, of course: a) Limestone rocks that form these mountains are fissured and thus permeable, b) Anticlinal bending of layers makes also the origin of a stream on the tops of ridges impossible. All rain water immediately leaks out through bedding joints following the dip of strata. Keilhack proves this quite logically (Fig. 2B). This is why neither rivers nor springs can originate on the valley bottom (Fig. 2A). c) The water streams on the top of an anticlinal ridge cannot be fed by surface or by ground-water as there is no catchment area. The origin of a surface stream is just for these reasons impossible. But it is not so important what explanation might be right. Much more interesting is the way how these erroneous precepts come into being. The inversion of relief thus serves as an example how from unverified presuppositions and consideration quite seriously looking explanations can arise.
