Summary

The main features of land relief in the area of Užpaliai

Regina Morkūnaitė

The work presents the land surface relief features, which have affected the landscape and the human activities in the area of Užpaliai. The character of the Quaternary is seen from the data obtained by drillings in the nearby rural area. So, the Middle Devonian clays are seen spreading at the 243 m depths in one of them, i.e. Bajorai borehole.

The north-eastern part of the Aukštaitija Upland, where the study area lies, is often called Sėliai Height, while the eastern part of the Užpaliai Valsčius area belongs to the Šventoji plateau. Till ranges and depressions in the Sėliai Height extend in a specific order from the west to the east and represent the accumulative formations typical of the ice margin of the last glaciation. The relief, most impressive due to a great number of hills, is observed in the area of the Vaiskūnai geomorphological reserve, where the axes of hills and ridges vary in directions from south-north to west-east.

The Šventoji Plateau, where ice melting and erosion by melt-water had been more intensive, the eroded waves, flat hills and plain areas prevail.

The deposit grain size pictures with alluvial deposit curves are given in the paper for Užpaliai pits and Šventoji valley. The deposit curves obtained for the pit strata show more bimodal distribution of particles than those for the valley deposits. The nature heritage embracing Krokulė springs, Šeiminyškiai conglomerate and mounds with emphasis laid not only on the geological and geomorphological peculiarity of the area, but also on its historical oneness has been also defined.