Reconstruction of floodplain evolution in former mining areas - The Vils River case study

Cultural landscapes were very much formed by (pre)historic mining. Floodplains are among the most intensively altered areas and affected in a most complex way, especially since the Middle Ages when man-induced processes of soil erosion and fluvial dynamics started to interact with the construction of ironworks, weirs and channels on the streams. Due to the complexity of processes and history, widespread methods must be implemented to detect and characterise the mining-related floodplain formation. In a case study at the Vils River methodological approaches combining soil geomorphology, soil physics and soil chemistry, historical cartography and GIS evaluation are tested for the capability to reconstruct floodplain development in an area with intensive Middle Age iron industry.