Geohistorical development of the Krkonoše Mountains

Krkonoše, along with the mountains of Králický Sněžník and Hrubý Jeseník, form the High Sudetes, a striking mountain massif that connects to the west to other geologically ancient Palaeozoic and non-limestone mountain ranges of Central Europe called the Hercynides, i.e. the Ore Mountains, Harz Mountains, Schwarzwald Mountains, Vosges Mountains and Massif Central. Geologically, the Krkonoše Mountains formed in the period of the Proterozoic and Early Palaeozoic eras, with orogeny processes producing the first appearance of the massif called the Krkonoše-Jizera crystalline complex. Mesozoic weathering, Tertiary alpine orogeny, subsequent water erosion and recurrent Quaternary glaciation gradually transformed the natural appearance of Krkonoše into its current form. However, it is human activity that has altered localised areas of landscape over the past millennium.