Travertine deposits of the Karlovy Vary thermal water system

In the periods 1980–1986 and 1990–2007 many boreholes were sunk during hydrogeological investigations in the center of the Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) hot spring system. The extent and the depths reached were the greatest in the history of the geological investigation of the discharge area of the thermal system. The results of the drilling program enabled a detailed study of the rocks, groundwater and spring sedimentation in the area as well as the preparation of new proposals for changes in the spring-protection zones. The spring sedimentation consists of world-renowned hot spring travertine, with a wide range of morphological varieties of different origins and of different ages. The oldest U-series age data (230 ± 14 ka BP) have been obtained for travertine relicts located 22 m above the present-day bottom of the narrow valley of the Teplá River. Five other travertine deposits, partly overlapping in space and time were identified on the bottom and slopes of the valley. They were formed by gradual growth, by river erosion and since the fourteenth century by human activities.