The largest giant gypsum intergrowths from the Badenian (Middle Miocene) evaporites of the Carpathian Foredeep

The Badenian (Middle Miocene) evaporite deposits of the Carpathian Foredeep in Poland, Ukraine and Czech Republic, contain large bottom-grown primary gypsum crystals (selenite) which are some of the largest in the world. The 0.5-3.5 m long crystals are arranged in a palisade manner and create specific intergrowths similar to the contact swallow-tail {101} twins known in other areas. They occur in one stratigraphical interval that is several metres thick. The largest specimens were found near Busko in Southern Poland. The selenite crystals are commonly 1-1.5 m long, but specimens exceeding 2.5 m in length are present but are rare and poorly documented. Some years ago one specimen approaching 3.5 m in length was recognized at Bogucice-Skałki and seems to be the largest known and existing mineral crystal in Poland. Recently another ca. 3.5 m long selenite specimen was exposed at nearby Gacki. Both these crystals are partly damaged, and one is not fully exposed, and therefore it is difficult to establish which is (or was) actually the largest one

Genesis of ferromanganese crusts in Jurassic pelagic limestones at Stankowa Skała, Pieniny Klippen Belt, Poland: sedimentological and petrological approach

The ferromanganese crusts (FMC) and nodules at Stankowa Skała near Nowy Targ (Pieniny Klippen Belt, Poland) are developed in pelagic condensed limestones. The crusts appear on an uneven surface of limestones with thinshelled Bositra bivalves dated to the (?)uppermost Bajocian -Callovian. The crusts are overlain by Oxfordian limestones rich in Globuligerina, containing Fe-Mn nodules and small fragments of calcite stromatolites rich in Mn, Fe, Ba oxyhydroxides. Petrological analyses of the FMC from Stankowa Skała indicate their hydrogenetic origin. Growth of the FMC was coeval with a period of a rapid oceanic floor spreading from the Bajocian to the Callovian, postulated for the Pieniny Klippen Belt in the Jurassic time on the basis of the palaeomagnetic studies

Sea-floor massive sulphides from the Galápagos Rift Zone – mineralogy, geochemistry and economic importance

The largest reserves of the Earth's mineral resources are located on the ocean floor. Amongst these, hydrocarbon and metallic resources are of the greatest importance. In 2010, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) adopted rules for documenting new metal resources contained with polymetallic sea-floor massive sulphides (SMS). Russia and China were the first countries to apply to the ISA to acquire the right to commence initial investigation and documentation in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Apart from copper, cobalt and nickel, modern SMS ores contain inferred significant amounts of gold, silver and PGE. The results described here from Galápagos Rift samples indicate a high concentration of gold (up to 7.24 ppm) and platinum (up to 350 ppb), which are mainly concentrated in low temperature parts of the sulphide mounds. The high content of Au and Pt revealed by this study provides further motivation towards attempting the exploration of marine massive sulphides. This is particularly important in the light of the high prices of metal commodities, and especially the unprecedented price of gold. This paper is the first such detailed scientific account in the Polish scientific literature focusing on the genesis and economic significance of the modern sea-floor sulphides

Olivines from ultramafic rocks of Jordanów-Gogołów Serpentinite Massif (Sudetic ophiolite) - a complex interplay of petrogenetic processes

Olivines occurring in the Jordanów-Gogołów Serpentinite Massif (JGSM) in the Polish Sudetes were formed during complex series of geological events and processes: growth in the upper mantle; crystallization of ultramafic cumulates at a mid-ocean ridge; ultra-high pressure (UHP) and high pressure metamorphism in a subduction zone; and contact metamorphism related to intrusion of boninitic and/or granitic magmas into the JGSM. The presence of olivine with pseudocleavage and intergrowths of ferrichromite and of pseudospinifex olivine indicates very fast transport from UHP conditions (from depths ca. 410 km) to the surface, similar to the model proposed by Brueckner & van Roermund (2004). The range of metamorphic conditions (from UHP to zeolite facies) recorded by JGSM olivines and also by associated serpentinites indicates that the JGSM is a fragment of an accretionary prism

Data collecting methods used in the field study of weathering anhydrites at Pisky near Lviv

W kamieniołomie Pisky, 30 km na południe od Lwowa, wskutek wietrzenia (uwadniania) anhydrytu (CaSO4) i jego przechodzenia w gips (CaSO4•2H2O) wzrasta objętość skały i tworzą się wyjątkowe formy rzeźby, nazywane kopułami z hydratacji. We wnętrzach narastających kopuł powstają komory, które stopniowo przekształcają się w jaskinie, zwane jaskiniami z hydratacji (lub jaskiniami z pęcznienia). Równocześnie skały ulegają rozpuszczaniu i na ich powierzchni tworzą się żłobki krasowe. Zachodzące współcześnie, osobliwe procesy wietrzeniowe i rzeźbotwórcze wymagają precyzyjnej dokumentacji i monitorowania. W niniejszej pracy opisano optymalne techniki badań terenowych zastosowane przy dokumentowaniu strefy wietrzenia. Obejmują one metody: reperów, skanowania laserowego 3D, skanowania światłem strukturalnym LED, fotogrametrii naziemnej oraz modelowania obiektów 2,5D za pomocą fotogrametrii. W pracy omówiono wady i zalety zastosowanych metod.In the quarry at Pisky, 30 km south of Lviv, the volume of rock mass increases and unique relief features, called the hydration domes, are being formed due to weathering (hydration) of anhydrite (CaSO4) and its transformation into gypsum (CaSO4•2H2O). In the interiors of the growing domes, chambers are formed that gradually transform into caves called the hydration (or swelling) caves. Simultaneously, the rocks dissolve and their surface is covered with rillenkarren. The unusual weathering and geomorphological processes taking place today require accurate documentation and monitoring. In this paper we describe the optimum field methods used to document the zone of weathering. These methods include: method of benchmarks, method of 3D laser scanning, method of scanning with structured light LED, method of terrestrial photogrammetry, and method of modelling of 2.5D objects using photogrammetry. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the methods used

Synfolding calcite veins in the Holy Cross Mountains Fold Belt, central Poland

Bedding-parallel calcite veins in Devonian rocks from the southern part of the Holy Cross Mountains Fold Belt in central Poland occur as tabular bodies on shallow dipping as well as vertical Late Paleozoic map-scale and mesoscopic fold limbs. The syntaxial and antitaxial bedding parallel veins contain kinematic indicators such as rotated blocks, fibre boundary steps, boudin trains, beef-like structures and congruous steps. These structures show a sense of movement consistent with the flexural slip typical of folding resulting from buckling during layer-parallel shortening. We propose the mechanism of the gradual formation of the veins and the progression of fabric development which is mostly consistent with an increasing dip angle of the fold limbs and their gradual deformation. Textures of the veins and kinematic indicators within the veins point to the syntectonic growth of calcite during the Late Paleozoic buckle folding in the Holy Cross Mountains Fold Belt