Geodynamics and paleogeography of the Silesian Ridge in the Outer Carpathians

The complex Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonics of the Outer Carpathians produced series of ridges separating deep water basins.The Silesian Ridge existed since from Jurassic till Oligocene times. Today this ridge is destroyed totally and is known only from olistoliths and exotic pebbles in the Outer Carpathian flysch. It separated the proto-Silesian Basin from the Alpine Tethysduring Jurassic-Early Cretaceous times.The carbonate platform was initially developed on this submarine ridge providing excellent conditions for organic life, represented by calcareous algae, sponges, corals, bryozans, brachiopods, bivalves, ammonites and crinoids. The Late Cretaceous uplift of the Silesian Ridge produced a tremendous amount of clastic material.The submarine fragments of the Silesian Ridge provided favorable conditions for development of shallow banks with the carbonate platform sedimentation during Paleocene-Eocene times. Shallow water, probably narrow shelf locally was dominated by Paleocene and Eocene reefs built of red algae together withbryozoans, brachiopods, sometimes corals and foraminifers. Patchily distribution of these faunas is confirmed by local occurrence of redeposited organic limestones within siliciclastic material. The accretionary prism of Outer Carpathians reached the Silesian Ridge during latest Eocene-Early Miocene. The uplifted part of the nappes produced big olistoliths, which glided down into the adjacent, more distal basins. Finally, the ridge collapsed as a result of the lithosphere flexure in the southern part of the Silesian basin and was destroyed during Neogene times

The Upper Cretaceous Ostravice Sandstone in the Polish sector of the Silesian Nappe, Outer Western Carpathians

The Ostravice Sandstone Member was identified and described as a lithostratigraphic unit in the Polish part of the Outer Carpathians. This division occurs in the lowermost part of the Godula Formation, is underlain by variegated deposits of the Mazák Formation or directly by the Barnasiówka and Lhoty formations, and overlain by the Czernichów Member of the Godula Formation. Domination by thick- and very thick-bedded sandstones, conglomeratic sandstones and conglomerates rich in calcareous clasts, mostly of the Štramberk-type limestones, is typical for the Ostravice Sandstone Member. These deposits are widespread between the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mountains in the Czech Republic and the Ciężkowice Foothills in Poland. The documentation of the Ostravice Sandstone Member occurrence as well as the petrological, sedimentological features, and inventory of the carbonate clasts are presented here

Rocky forms in the Yamna Sandstone (Skyba Nappe, Outer Carpathians, Ukraine)

Interesting objects – the rocky forms and waterfall thresholds, built of Yamna Sandstone occur in the vicinity of Skole town. Beside the esthetic positive aspects related the morphological variety of the rocky forms and occurrence of the diversified weathering structures, the objects have a substantial cognitive value encompassing the lithology and sedimentological processes of the thick-bedded turbidites. The sandstone rocky forms usually occur in the groups distributed on slopes and forming so-called rocky towns. Their number and distribution allow observation of the changing structural and textural features both lateral and vertical within the 100-m thick composed profiles. The excellent degree of rocks outcropping, variety of structural and textural features and spectrum of possible observations indicates the high geotouristic potential of the investigated objects.  Interesting objects – the rocky forms and waterfall thresholds, built of Yamna Sandstone occur in the vicinity of Skole town. Beside the esthetic positive aspects related the morphological variety of the rocky forms and occurrence of the diversified weathering structures, the objects have a substantial cognitive value encompassing the lithology and sedimentological processes of the thick-bedded turbidites. The sandstone rocky forms usually occur in the groups distributed on slopes and forming so-called rocky towns. Their number and distribution allow observation of the changing structural and textural features both lateral and vertical within the 100-m thick composed profiles. The excellent degree of rocks outcropping, variety of structural and textural features and spectrum of possible observations indicates the high geotouristic potential of the investigated objects

Tectonic activity of sediment source areas for the Western Outer Carpathian basins : constraints from analysis of sediment deposition rate

Analysis of deposition rate were performed for synthetic sections, representing the upper Jurassic to lower Miocene sedimentary fill of the Western Outer Carpathian (WOC) basins. Calculated deposition rates differs in a range of a few orders of magnitude. During Tithonian to Berriasian-early Valanginian tectonic activity of the source areas supplying the Silesian Basin was related to the mechanism of syn-rift extensional elevation and erosion of horsts. General decay of source area activity in Valanginian to Cenomanian time was caused by regional post-rift thermal sag of the WOC. The Barremian to Albian phase of compressional uplift of the source area located north of the WOC lead to increase of deposition rate in some zones of the WOC basin. In Turonian to Paleocene time thick-skinned collision and thrusting took place south and south-west (in the recent coordinates) of the Silesian Basin causing very rapid, diachronous uplift of this zone, referred to as Silesian Ridge, resulting with high deposition rate in the Silesian Basin. At that time supply of sediments to the Magura Basin from south was relatively low, and the Pieniny Klipen Belt was presumably zone of transfer of these sediments. In Eocene the zone of collisional shortening in the WOC system was relocated to the south, causing rapid uplift of the Southern Magura Ridge and intense supply of detritus to the Magura Basin. Thrusting in the Southern Magura Ridge and collisional compression resulted with flexural bending of its broad foreland, being the reason for decrease of activity of both the Silesian Ridge and the source area at the northern rim of the WOC. The Eocene evolution of the Silesian Ridge is interpreted as controlled by both episodic tectonic activity and eustatic sea level changes. Contrasting development of the Southern Magura Ridge and the northern rim of Central Carpathians during Eocene stands for a palaeographic distance between the two domains at that time. During Oligocene and early Miocene a significant increase of deposition rates is observed for the basin in which sediments of the Krosno beds were deposited. This was caused by tectonic uplift of the source at the northern rim of the WOC, as well as the Silesian Ridge and the partly formed Magura nappe. The Miocene molasse of the WOC foredeep basin is characterised by notably higher maximum deposition rates than ones calculated for the flysch deposits of the WOC

Sections ofthe oldest sedimentary rocks in Polish Flysch Carpathians as geotouristic object

Jednym z celów prężnie rozwijającej się w ostatnich latach geoturystyki jest propagowanie aspektów poznawczych związanych z geologiczną historią Ziemi. W niniejszej pracy zostały zawarte opisy klasycznych polskich stanowisk, w których odsłaniają się najstarsze utwory Karpat Zewnętrznych (fliszowych). Po pierwsze, są to odsłonięcia inicjalnych, basenowych osadów późnojurajsko-wczesnokredowych, reprezentujących wczesne stadia węglanowej sedymentacji fliszowej, odbywającej się w obrębie młodego zbiornika protośląskiego (Goleszów - formacja wędryńska, dolina Soły w Żywcu i Jasieniowa Góra oraz Leszna Górna - formacja wapieni cieszyńskich). Po drugie, są to różnej wielkości izolowane bloki skał wapiennych o olistolitowej genezie zwane skałkami andrychowskimi (Targanice, Roczyny i Inwałd), reprezentujące jurajskie utwory o charakterze rafowym i okołorafowym, powstałe w płytkowodnych środowiskach na podmorskim wyniesieniu Baška-Inwałd.The popularization of educational aspects linked to the geological history of Earth is one of the goals of geotourism, dynamically developing recently. The present paper contains the description of the classic localities exposing the oldest deposits of the Outer Flysch Carpathians. Firstly, these are initial Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous basinal facies originated during early carbonate flyschoidal stages within the developing proto-Silesian Basin (Goleszów - Vendryne Formation; Soła River valley in Żywiec and Jasieniowa Mt and Leszna Górna - Cieszyn Limestone Formation). Secondly, these are different size limestone blocks, olistoliths in origin, known as Andrychów Klippen (Targanice, Roczyny and Inwałd) represent Jurassic reef and circum-reef environments originated in shallow-water condition on the Baška-Inwałd submarine ridge

The late Jurassic-Palaeogene carbonate platforms in the Outer Western Carpathian Tethys - A regional overview

The present work focuses on palaeogeographic reconstruction of shallow-water carbonate deposition in the Outer Western Carpathian Tethys. Platform deposits are preserved only as a component of turbidites and olistostromes, and reconstructions of these platforms are based on clastic material redistributed into slopes and deep basins and occurring among the Outer Carpathian nappes. Similar platforms were also present on the Tethys margins. These reconstructions were performed using the global models of plate tectonics. Several ridges covered by carbonate platforms developed in that area during the latest Jurassic-Palaeogene times. Three main shallow-water facies associations-Stramberk, Urgonian, and Lithothamnion-bryozoan-could be distinguished. The Tithonian-lowermost Cretaceous Stramberk facies is related to early, synrift-postrift stage of the development of the Silesian Domain. Facies that are diversified, narrow, shallow-water platforms, rich in corals, sponges, green algae, echinoderms, foraminifera, microencrusters, and microbes are typical of this stage. The Urgonian facies developed mainly on the south margin of the Outer Carpathian basins and is characterised by organodetritic limestones built of bivalves (including rudists), larger benthic foraminifera, crinoids, echinoids, and corals. Since the Paleocene, in all the Western Outer Carpathian sedimentary areas, Lithothamnion-bryozoan facies developed and adapted to unstable conditions. Algae-bryozoan covers originating on the siliciclastic substrate are typical of these facies. This type of deposition was preserved practically until the final stage in the evolution of the Outer Carpathian basins.Web of Science117art. no. 74

Lithostratigraphy of the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous deposits of the western part of the Outer Carpathians (discussion proposition)

Górnojurajsko-dolnokredowe utwory wchodzą obecnie w skład płaszczowin zewnętrzno-karpackich: magurskiej, śląskiej i podśląsko-żdanicko-waschbergskiej oraz znane są z olistolitów występujących w osadach różnych jednostek Karpat zewnętrznych. Autorzy podjęli próbę usystematyzowania jednostek litostratygraficznych według ich występowania w pierwotnych basenach i innych obszarach sedymentacyjnych. Basen magurski uformował się w jurze środkowej, a seweryńsko-mołdawidzki (protoślaski) w późnej jurze i wczesnej kredzie z osadami synryftowymi i postryftowymi. Podśląsko-żdanicki obszar sedymentacyjny uformował się w późnej kredzie, w jurze i wczesnej kredzie wchodzil w sklad basenu protośląskiego, jako jego część północna. Obszarem źródłowym dla olistolitów były osady północnego skłonu i strefy szelfowej basenu protośląskiego oraz wypiętrzeń śródbasenowych.Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous deposits are part of the Outer Carpathians nappes: Magura, Silesian and Sub-Silesian-Żdanice-Waschberg, and are known in olistholites, which occur within different units of the Outer Carpathians. Authors systematized lithostratigraphical units according to their primary position in sedimentary basins and other sedimentary areas. Magura Basin originated in Middle Jurassic and proto-Silesian Basin in Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous times together with syn- and post-rift deposits. Sub-Silesian-Żdanice sedimentary area originated in Late Cretaceous, and during Jurassic and Early Cretaceous times was northern part of the proto-Silesian Basin. The source areas for olistholites have been northern slope and shelf of the proto-Silesian Basin and submerged intra-oceanic ridges (cordilleras)

The Sudetic Geostrada – an idea of geological and landscape studies heritage with inventarization of the objects of abiotic nature

The aim of the paper is presentation of geological and landscape studies with the inventarization of abiotic nature objects located along proposed trail “The Leszek Sawicki Sudetic Geostrada”. Through detailed descriptions of the trail and proposals of development of selected, most attractive geosites of geological-mining heritage, the project should aim to spread geological knowledge of the Sudety Mts. among the non-professionals. Using the passable roads, the trail was led along the main ridges of the Sudety Mts. in both the Polish and the Czech parts, through less popular and rarely visited but also interesting parts of the Sudety Mts. and their foreland. Polish parts of the Geostrada (ca 285 km) were such determined to reach as much the most attractive geosites as possible in the 10-kilometers-wide zone (±5 km from both sides of the trail)