On the new wildflysch-to-flysch, blueschist-rich Lower Visean succession of the Western Sudetes (SW Poland)

Field and laboratory works realized in last years allowed us to redefine one of the lithotectonic units of the western Sudetes, till now considered to be composed of Cambrian to Lower Carboniferous, stratigraphically coherent, volcano-sedimentary succession, as the Lower Carboniferous, probably lower Visean, wildflysch-to- flysch succession. This unit forms the westernmost part of the Kaczawa Complex and is situated at the boundary zone between the Kaczawa Mts. (Polish Sudetes) and the Görlitzer Schiefergebirge (Germany) or - at a larger scale - between the Sudetes and Lugian tectonostratigraphic zones of the Variscan orogen. Petrographical studies of rocks sampled from the larger allochthonous bodies (olistolithes and slide-sheets) of the wildflysch sequence have revealed some peculiar features of the lithic composition of this succession. They consist in the presence of: (1) - unmetamorphosed and metamorphosed volcanites with a distinct HP-overprint, characteristic of supra- subduction zones, gabbro-type plutonites, and relatively numerous detrital chromite grains indicating the occur- rence of ophiolite ultramafics in the source area; and (2) - large block(s) of rock composed of quartz (almost 100% SiO 2 ), previously interpreted as Palaeozoic quartz vein, now documented by the authors to be totally silicified primary evaporites, composed of gypsum (selenite), anhydrite and salt. The last finding would be of special significance as the first strong evidence of evaporites within the Variscan orogenic complex in Europe, if further studies confirm proposed here tectonic position of the silicified evaporites. General lithic composition of the Jędrzychowice/Ludwigsdorf wildflysch detrital material is characterised by the presence of such litholog ies, as: black and gray-to-green cherts, black shale mudstones and cherts, (turbi- dite-)siliciclastics, carbonates (both bioclastic and diagenetic), basic and acid, unmetamorphosed and epi-to- HP-metamorphosed volcanites, and gabbros and ultrabasites (the latter noted only by detrital chromites). Moreover, the siliciclastic material of the olistosthrome matrix discloses the presence of acid magmatic (granites) and high-grade metamorphics of gneiss-to- mica-schist type in the source areas. Such a compositio n of detrital material clearly reflects a typical tectonic mélange as the source terrane for the wildflysch deposit. It would mean that the Jędrzychowice/Ludwigsdorf wildflysch should be considered as the next, strong and unequivocal signal of large-scale tectonic mélange stage in a tectonic/geodynamic evolution of the Central European Palaeozoic orogenic system

Wałbrzych Geoturist Area - inventory of geotopes for promotion of geoturism

The paper presents inventory and results of valorization of geotopes located in the Walbrzych region. This region is situated in south-western Poland, in proximity of the Wałbrzych Foothills (Bolków-Wałbrzych Foothills), Wałbrzych Mts., Kamienne Mts. and Sowie Mts. and Kamienna Góra Basin. The 149 geotopes which represents 6 geological themes - sedimentology, volcanism, metamorphism, geomorphology, hydrogeology, geology of Quaternary - have been selected and evaluated. All the data collected for these sites are stored in the database and may be displayed on several thematic maps. Based on results of valorization of geotopes, analyses of geology and geomorphology of the area as well as evaluation of land development, the seven geotourist sub-areas (so-called domains) have been differentiated. The results of the geotopes inventory and valorization indicate a possibility to propose a new geotourist area in the studied region and name it "Wałbrzych Geotourist Area"

Famennian, thermally altered chert exotic clasts from the Jędrzychowice/Ludwigsdorf wildflysch (Sudetes)-stratigraphic and tectonic implications

A wildflysch sequence recently recognized in the Görlitzer Schiefergebirge/western Kaczawskie Mts. boundary zone permits the characterization of the westernmost Kaczawa Unit as a chaotic complex. The cherts,many of which contain numerous radiolarians, occur as exotic clasts within the olistostrome deposits of the wildflysch. They are associated with allochthonous blocks of blueschist, andesite pillow lavas and pyroclastic rocks, flysch facies clastic rocks, mudstones (often of black shale lithology) and carbonates. The conodonts extracted from the grey-greenish radiolarite cherts indicate a mid-Famennian age (Early rhomboidea Zone to Early marginifera Zone). The conodont-bearing radiolarite clasts reveal no trace of a tectonometamorphic fabric. Their 4-4.5 conodont colour alteration index (CAI) indicates that the rock underwent low-temperature (250-285C) thermal alteration. The lack of thermal overprint in the olistostrome matrix allows this alteration to be interpreted as a part of the tectonothermal, post-mid-Famennian evolution of the source area. A number of the exotic blocks of unmetamorphosed volcanic rocks associated with the chert exotics seems to indicate igneous (volcanic) activity as the reason for the chert alteration. The fact that exotic blocks of the Devonian chert have been found as clasts within deposits earlier believed to represent Upper Proterozoic (Cadomian) flysch suggests the need for reassessement of the extent of Cadomian rocks in the westernmost Sudetes