Authigenic smoky quartz from the Famennian limestones at Łagów in the Holy Cross Mts

Inside smoky and black crystals of quartz from joint fractures in bituminous Famennian limestones at Łag6w in the Holy Cross. Mts, there occur inclusions containing variable amount of bituminous matter and aqueous solution of salts and gas. The occurrence of bitumen gives quartz its colour. The average temperatures of smoky quartz crystallization were c. 70oC, and of black quartz - c. 160-190OC. The veinlets of brown-black calcite, containing analogous inclusions, crystallized under similar conditions which revealed ., both minerals being connected with aqueous solutions containing dispersed droplets of bituminous matter

Polymetallic mineralization in Ediacaran sedimentsin the Żarki-Kotowice area, Poland

In one small mineral vein in core from borehole 144-Ż in the Żarki-Kotowice area, almost all of the ore minerals known from related deposits in the vicinity occur. Some of the minerals in the vein described in this paper, namely, nickeline, hessite, native silver and minerals of the cobaltite-gersdorffite group, have not previously been reported from elsewhere in the Kraków-Lubliniec tectonic zone. The identified minerals are chalcopyrite, pyrite, marcasite, sphalerite, Co-rich pyrite, tennantite, tetrahedrite, bornite, galena, magnetite, hematite, cassiterite, pyrrhotite, wolframite (ferberite), scheelite, molybdenite, nickeline, minerals of the cobaltitegersdorffite group, carrollite, hessite and native silver. Moreover, native bismuth, bismuthinite, a Cu- and Ag-rich sulfosalt of Bi (cuprobismutite) and Ni-rich pyrite also occur in the vein. We suggest that, the ore mineralization from the borehole probably reflects post-magmatic hydrothermal activity related to an unseen granitic intrusion located under the Mesozoic sediments in the Żarki-Pilica area

Spherules associated with the Cretaceous Paleogene boundary in Poland

The succession of the Lechowka section near Chefm in south-eastern Poland presents the first complete record of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary in Poland. Samples of the boundary clay were examined for mi-crotektites and shocked minerals to confirm the impact origin of the sediment. The spheroidal fraction reveals morphological and mineralogical features, e.g., spherules, similar to material from the K-Pg boundary as described from elsewhere. The impact genesis of the spherules is confirmed by the presence of nickel-rich spinel grains on their surfaces. The spinels are considered to be primary microlites and, thus, the spherules at Lechowka can be classified as microkrystites. No shocked minerals were noted. The deposits with spherules comprise Aland Mg-rich smectite (Cheto smectite). This almost pure Mg-rich smectite, forming up to 100% of the clay fraction, derived from the weathering of the impact glass. It is proposed that the spherules isolated from the Creta-ceous-Paleogene boundary clay at Lechowka come from the Chicxulub crater in Mexico

New moldavites from SW Poland

Four newly discovered moldavites from the East and West Gozdnica pits, SW Poland, are characterized. All specimens, including other four, reported earlier, are from Upper Miocene fluvial sediments of the Gozdnica Formation. Their weight varies between 0.529 and 1.196 g. The moldavites are bottle green in colour and have bubbles and inclusions of lechatelierite. Low degree of corrosion suggests short river transport, apparently eastward from Lusatia

The first Polish tektites : preliminary SEM investigation

In Lower Silesia, the first Polish moldavites were discovered. To recognize the primary chemical composition and check the morphology of investigated material SE and BSE images were used. The samples show presence of vesicles, which are one of the most typical features of tektite glass. Referring to the preliminary EDS results and comparing them with literature data, it can be assumed that in all cases the base material for all known moldavites was the same

SEM studies of ore minerals in skarns from Garby Izerskie, Karkonosze-Izera Block, South-Western Poland

In "Stanisław" quarry, that is located on Garby Izerskie, ore minerals-bearing calc-silicate skarns were found in 2009. The sam-ples were studied using microscopical meth-od of reflected light and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Based on SEM study, the predominant ore minerals in investi-gated samples are chalcopyrite, pyrrho-tite, bismuth telluride and native bismuth. Moreover, acanthite, native gold and native silver were also identified. Our studies are the first report of above mentioned miner-als from the Garby Izerskie area

Polish moldavites – a summary of existing knowledge

Up to now, twenty Polish moldavites were recovered from fluvial deposits of Gozdnica formation. Apart from typical bottle green colour, moldavites also yield other typical features for tektites like presence of bubbles and inclusions of lechatelierite. Low degree of corrosion and palaeogeography suggest river transport flow from Lusatia to the east direction in the Miocene

Mossbauer spectroscopy - a useful method for classification of meteorites?

The aim of our studies was to check the usefulness of M¨ossbauer spectroscopy for preliminary classification of ordinary chondrites. M¨ossbauer spectra of 50 samples of ordinary chondrites (type LL, L and H) obtained at room temperature were analyzed. 35 M¨ossbauer spectra were obtained in our laboratory, the other spectra were taken from the literature. The conclusion of our study was, that the most useful way for the preliminary classification of the ordinary chondrites is the application of two types of plots based on the data obtained by M¨ossbauer spectroscopy. One type of these plots is a linear plot which was used for the identification of the samples which are unrepresentative. The second type of these plots is a plot of “spectral area of the olivine” vs “spectral area of the metallic phase”. This last one was used for the identification of two unknown meteorites

Geochemistry and growth morphology of alkali feldspar crystals from an IAB iron meteorite : insight into possible hypotheses of their crystallization

Alkali feldspar crystals have been recognized in the troilite-graphite nodules of the Morasko IAB iron meteorite. Their chemical, microtextural and structural properties were studied using electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Raman spectroscopy. The feldspars occur as perthitic or antiperthitic intergrowths, whereas the albite lamellae are perfectly twinned. The structural properties reveal intergrown phases with fairly disordered patterns. The electron microprobe analyses demonstrate that the intergrown phases are mainly rich in sodium or potassium, resulting in compositions that are close to those of albite or orthoclase. The compositions, calculated on the basis of a segmented perthite-antiperthite image, showed that the Or-to-Ab proportions in the homogenized crystals were almost 0.3:0.7, thus indicating that the anorthoclase crystallized under high-temperature conditions. Two hypotheses of crystal formation could account for these characteristics: crystallization from a melt or from a metasomatic solution. Relics with evidence of metasomatic replacement of former minerals were not found. Accordingly, this work focuses on arguments that support the other hypothesis. Large ion lithophile elements (LILEs, e.g., Ba, Sr, Rb, LREE, Pb, and Ga) were used to track the origin of the crystals. Their concentrations indicate crystallization from a parent melt strongly depleted in LILEs. Alkali feldspar is commonly a product of a highly differentiated melt. However, highly differentiated melts are typically enriched in LILEs, which here is not the case. The melt that crystallized the feldspar cannot be related to impact-induced partial melting of the chondritic material alone. The derived melt probably was contaminated by silica-rich target material during interaction between the IAB projectile and the target material and was accompanied by metal and sulphide melts that were both immiscible with a silicate melt

The early devonian continental : marine succession at Chęciny in the Holy Cross Mts, and its palaeographic and tectonic significance

The early Devonian transgressive deposits at Chęciny in the Holy Cross Mts, which rest on a weathered surface of Lower Cambrian claystones, are represented by diverse terrigenous looks containing scarce marine fossils in their higher part. The lower part represents a laical waste, redeposited under continental conditions. The thin development of the transgressive terrigenous sequence (8 m) points to slow subsidence and a rapid advance of marine conditions. These deposits are overlain by carbonate-terrigenous (chiefly dolomitic) rocks containing a diversified open-marine fauna. The paleogeography of the early Devonian is discussed. Evidence is presented for a swell, trending E-W, in the southern part of the Holy Cross area; also for the presence of an epicontinental basin filled with Lower Devonian deposits over 1 km thick in the northern periphery of that area. It is concluded that there is little evidence for the concept of Caledonian geosyncline in southern Central Poland