Szczegóły publikacji
Opis bibliograficzny
Tufit WT3 w zabytkowej części Kopalni Soli Wieliczka — Tuff WT3 in historic part of the Wieliczka Salt Mine / Janusz Wiewiórka, Jerzy Przybyło, Krzysztof Brudnik, Józef Charkot, Krzysztof DUDEK // Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi = Mineral Resources Management ; ISSN 0860-0953 . — 2008 — t. 24 z. 3/2: Przegląd solny = Salt review, s. 211–[224], [4]. — Bibliogr. s. 220, Streszcz., Abstr.
Autorzy (5)
- Wiewiórka Janusz
- Przybyło Jerzy
- Brudnik Krzysztof
- Charkot Józef
- AGHDudek Krzysztof
Słowa kluczowe
Dane bibliometryczne
| ID BaDAP | 42765 |
|---|---|
| Data dodania do BaDAP | 2009-01-22 |
| Rok publikacji | 2008 |
| Typ publikacji | artykuł w czasopiśmie |
| Otwarty dostęp |  |
| Czasopismo/seria | Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi - Mineral Resources Management |
Abstract
The rock-salt deposit Wieliczka, exploited from the 13th until the end of the 20th century, is lying amongst folded Miocene sediments, stretching W-E along the border of the Flysch Carpathians. The salt-bearing formation belongs to the Badenian stage. The whole series in this area is divided into: the Skawina Beds (below the salt), the Wieliczka Beds (the salt-bearing layers), and the Chodenice Beds (above the salt). The Wieliczka deposit distinguishes from other rock-salt deposits in the world by its duality; it consists of the upper boulder deposit and the lower stratiform one. The mine owes its international fame above all to the boulder deposit, from which big blocks of Green Salt were mined manually. Formation of the boulder structures is related to the submarine flows of earlier formed, lens-shaped layers of the rock salt. This way a mighty olystostroma was formed, containing olystoliths of Green Salt, of which the biggest one reached a volume of about 150 000 m(3). Finally, both the boulder and stratiform deposits were distorted by overthrust movements of the Carpathians. The subject of this study is a part of the historic mine dug in the lower, stratiform deposit. Primary layered structures, preserved there, were strongly deformed as a result of the overthrust tectonics. The analysis of the distorted succession of strata is, however, facilitated by tuff layers occurring in barren sediments intercalating the rock-salt deposit. Filling works carried out in the fourth level of the mine opened access to an old gallery, running perpendicularly to the stretching of the deposit, in which very well preserved middle part of the lithostratigraphical profile, including the tuff layer WT3, could be recognised. The gallery, connected through the third level with the Tourist Route, is situated about 1200 m from the Danilowicz Shaft. Together with adjacent chambers dating back to the 19th century, it presents an interesting fragment of the historic part of the mine, helpful for recognition of the geological structures as well as the history of the exploitation of the stratiform deposit in Wieliczka. The tuff layer WT3 outcropping in the walls of the gallery is 12-18 mm thick, light grey and clearly distinctive from the surrounding anhydrite clay. It occurs above the middle-salt sandstone, underlying the fourth, lowest layer of the Green Salt. Mineralogical analysis of the tuff WT3, steel-grey on a fresh surface, revealed that it consists of halite matrix with tiny crystalloclasts of biotite, feldspars and quartz (0.1-0.3 mm). Most abundant arc elongated flakes of biotite, reaching up to 0.4 mm. Such mineralogical composition of the pyroclastic material is pointing to its connection with an acid volcanism. Within the fourth layer of the Green Salt, about 0.6 rn above the tuff layer, there appear marly-clay pebbles containing foraminifers fauna of the highest Moravian, i.e. coming from the bottom of the salt-bearing series (Skawina Beds). Presence of both, the tuff WT3 as well as the clay pebbles, higher in the profile, but coming from the bottom of the deposit, seems to indicate still lasting perturbations of the evaporite sedimentation. The first cycle of sedimentation of the Oldest Salt was broken with the appearance of elastic materials with relatively large amounts of plant vestiges. As a result, sediments called mid-salt sandstone were formed, consisting of sandstone layers with large amounts of charred wood, the tuff layer WT2, and a conglomerate layer. Above the tuff WT3 and the lower part of the fourth layer of the Green Salt, sedimentation of chlorides and sulphates of the second, i.e. main cycle of the stratiform deposit was somewhat calmer. The highest stability in the entire sedimentary basin took place during formation of the Shaft Salt. This layer, of key economic importance for the Cracow Salt Works, was recognised within the whole deposit, from the western outskirts of Wieliczka until the eastern parts of the Bochnia deposit. Unusually complicated overthrust tectonics can be observed in the walls of galleries and chambers in the presented part of the mine. This is illustrated by the geological cross-section (Fig. 3), carried out along the gallery with the tuff layer WT3. There appear extensively folded and scaled complex of the Green Salt as well as reduced or tectonically thickened layer of the Shaft Salt. In the middle part of the gallery there was encountered an uplifted scale with the upper part of the mid-salt sandstone and, above, the anhydrite clay with the tuff WT3. In sites where the Shaft Salt, of primary thickness of 1.5-2.0 m, was tectonically thickened, it was intensely exploited. This way formed vast chambers Sermage in the fourth level, and farther to the north the chambers Geramb and Margielnik, at the third level of the mine. Ten years ago the chambers Sermage were closed down by tight filling up with sand, hydraulically transported with pipelines from the surface. The medium moving the sand was the saturated water solution of salt (NaCl). As a part of the specialist tour it is possible to sec, in the. S part of the gallery with the tuff WT3, the sand that filled the Sermage chambers up. Apart from important outcrops documenting geological structure of the stratiform deposit, the presented fragment of the historic Wieliczka Salt Mine, somewhat distant from the area usually toured, also presents a lot of sites illustrating the history of the mining of the rock salt from the end of the 18th, through the entire 19th century, until recent times. The attention should be paid to the Margielnik chamber, dug out in the zone of the highest thickening of the Shaft Salt and considered as the most interesting, and beautiful in the stratiform deposit. There are visible distinct forms of tectonic indentation of folds of the layered Green Salt with the Shaft Salt bordering it, as well as the Spisa Salt drawn in from the north and the top. Traces of manual exploitation with pickaxes and wedges appearing on the sides of the chamber arouse the admiration of tourists sensitive to the beauty of nature and the effects of masterly and hard work of miners from Wieliczka. The Margielnik. chamber was several times used by film studios as the scenery for well-known fiction and documentary films. In 1866, in the area of intense exploitation of the rock salt and high concentration of mining works on the third level of the mine, the Chapel of St Cross was built. This chapel, full of charm and beauty, situated at the crossing of the galleries August and Geramb, prompts us today to the reflection above the fate of the hard-working here miners. For 150 years they have prayed under the Cross, asking God's protection from dangers threatening them. Three historical plaques commemorate the discovery and recognition of new mining fields. They also present an opportunity for commemorating visits of important persons connected with the contemporary Austrian authorities in the mine. Thanks to action of the Board of Directors of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, some historical objects, like the Chapel of St Cross and the plaque hammered in salt in the gallery Geramb were subjected to the thorough renovation. Protection of the Margielnik chamber will make the presented part of the historic mine one of the most interesting areas outside the Tourist Route.
