Ascending speleogenesis of Sokola Hill: a step towards
a speleogenetic model of the Polish Jura
Gradzinski M.1, Hercman H.2, Kicinska D.3, Pura D.1, 4, Urban J.5
1Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Oleandry 2a, 30-063 Kraków, Poland.
michal.gradzinski@uj.edu.pl
2Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55; 00-818 Warszawa, Poland.
hhercman@twarda.pan.pl
3Ditta Kicinska, Institute of Geology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Maków Polnych 16, Poznan, Poland.
kicinska@amu.edu.pl
4present address – GEOPARTNER Sp. z o.o.; Skosna 39 B, 30-383 Kraków, Poland.
dominik.pura@geopartner.pl
5Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków,
Poland.
urban@iop.krakow.pl
ABSTRACT: The paper deals with the origin of caves in Sokola Hill (Polish Jura). The caves abound in solution cavities in the
walls and ceilings, many of them arranged hierarchically, some others arranged in rising sets. Blind chimneys and
ceiling half-tubes are also present. These features collectively indicate that the caves originated under phreatic conditions
by an ascending flow of water, probably of elevated temperature. Phreatic calcite spar, crystallized from water
of elevated temperature, lines the cave walls. During the formation of the caves the Jurassic limestone aquifer
was confined by impermeable cover. Three possible scenarios for the origin of the caves are suggested. The first scenario
points to formation of the caves during the Palaeogene prior to the removal of the confining cretaceous marls.
The second connects the origin of the caves with regional palaeoflow driven by tectonic loading by carpathian nappes
to the south, while the third refers to local topographically driven palaeoflow. both the second and third scenarios
assume that the Polish Jura had a cover of Miocene impermeable clastics. All the scenarios account for the origin of
the caves in Sokola Hill and explain the common occurrence of ascending caves throughout the Polish Jura.
In the subsequent stages of evolution the caves were partly filled with various deposits. Conglomerates composed
of Jurassic limestone clasts, quartz sands and sandstones are preserved as erosional remnants, locally covered by or
interfingered with calcite flowstones. The clastic deposits were laid down by surface streams that invaded the caves
earlier than 1.2 Ma. The caves were not invaded by water from Pleistocene glaciers, which is proved by the assemblage
of heavy minerals in the cave clastics.
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Arachnostega Bertling, 1992 in the Drumian (Cambrian)
sediments of the Teplá-Barrandian region
(Czech Republic)
Fatka O.1, Mikulas R.2, Szabad M.3, Micka V.4, Valent M.5
1Charles University, Faculty of Science, Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Albertov 6, CZ-128 43
Praha 2, Czech Republic.
fatka@natur.cuni.cz
2Institute of Geology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Rozvojova 269, CZ-165 00, Praha 6,
Czech Republic.
mikulas@gli.cas.cz
3Obrancu miru 75, CZ-261 02 Pribram VII, Czech Republic.
geosz.pb@seznam.cz
4Satrova 662, CZ-142 00 Praha 4 – Kamyk, Czech Republic.
MickaV@seznam.cz
5National Museum, Department of Palaeontology, Václavske nam. 68, 11579 Prague 1, Czech Republic.
martin_valent@nm.cz
ABSTRACT: The presence of the ichnospecies Arachnostega gastrochaenae Bertling, 1992 is documented from the Cambrian
for the first time. It occurs in several stratigraphical levels of the “middle” Cambrian sediments in the Příbram-
Jince and Skryje-Týřovice basins of the Teplá-Barrandian region in the Czech Republic. Simple tunnels as well
as the complicated morphologies of Arachnostega were observed on internal moulds of trilobite exoskeletons
and hyolithid conchs and represent the oldest record of this ichnogenus. The Cambrian occurrences of Arachnostega
on skeletal body fossils evoke the connection between the Arachnostega-type feeding strategy and the
sudden appearance of numerous skeletal animals. The development of the Arachnostega-type behaviour can be
considered a feature of the “Cambrian substrate revolution.”
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Campanian (Late Cretaceous) hexactinellid sponges
from the white chalk of Mielnik (Eastern Poland)
Olszewska-Nejbert D.1, Swierczewska-Gladysz E.2
1Institute of Geology, University of Warsaw, Al. Zwirki i Wigury 93, PL-02-089 Warszawa; Poland.
don@uw.edu.pl
2Institute of Earth Science, University of Lodz, ul. Narutowicza 88, PL-90-139 Łodz; Poland.
eswiercz@geo.uni.lodz.pl
ABSTRACT: The taxonomic description of the Campanian (upper Cretaceous) hexactinellid sponges from the white chalk
of Mielnik, eastern Poland, is presented. The fauna comprises 19 species belonging to 15 genera, representing
by the Hexactinosida and Lychniscosida. The species Polyopesia macropora is described as new. They represent
a typical sponge assemblage of the North European Province. Most of the specimens are strongly phosphatized
(85% of the material), less common are grey-beige, slightly phosphatized specimens (11%), and distinctly
rarer are specimens infilled with white chalk (3%) and silicified specimens (1%). Phosphatization was
the dominant fossilization process of the hexactinellid sponges in the white chalk of Mielnik.
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Echinoids and pectinid bivalves from the Early
Miocene Mishan Formation of Iran
Kroh A.1, Gholamalian H.2, Mandic O.1, Coric S.3, Harzhauser M.1, Reuter M.4, Piller W. E.4
1Natural History Museum Vienna, Department of Geology and Palaeontology, Burgring 7, 1010 Vienna, Austria
andreas.kroh@nhm-wien.ac.at
oleg.mandic@nhm-wien.ac.at
mathias.harzhauser@nhm-wien.ac.at
2Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, I.R. Iran
hossein.gholamalian@yahoo.com
3Geological Survey of Austria, Neulinggasse 38, 1030 Vienna, Austria
stjepan.coric@geologie.ac.at
4Institute for Earth Sciences, University of Graz, Heinrichstrasse 26, 8010 Graz, Austria
markus.reuter@uni-graz.at
werner.piller@uni-graz.at
ABSTRACT: Shallow marine echinoids and pectinid bivalves from the Early Miocene Guri Member of the Mishan Formation
cropping out at the Gery sheikh section north of bandar pohl in the area of the hormuz strait, Iran, are reported.
The echinoid fauna indicates a burdigalian age for the Guri Member. This is supported by new calcareous
nannoplankton data from this unit, which suggest an age from Aquitanian to middle burdigalian (NN1–NN3).
From a palaeobiogeographic point of view the fauna of the Guri Member is related to the faunas from central
Saudi Arabia, southeast Pakistan and northwest India. The absence of Western Tethyan elements supports earlier
data suggesting that a faunal separation between proto-Mediterranean and proto-Indian ocean faunas was
well developed before the terminal tethyan Event. The echinoids Fibularia damensis Kier, 1972 and Anisaster
arabica Kier, 1972 are new records for Iran, having been known before solely from Saudi Arabia. Brissus
daviesi Jain, 2002 is transferred to Rhynobrissus based on the characters of its fascioles, petalodium and plas
tron; this constituting the first fossil record of the genus.
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Evolution of an Eemian lake based on Cladocera
analysis (Konin area, Central Poland)
Pawlowski D.
Institute of Geology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Maków Polnych 16, Pl-61-606 Poznan, Poland.
dominikp@amu.edu.pl
ABSTRACT: The succession of Cladocera assemblages in the Eemian Slawoszewek palaeolake (Central Poland) and the inferred
environmental parameters are presented. The Cladocera assemblages provide a rich and relatively complete
record of the Cladocera succession of the Eemian Interglacial, and are similar to those from other Eemian
sites in Poland. The species composition and the variability in frequency of specimens of Cladocera made it possible
to distinguish five zones of their development, which correlate well with pollen data. The Slawoszewek
palaeolake existed from the early Eemian to the late Eemian Interglacial; at the end of the middle Eemian, the
lake dried up temporarily. The cladoceran assemblages show that the initial shallow, oligotrophic status of the
lake was followed by an increase to eutrophic status, especially during the interglacial optimum. Based on cladoceran
composition, changes in climatic conditions in the mid-pollen zone E1, the late pollen zone E5 and in pollen
zone E7, were recognized. It appears that cladoceran development was due mainly to climate changes, but also
to changes in the locally prevailing conditions within the water body. The high frequency of cladocerans and the
presence of cladoceran taxa preferring warmer water in mid-pollen zone E1 show an increase in temperature.
The appearance of cold-tolerant Cladocera species at the end of pollen zone E5, suggests unfavourable conditions,
probably cooling. Changes in Cladocera patterns in pollen zone E7 show that warm conditions still obtained
in this area.
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