Heavy minerals in sediments from the Mošnica Cave: Implications for the pre-Quaternary evolution of the middle-mountain allogenic karst in the Nízke Tatry Mts., Slovakia

Abstract

UDC 551.442(437) Katarína Bónová, Pavel Bella, Ján Bóna, Ján Spišiak, Martin Kováčik, Martin Kováčik & Ľubomír Petro: Heavy minerals in sediments from the Mošnica Cave: Implications for the preQuaternary evolution of the middle-mountain allogenic karst in the Nízke Tatry Mts., Slovakia The cave deposits from the Mošnica Cave located on the northern slope of the Nízke Tatry Mts. were analysed by sedimentological, petrographical and mineralogical methods. Based on mineralogical study the cave sediments are composed of dolomite, quartz, muscovite, amphibole, chlorite, calcite, Kfeldspar and plagioclase. Heavy mineral assemblage is formed by garnet, zircon, apatite, monazite, tourmaline, staurolite, rutile, titanite, epidote, sillimanite, allanite, andalusite and barite. Opaque minerals are represented by ilmenite, pyrite, magnetite, Cr-spinel, Fe-oxyhydroxides and chalcopyrite. Detailed research of chemical composition of the heavy minerals points to their source rocks formed by granitoids, amphibolites and amphibolite gneisses representing the crystalline basement and probably by Triassic cover sediments of the Lúžna Formation. Presence of the allochthonous minerals in the cave from metamorphic complex recently occurred on the opposite southern slope of the Nízke Tatry Mts. indicates a past larger catchment area of the allogenic karst of Mošnica Valley on the pre-Quaternary less dissected terrain. A change of watershed boundary leading through the central range of the Nízke Tatry Mts. was probably connected with the tilting of this mountain range IzvlečekUDK 551.442(437) Katarína Bónová, Pavel Bella, Ján Bóna, Ján Spišiak, Martin Kováčik, Martin Kováčik & Ľubomír Petro: Težki minerali v sedimentih iz jame Mošnica: implikacije za predkvartarni razvoj srednjegorskega alogenega krasa v Nizkih Tatrah, Slovaška Jamski sediment iz jame Mošnica, ki se nahaja na severnem pobočju Nizkih Tater, so bili analizirani z sedimentološkimi, petrografskimi in mineraloškimi metodami. Na podlagi mineraloških raziskav jamske sedimente sestavljajo dolomit, kremen, muskovit, amfibol, klorit, kalcit, K-glinenec in plagioklaz. Težko mineralno frakcijo predstavljajo granat, cirkon, apatit, monazit, turmalin, staurolit, rutil, titanit, epidot, sillmanit, allanit, andaluzit in barit. Neprozorni minerali so zastopani z ilmenitom, piritom, magnetitom, Cr-spinelom, Fe-oksihidroksidi in halkopiritom. Detajlna analiza kemične sestave težkih mineralov je nakazala njihov izvor iz granitov, amfibolitov in amfibolitnih gnajsov, ki predstavljajo kristalinsko podlago in iz triasnih krovnih sedimentov Lužna formacije. Prisotnost alohtonega materiala iz metamorfnega kompleksa, ki so bili najdeni v jami na nasprotnem južnem pobočju Nizkih Tater nakazuje nekdanje večje območje porečja alogenega krasa v dolini Mošnice na predkvartarnim manj razčlenjenim terenu. Sprememba meje porečja, ki poteka skozi osrednje območje Nizkih Tater je bila verjetno povezana z nagibanjem tega pogorja proti severu zaradi kompresijskega tektonskega režima v času poznega ...

Reconstruction of ancient drainage in the contact karst of the Harmanecká dolina Valley, Western Carpathians, based on mineralogical data from the allochthonous sediments and isobase geomorphometry

“…Several caves in the Western Carpathians, which are at approximately the same or similar relative elevation above the current valley floor, were formed before the Late Pliocene (Bella, 2022); the caves of Pliocene age occur at a lower relative elevation above the current valley floor (e.g., Bella et al, 2011Bella et al, , 2014. The different relative elevations may have been caused by different neotectonic uplift (Bezák et al, 2004;Maglay et al, 1999a), but this issue will probably not be resolved until dating the age of burial of the allochthonous cave sediments.…”

“…HMs as a common component of the clastic (including cave) sediments provide crucial information on their source lithologies and source areas (e.g., Bónová et al, 2014; Garzanti et al, 2018, 2022; Morton & Hallsworth, 1999). This can help to reveal different cave evolution stages and also to better understand the palaeogeographic development of a larger surrounding area.…”

Application of Ground Penetrating Radar Supported by Mineralogical-Geochemical Methods for Mapping Unroofed Cave Sediments

“…Clastic cave sediments that encompass autochthonous and allochthonous cave sediments [14] have been the subject of many studies because they are important in paleoclimatic and paleogeographic reconstructions and help us understand the relationship between sedimentary and speleogenetic processes [14][15][16][17][18][19]. Although the objective of this paper is not to study the origin of the cave sediments, it should be noted that cave sediments can be of autogenic (originating from the cave) or allogenic (surface material transported with the stream flow) origin and are not homogeneous throughout the cave [20].…”