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Hypogene Speleogenesis in the Karst of Poland—Regional Review

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Hypogene Karst Regions and Caves of the World

Part of the book series: Cave and Karst Systems of the World ((CAKASYWO))

Abstract

Karstified rocks are widely distributed in Poland; most of them are covered by unconsolidated Cenozoic deposits. Paleozoic and Mesozoic carbonates and Neogene evaporites host numerous paleokarstic features and solution caves, being of polygenetic and multi-stage origin. Works on hydrothermal karst and sulfide ores emplaced in caves of the Silesian-Kraków region, the large paleokarst caves filled with Permian internal sediment or thermal convection model for caves in the Polish Jura date back to the 1970s. Quite well-documented hydrothermal karst is preserved as paleokarstic features in several localities in the Silesian-Kraków region, Holly Cross Mts. and Sudetes. Characteristic cave sediments including crystalline calcite spar, sulfide ores emplaced within hydrothermal cave sediments and solution-collapse breccias are associated with these features. Travertines, which are surface manifestation of hypogene karst, dated through their paleontological assemblage, support their post-Variscan—Permian and Late Triassic age. Their hydrothermal origin was also determined by detailed studies of sediments and fluid inclusions. Less certain, based mainly on studies of relict cave morphology and limited calcite spar, are the Cenozoic—Paleogene and Neogene hypogene events in the Carpathians (Tatra Mts.) and their foreland (Polish Jura). Review of published references and concepts related to hypogene origin of caves and karst in Poland is presented in this contribution.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thanks anonymous reviewers for constructive comments and Augusto S. Aurel for editorial handling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, ul. Oleandry 2a, 30-063, Kraków, Poland

    Michał Gradziński

  2. Department of Geomorphology, University of Silesia, ul. Będzińska 60, 41-200, Sosnowiec, Poland

    Andrzej Tyc

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  1. Michał Gradziński
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Correspondence to Andrzej Tyc .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydrogeological Problems, Institute of Geological Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine

    Alexander Klimchouk

  2. Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, State University of New York, Oneonta, New York, USA

    Arthur N. Palmer

  3. Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, Universita di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Jo De Waele

  4. Instituto do Carste, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil

    Augusto S. Auler

  5. University of Nice Sophia Antipolis, Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France

    Philippe Audra

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Gradziński, M., Tyc, A. (2017). Hypogene Speleogenesis in the Karst of Poland—Regional Review. In: Klimchouk, A., N. Palmer, A., De Waele, J., S. Auler, A., Audra, P. (eds) Hypogene Karst Regions and Caves of the World. Cave and Karst Systems of the World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53348-3_22

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