Commune: Goleszów (pow. cieszyński, woj. śląskie)
Framework element or context represented:
Lithostratigraphy and sedimentology of Cieszyn Limestone.
Primary geological/geomorphological interest:
Sequence of the Cieszyn Limestones in the flysch of the Outer Carpathians, Silesian unit.
Comparative assessment justification:
Site representative for the Cieszyn Limestones – the oldest and lithologically unique (carbonate) flysch deposits of the Outer Carpathians, which occurrence is restricted only to the western, marginal part of the Outer Carpathians.
Protection status and accessibility:
Proposed for protection as documentary site, well accessible by touristic trail.
Character of site: Abandoned quarry.
Area: 5 ha
Altitude: 420-520 m a.s.l.
Lithology: limestones, shales
Discipline: Palaeobiology, Palaeoenvironment, Stratigraphy of Phanerozoic
Process Age: *all periods
Bedrock Age: Cretaceous, Jurassic, *all periods
Description of primary interest:
On the eastern slope of Mt Jasieniowa, in abandoned quarry and road-cut sequence of Cieszyn Limestones is exposed. They are represented by white or light grey limestone beds interbedded with dark grey marly shales. The limestones are thin bedded, pelithic or fine-grained in lower part of the sequence (30 m long, in the road-cut), and grained, detrital, sandy with thick-bedded and coarse grained, even conglomeratic inserts in upper part (in the quarry, 35 m long). The detrital material is represented mainly by grains of limestones with admixture of organic detritus and quartz sand. Despite of abundant biodetritus of ammonites, crinoids, echinoids, bryozoans, brachiopods and gastropods only a few species of macrofauna could be recognized. Microfossils are represented by benthic foraminifers, ostracods, radiolarians and calpionellids as well as other phytoplankton. Benthic microfauna suggests deep-water environments of sedimentation, whereas biodetrital material was previously deposited in shallow water. The sediments represent a distal part of a submarine fan situated under the basin slope and formed of material derived from shallow carbonate platform situated in the marginal part of the basin. Also structures of the limestones (fractional stratification, etc.) indicate flysch type of sedimentation. Sedimentation of the Cieszyn Beds are related to opening of geosynclinal basin in northern, peripheral part of the Neotethys ocean.
Literature:
ALEXANDROWICZ Z., POPRAWA D., RĄCZKOWSKI W. 1999–Stratotypes and other important geosites of the Polish Carpathians. Pol. Geol. Inst., Spec. Papers, 2: 33-46. GEROCH S., JEDNOROWSKA A., KSIĄŻKIEWICZ M. LISZKOWA J. 1967–V. Stratigraphy based upon microfauna in the Western Polish Carpathians. Biul. Inst. Geol. 211, p. 2: 185-282. GEROCH S., OLSZEWSKA B. 1990–The oldest assemblages of agglutinated foraminifers of the Polish Flysch Carpathians. In: Hembleden C. et al. (eds.) Paleoecology, biostratigraphy, paleooceanography and taxonomy of agglutinated foraminifers. NATO ASI Series C-327, Kluwer acad. Publ.: 525-538. GOLONKA J., OSZCZYPKO N., ŚLĄCZKA A. 2000–Late Carboniferous-Neogene geodynamic evolution and paleogeography of the circum–Carpathian region and adjacent areas. Ann. Soc. Geol. Pol 70, 2: 107-136. LESZCZYŃSKI S., MALIK K. 1996–Carbonates in flysch of the Polish Outer Carpathians (English sum.). Prz. Geol. 44, 2: 151-158. OLSZEWSKA B. 2001–Seria cieszyńska - wyniki badań płytek cienkich (Polish only). Posiedz. Nauk. PIG 57 (9): 76-77. PESZAT C. 1968–The lithological development and conditions of sedimentation of the Cieszyn limestones (English sum.). Prace Geol. PAN, Oddz. w Krakowie 44, 111 pp. ŚLĄCZKA A., KAMIŃSKI M.A. 1998–A guidebook to excursion in the Polish Flysch Carpathians. Special Publ. no 6, Grzybowski Found., Kraków 173 pp.