Abstract
Sparry limestone, ferruginous muddy limestone and limestone breccia have been found in the Western Tatra Mts. They occur within Jurassic rocks of the Choc Nappe just below red conglomerates of probable Eocene age. The deposits found bear strong resemblance to the infill of subterranean karst forms. They differ significantly from Quaternary karst deposits of the Tatra Mts. The δ 18 O values of spelean carbonates suggest crystallisation at relatively high temperatures (over 20°C) whereas their relatively negative δ 13 C values imply the presence of soil-derived CO 2 linked with vegetation dominated by C3 pathway plants. The karst forms and their infill were formed before the Eocene transgression, which shows unequivocally that the Tatra Mts. were subjected to karstification at that time.
Highlights
Several periods of non-deposition in subaerial conditions occurred in the geological history of the Tatra Mts
The spatial organization of the crystals suggests that sparry limestone grew on a cave wall as a flowstone cover whereas the microscopic features imply that it was fed with a water film flowing down the cave wall
The ferruginous muddy limestone is a deposit composed of extraclasts derived from local rocks mixed with a residual matrix
Summary
Several periods of non-deposition in subaerial conditions occurred in the geological history of the Tatra Mts. Roniewicz (1969) noted that Eocene red conglomerate in the area of Hruby Regiel was laid dawn on an uneven, karstified surface of the oldest rocks present and Received: October 23, 2015; accepted: January 7, 2016; first published online: February 29, 2016 that the conglomerates in question are locally underlain by breccias with a red-stained matrix. Głazek (1989, 2000, 2004) summarized previous opinion about the geological history of the Tatra Mts. between nappe thrusting and the Eocene transgression and ascribed a karst origin to the breccias in question He postulated the presence of an extensive polje in the area of the present Hruby Regiel before the Eocene transgression. Many suggestions as summarized above have been put forward, no unequivocal proof on pre-Eocene karstification of the Tatra Mts. has been provided so far
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