Abstract
There are numerous traces of mining activity in the Miedzianka Mountain (Świętokrzyskie Mountains, Poland), because copper and silver ores have been mined in this region since at least the 13th century. The history of scientific research on the Miedzianka Mountain ore deposit spans almost 200 years. Almost 40 minerals have been found: ore minerals of Cu and Fe, and also secondary minerals, including carbonates, sulphates and even very rare arsenates, phosphates and vanadates. Three new minerals have been found, staszicite, lubeckite and miedziankite, but their chemical composition has not been precisely determined and therefore their names have not been approved by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA). The Miedzianka Mountain deposit is an important area on the map of educational activities. It is included in the “Świętokrzyskie Archaeological and Geological Trail” as a site of historical (mining and metallurgy) and natural (geological sciences) heritage. Despite the large potential, none of the underground workings (adits and shafts) are currently available to the public. Our research and exploration of the Teresa adit, which is one of the historical underground complexes of the Miedzianka Mountain, show that this adit displays a wide spectrum of topics in the field of mineralogy, geology and mining history. The Teresa adit, which is a 523 m system of underground corridors, contains 270 m of natural karst caves altered by mining works and is constituted of Upper Devonian limestones, locally cut by cherry shales. In several sites of the adit unique features can be observed, such as: (1) old mining works—galleries carved in the rock back in the 19th century; (2) interesting vein mineralization with secondary-colored copper carbonates and multi-colored calcite veins; (3) mineralization with azurite domination; and (4) karst phenomena (coatings, flowstone, dripstones and stalactites) in a cave part of the adit. The sites with unique features suggest that the Teresa adit is highly suitable to be presented to tourists. That is why we propose seven sites on the underground route that could be the basis for further projects to create a “geotouristic trail” in the Teresa adit. The proposal to make the Teresa adit available to tourists is in line with the tendency to protect the post-industrial landscape associated with former mining activities.
Highlights
The term geological heritage is used to describe natural geological features or geomorphological forms that are distinguished by aesthetic, scientific and educational values
Seven selected sites (P1 to P7) (Figure 4) are representative and display interesting geologies, structures, mineralization and minerals. They represent natural cave corridors, cave corridors changed by mining operations, and underground galleries created during the mining works
The entrance to the adit is an almost vertical trench, which narrows downwards to form a chimney (Figure 5a,b)
Summary
The term geological heritage (or geoheritage) is used to describe natural geological features or geomorphological forms that are distinguished by aesthetic, scientific and educational values. The Swietokrzyskie Mountains (southeastern part of Poland) are known for the occurrence of lead ores, copper, silver and gold, as well as rock resources (e.g., so-called “Swietokrzyskie marbles”) [9,10,11,12,13] Many of these ore deposits are examples of unique sites with geological, mineralogical, mining, historical and archeological heritage. The Miedzianka Mountain is one of the sites on the “Swietokrzyskie Archaeological and Geological Trail”, created in 2011 It is included in a proposed project entitled the “Establishment of the Old Polish District of Ore Mining in Miedzianka”. This project includes providing access to the underground galleries of historical adits in the Miedzianka Mountain deposit [15]. It mainly focuses on developing a safe route for visiting, as well as technical documentation (e.g., electrical installation, sound system, strengthen of side walls and roof, etc.) [15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
