SW Poland Research Articles

A complex case of trade in metals: The origin of copper used for artefacts found in one hoard from a Late Bronze Age Lusatian Urnfield Culture in Poland

Metal artefacts from Bronze Age hoards have routinely been used to study interregional contacts. Their stylistic and typological features helped distinguish local products and imports by appearance. In the last 40 years, combined lead isotope and chemical analyses of metals have been widely applied to verify hypotheses based on style and typology. This paper is a comprehensive typological and analytical study of a metal item hoard discovered in Paszowice, SW Poland. In the Bronze Age, the area was inhabited by the Lusatian Urnfield culture (ca. 1350/1300–800/750 BC) communities. We expected that at least some of the artefacts would be local products fashioned according to foreign stylistic patterns. The research aimed to determine whether a ‘classical’ stylistic analysis combined with provenance studies of metals would allow more decisive conclusions. This combination of methods could also show how the metal reached the Lusatian Urnfield culture settlement zone. We conducted a detailed typological and chronological analysis to map the distribution of similar artefact types. It demonstrated that stylistic matches for the artefacts from Paszowice occur mainly in NE Hungary, S Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Romania. Selected metal artefacts (both tin bronze items and raw copper objects) from Paszowice were also analysed for their chemical (EPMA) and lead isotope (MC ICP MS) compositions. The study revealed many copper sources used for their production, ranging from the nearest copper mines in the Slovak Ore Mountains, through Eastern Alps and mines in Sardinia, to possibly the Iberian Peninsula. In this way, we identified the potential trade routes by which metal could get to SW Poland: the southwestern and southeastern routes and the Mediterranean-Danube route. The Iberian metal might have also reached the study area from the north – through its redistribution by Scandinavian traders. Our results show that metal from many sources circulated in central Europe during the Late Bronze Age. The Lusatian Urnfield communities were part of a pan-European exchange network and maintained extensive long-distance contacts, allowing metal acquisition from various sources.

Role of rivers in restricting pollution movement, as evidenced by chemical and isotopic research on the Widawa River in Wrocław (SW Poland)

This article presents results of chemical and isotopic studies of shallow groundwater and surface waters in order to determine the degree of their contamination near to artificial irrigation fields. The study applied the methodology of detailed sampling around the river in order to capture the direction of pollutant flow and to determine the state of the environment. Samples were taken on both sides of the river, from its bottom and directly from the river. Thanks to bottom pressure measurements, it was possible to determine in what section the river drains or infiltrates groundwater, which, combined with chemical and isotope analyses, made it possible to determine the aims of this study. As it turns out, the nature of the river in the study area is mainly neutral and in lesser extent draining, which does not translate into the degree of groundwater pollution at every point. Due to the sampling methodology used, it was also possible to determine the depth of redox processes and the origin of sulfur in water, which comes mainly from precipitation and other anthropogenic sources. Chemical tests indicate an average quality of shallow groundwater, anthropogenically transformed to varying degrees depending on the location of measurement point. These preliminary results support the applicability of this sampling methodology to other studies and indicate the need to perform more detailed chemical analysis.

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) migration in groundwater of the Zechstein strata in the Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin and its vicinity, SW Poland

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) occurs in groundwater in various lithostratigraphic units of the Zechstein Basin in the Legnica-Głogów Copper Basin (SW Poland). This region is located in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline within which, several tens of kilometres NE of the study area, at greater depths, natural gas fields with hydrogen sulphide (H2S) occur. The Main Dolomite (Ca2), in which H2S-containing natural gas has accumulated, is younger than the Zechstein Limestone (Ca1), which is actively mined. The Ca2 and Ca1 formations are separated by a thick anhydrite succession including a wedge-shaped salt body. Hydrochemical analyses of 18 groundwater samples taken from different horizons within the Zechstein strata showed spatial variability ofH2S and chloride concentrations. A conceptual model of groundwater flow with dissolved H2S in the Zechstein formations was developed. H2S migration is associated with groundwater flow between the Ca2 and Ca1 aquifers through fissures in the anhydrite strata that separate them. Hydraulic contact through fissures in the anhydrite layers is the result of long-term exploitation of the underground copper deposit. Groundwater flow between the layers is influenced by a large change in the piezometric pressure of the groundwater in the depression cone caused by mining drainage.

Mineralogy and in situ S and Pb isotope characteristics of ore minerals from polymetallic mineralization in the Gierczyn-Przecznica area, SW Poland

Chlorite-mica-quartz schist in the Gierczyn-Przecznica area in SW Poland contains polymetallic ores which were the source of tin and cobalt in the past. This mineralogical study revealed the presence of silver-bearing minerals including members of the tetrahedrite (Ag <3 apfu) and freibergite series (3 < Ag < 8 apfu), galena (0.26–1.48 wt.% Ag), and a phase with the chemical composition of Te-rich canfieldite Ag8Sn(S,Te)6. In Przecznica Sn-sulphides are represented by stannite while cobaltite is the most abundant host for cobalt, followed by Co-bearing arsenopyrite. Glaucodot, ullmannite and members of the löllingite-rammelsbergite solid-solution series (Fe,Ni,Co)As2 also contain cobalt but are scarce in the samples. An exposure in the “Psi Grzbiet” area is characterized by the presence of Ag, Ni, Sb and Te minerals accompanied by very small amounts of As-bearing phases (represented by arsenopyrite) while the mineralogical composition in the Przecznica area is characterized by an abundance of As phases and a lack of Sb minerals. Sulphur isotopes of sulphides from Przecznica are heavier than in most deposits related to the Karkonosze Granite intrusion, while their Pb isotope signature in galena suggests an Early Paleozoic pre-Variscan affinity rather than a Variscan one.

Carnivores record and Palaeolithic bear cult in Europe: a review from Radochowska Cave (Sudety Mts, SW Poland)

ABSTRACT The Radochowska Cave is known primarily from the find of a cave bear skull, intended to be placed intentionally by Palaeolithic hunters in a ‘stone cage’. This find was supposed to be proof of the existence of the cult of bear hunters at this site. Critical analysis did not give a clear answer to its occurrence or a clear negation of this phenomenon. Research is not facilitated by the fact that a large part of the collection was lost after World War II. The found part, especially numerously represented by predatory mammals, made it possible to verify the old lists of fauna and extend them with a number of new species, often unknown from the Polish Sudetes, such as Cuon alpinus europaeus or Panthera pardus. The analysis showed the presence of two main faunistic associations. The older one, dated to MIS 3, is represented by a number of cold-loving forms. Remains of Holocene species and those from the very end of the last glaciation represent the second faunal assemblage.

Profile Distributions of Potentially Toxic Metal(loid)s in Soils of the Middle Odra Floodplain (SW Poland).

Floodplain soils are often contaminated with potentially toxic elements of geogenic and anthropogenic origin. This also applies to a valley of the Odra river, which in its upper reach flows through areas of historical and contemporary mining and heavy industry. This study examined the distribution of typically anthropogenic metal(loid)s, i.e., Pb, Zn, Cu, As and Cd, and geogenic metals, i.e., Mn and Fe, in soil profiles of the middle Odra valley, and analyzed factors that determine their concentrations. Thirteen soil profiles, located inter the embankment area and outside the embankments, were examined. Most of profiles indicated stratification typical for alluvial soils. Topsoil layers in the inter-embankment zone showed considerable enrichment in Pb, Zn and Cd, and to a lesser extent in Cu and As. Low soil pH is an important factor of environmental risk; therefore, acidic soils definitely require liming. The soils located out of embankments did not show any considerable enrichment in the elements examined. Based on significant correlations between the concentrations of metal(loid)s in deep soil layers and soil texture, the values of local geochemical background were derived. Outliers, particularly in the case of As, were explained by possible redistribution under reducing conditions.

Soil Organic Matter Composition in Urban Soils: A Study of Wrocław Agglomeration, SW Poland

In urban areas, because of anthropopressure, the transformation of the soil cover can lead to the complete destruction of the natural layout and properties of these soils. The object of this study was to determine the quantity and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) originating in the topsoil horizons of the central part of Wroclaw (SW of Poland). Fractional composition of SOM and humic substances (HS) analysis were performed. Elemental composition and CP MAS 13C NMR spectra for the humic acids (HA) were determined, and α (aromaticity) and ω (oxidation) ratios were calculated. Total organic carbon content ranged from 22.39 to 66.1 g kg–1, while that of total nitrogen ranged from 2.09 to 4.6 g kg1. In most analysed urban soils, the highest share in SOM was found for residual carbon (CR), while HA of low maturity was the predominant group over FA. CP MAS 13C NMR spectroscopy of HA molecules indicated the structure of the samples was dominated by compounds with low aromaticity cores and considerable contents of aliphatic components. In urban soils, efforts should be made to enhance organic matter transformation into more matured and stable forms via, e.g., compost application and chemical treatments, and lawn maintenance should be very strictly controlled and limited.

Pierwsze stwierdzenie Phytolacca americana (Phytolaccaceae) w południowo-zachodniej Polsce

A synanthropic locality of the pokeweed was found near the village Jankowice Wielkie (Olszanka commune, Brzeg district, Opole Silesia province, SW Poland) on 27.07.2022 (Figs 1, 2). Fruiting individuals were observed in a dry ditch with a row of old mulberry Morus alba on a roadsides near a poultry farm. To date, it has never been recorded in the wild in south-western Poland. Phytolacca americana can be considered as an ephemerophyte, a neophyte or as a causal alien plant in Poland.

Application of Terrestrial Laser Scanning for the Evaluation of Geokinematics of Selected Structural Phenomena in Mine Workings in the Rudna Mine (SW Poland)

Application of Terrestrial Laser Scanning for the Evaluation of Geokinematics of Selected Structural Phenomena in Mine Workings in the Rudna Mine (SW Poland)

The eastern part of the Saxothuringian Terrane characterized by zircon and monazite data from the Doboszowice Metamorphic Complex in the Sudetes (SW Poland)

The eastern part of the Saxothuringian Terrane characterized by zircon and monazite data from the Doboszowice Metamorphic Complex in the Sudetes (SW Poland)

Chronostratigraphy of the Periglacial Loess-Paleosol Sequence in Zaprężyn, SW Poland

Abstract Loess-paleosol sequences (LPS) are an exceptional source of palaeoclimate data constituting an indirect record of changing environmental and climatic conditions that prevailed during loess deposition and early diagenesis. The Zaprężyn LPS (17°11′52″E, 51°14′44″N) is situated in the southern morphological edge of the Trzebnica Hills. This sequence provides an opportunity to reconstruct past climate conditions in this part of SW Poland. In this work, we used two sets of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating from the Gliwice and Bayreuth laboratory to establish a chronological framework for this profile. The results of 14C accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating were also used. The dating results are accompanied by detailed analyses of grain-size distribution and colour. The applied methodology allowed us to distinguish four litho-pedotratigraphic units: modern soil S0, L1LL1 loess unit, L1LL2 loess unit and fossil S1 soil. The OSL dating results indicate an unconformity representing a time interval >30 ka between the L1LL1 and L1LL2 units. This unconformity explains the lack of a L1SS1 soil unit. In Zaprężyn LPS, the presence of the ice wedge pseudomorph in L1LL2 loess unit was recorded. Ice wedge pseudomorph approves the presens the permafrost conditions during the Lower Plenivistulian in Trzebnica Hills.

Petrographic, palynological and geochemical recognition of dispersed organic matter in the black Anthracosia Shales (Sudetes, south-west Poland)

We describe the organic petrography, palynology and Rock-Eval pyrolysis values of lacustrine black shales termed the Anthracosia Shales (Upper Carboniferous/Lower Permian) in the Intrasudetic Basin (Sudetes, SW Poland). Samples were taken from cores of two boreholes: Rybnica Leśna PIG 1 and Ścinawka Średnia PIG 1. Maceral composition, miospore assemblage composition, palynofacies and geochemical characteristics of dispersed organic matter in the Anthracosia Shales were used to determine conditions of the environment and to evaluate their petroleum potential. Data from both organic petrography and palynology analyses enabled recognition of three broadly distinct organic associations in these shales: bituminous, humic, and intermediate, while Rock-Eval pyrolysis revealed the presence of bituminous and humic kerogen types I and III. Type I corresponds to the bituminous association, with amorphous organic matter (AOM) dominant in the palynofacies, and type III corresponds to the humic association with phytoclasts prevailing in the palynofacies. The thermal maturity of the organic matter is determined by the values of: (1) vitrinite reflectance V Ro = 0.53–0.73%, (2) palynomorph 3–4 colour index, and (3) T max = 443–447°C, which indicate oil window maturity. Some of the TOC results (1.6–2.9 wt.%) indicate that the Anthracosia Shales are good and very good petroleum source rocks, though the thickness of this interval is low (4–5 m). Shales with TOC values <0.5 wt.% prevail, and may be classifed as poor source rocks.

Silicite („flint”) from Opole-Groszowice: Contribution to recognition of the raw materials used during prehistory in the Odra River valley

Until recently it was thought that all the erratic flints found at the Stone Age sites in the upper part of the Odra Valley were considered as silicites from the Baltic Sea. Their age of Baltic flints is associated with the Cretaceous, more precisely with the Maastrichtian or Palaeogene. However, it turns out that among these rocks, there are also silicites that are of different age and origin. They were first found in outcrops of sands and gravels around Opole-Groszowice, SW Poland. So far, these flints have not been distinguished in archaeological assemblages. Petrographic analysis presented in this article proves that these silicites of brown colour are of Jurassic age. They entered the glacial sediments via the lobes of the Drenthe glaciation. They were used in the same way as raw materials of Baltic origin. In this paper we show some examples of Palaeolithic and younger sites, where artifacts made of brown silicite occurred. In the past, these kind of flints from this region were often regarded as imports from the Kraków-Częstochowa Plateau.

Flint and bronze spear and arrowheads from the Bronze and Iron Age settlement at Ruszowice in SW Poland

We analysed a small collection of three arrowheads and one piece of spearhead. They were made of flint and metal andcome from the Bronze and Early Iron Age settlement at Ruszowice in today SW Poland. Although only one comesfrom a settlement pit, we argue they were used by the community occupying the site at the beginning of the Urnfieldperiod which starts around 1300 BC. All four objects bear clear traces of use including hafting and sharpening provingthey use in every-day life.

Albitization and oxidation of Variscan granitoid rocks related to the post-Variscan paleosurface in the Sudetes (Bohemian Massif, SW Poland)

Albitization and oxidation of Variscan granitoid rocks related to the post-Variscan paleosurface in the Sudetes (Bohemian Massif, SW Poland)

Recently formed arsenates from an abandoned mine in Radzimowice (SW Poland) and the conditions of their formation

In the mining galleries of the abandoned Au-As mine in Radzimowice, diverse groups of secondary arsenates crystallized recently. They form several characteristic assemblages. In the first of them the typical minerals are bukovskýite and melanterite. The second group of secondary arsenates includes scorodite, kaňkite, zýkaite, and pitticite. The third assemblage includes Co-Ni-Mg arsenates of the erythrite-annabergite-hörnesite series. The first assemblage crystallized in a zone with a very high activity of sulphate and arsenate ions and where the pH varies within a narrow range of 2.0–3.5. The second group of secondary arsenates formed in the acidic zone. The minerals identified here suggest pH variation within fairly wide ranges, from about 2.0 to 5.5. Contrary to the first and second mineral assemblage, the Co-Ni-Mg arsenates formed under different geochemical conditions. Their crystallization took place under weak acidic to neutral conditions.

Three age ranges of Cenozoic basaltic rocks from Lower Silesia (SW Poland) based on 40Ar/39Ar step-heating data

The precise ages of Cenozoic basaltic rocks from 20 localities (24 samples) in south-western Poland were studied by means of the 40Ar/39Ar isotope method. Three phases of volcanic activity were identified in this area. The older, Ruphelian phase took place 31–29 Ma ago and the younger, Aquitanian phase occurred 22–21 Ma ago. Significantly younger ages (4.8–4.6 Ma: Zanclean phase) were obtained for the basalts cropping out in the vicinity of Lądek Zdrój only. Most of the analyzed basalts from the Ruphelian phase are classified as nephelinites. They occur in the area of Lausitz Masif, south of Sudetic Marginal Fault and in the Opole Depression. The volcanic rocks from the Aquitanian phase crop out in the wide area north of the Sudetic Marginal Fault. They are composed of alkali basalts. The youngest phase is represented by the basanites only. The deep discontinuous tectonic structures intersecting the areas of volcanic activity in SW Poland, parallel or oblique to the tectonic stress directions previously reconstructed for the Oligocene and Miocene in the Bohemian Massif, were most probably reactivated by an extension approximately parallel or slightly oblique to them, thus opening pathways for the migration of basaltic magma in the Sudetes and their foreland.

Ecological quality of the “Torfowisko pod Węglińcem” nature reserve (SW Poland) based on magnetic and geochemical studies

In this research a combination of magnetic, geochemical and microscopic techniques was used to investigate the ombrothropic peat bog, which covers the “Torfowisko pod Węglińcem” nature reserve, situated in south-western Poland. Hysteresis parameters and measurements of magnetic susceptibility show that the surface layer (∼15 cm) of the protected peat bog area is contaminated by strongly-magnetic materials e.g. low-coercivity magnetite. Geochemical analyses revealed higher concentrations of certain chemical elements (e.g. Li, Al, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ga, Ba and Pb) in the approximately 10 cm surface peat layer. The vertical distribution of the magnetic susceptibility and most of the analyzed chemical elements exhibit strong correlation and this demonstrates that the identified anthropogenic contaminants accumulate via atmospheric deposition. The microscopic analyses of the magnetic material separated from the peat samples identified two types of metal-rich particulates: spherules and irregularly shaped particles including an octahedral magnetic crystals (mean diameter of both types ∼10–300 μm). The magnetic bi-plots show that even finer magnetic grains (<10 μm) may be found at the studied area. The radiocarbon (14C) dating of the surface samples suggests that the formation of the contaminated top peat layer has occurred during last 300 years. In such case the analyzed magnetic material may be the proof of both: historical as well as the present atmospheric deposition.

Adventitious roots as a source of information in reconstructing the activity of modern aeolian processes in the temperate climate zone: A case study from the Kozłów sandy area (SW Poland)

This paper presents a spatial-temporal reconstruction of inland dune movements at an anthropogenic active sandy area known as the Kozłów Desert, SW Poland. This unique sandy area, with assemblages of aeolian forms typical of “true” deserts, is an inactive military training ground (decommissioned in 1992) where military activity led to the initiation of geomorphic processes. The reconstruction was carried out based on the growth reaction characteristics of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and downy birch (Betula pubescens L.) trees. 14 increment cores were collected from 12 trees and analysed with standard dendrochronological techniques. Samples of adventitious roots from all the trees examined were collected and prepared to extend the analyses and check their usefulness in dating modern geomorphic processes. The adventitious roots of pine and birch were found to react differently to burial, in terms of both reaction time and the shape of the root system. Growth-ring widths and wood anatomy were indicative of sudden or multi-stage sand movement, thus confirming the usefulness of adventitious roots as an additional source of information about aeolian process activity. More broadly, the study shows that the dynamics of landforming processes can be assessed more accurately and reliably by using such a combination of methods, comparing data from roots to data from tree trunks.

Population densities of birds breeding in an urban environment dominated by allotment gardens and other ‘green’ areas in a Central European city

Abstract A total of 50 breeding bird species were recorded in 2017 in an urban environment (589 ha) in the city of Wrocław, SW Poland. This environment was dominated by green habitats, such as allotment gardens (41.2%), parklnds (13.4%) and forests (2.7%). For 41 species, population densities were estimated. A high population densities were recorded for Phoenicurus phoenicurus (9.2 pairs / 100 ha), Sylvia atricapilla (7.3), Turdus merula (6.6), Phoenicurus ochruros (6.3), Luscinia megarhynchis (5.3.), Sylvia curruca (4.1) and Serinus serinus (3.7). In the alltment gardens, much higher population density of Pica pica (14.5) than Corvus cornix (6.5); and higher population density of Columba palumbus (2.8) than Streptopelia decaocto (1.2) were recorded.