Oxygenic bismuth minerals in the NE part of the Karkonosze pluton (West Sudetes, SW Poland)

Abstract

The study presents fifteen oxygen-bearing secondary minerals of bismuth from the north-eastern part of the Variscan Karkonosze granitoid pluton in the northern zone of the Bohemian massif. The minerals were investigated by optical, electron microprobe, classic chemical, XRD, IR absorption and fluid inclusion methods. The late, very low temperature epithermal solutions most probably caused formation of sillénite, kusachiite, bismoclite, bismutite, beyerite, kettnerite, pucherite, schumacherite, namibite and eulytite. Solutions dominated by supergene (meteoric) waters were the parents for bismite, russellite, koechlinite, ximengite and walpurgite. The paper also contains information on early research on the investigated minerals.