Flowstone-like calcite in the andesite of Jarmuta Mt. – dating the Holocene tectonic activity in the vicinity of Szczawnica (Magura Nappe, Outer Carpathians, Poland)

Abstract

Extensional fractures partly filled with calcite showing the characteristics of flowstone have been observed in the andesite from Jarmuta Mt. The isotopic composition of this calcite indicates low-temperature crystallization conditions and its vadose origin. U-Th dating of the flowstone-like calcite indicates ages of ~2.5-6.5 ka. The calcite grew on a rough and fresh andesite surface, and hence its age may correspond to the age of the extensional fractures. Rhythmically distributed intergrowths of clay minerals present in the calcite may reflect annual climatic oscillations and show that the calcite grew for at least 500 years. The calcite filling the extensional fractures, like the calcite cementing the loosened cataclastic zones cutting the andesite, does not show any features indicating younger deformations. The origin and geometric features of the fractures show that they could have formed in response to increased strike-slip activity within the deep fault zone known as the Dunajec Fault, which may coincide with the fracture zone between the Upper Silesian and MaΠopolska blocks.