LITOLOGIA GLIN MORENOWYCH NA NIŻU POLSKIM – PODSTAWOWE METODY BADAWCZE

Abstract

LITHOLOGY OF TILLS IN THE POLISH LOWLAND – BASIC INVESTIGATIVE METHODS

Abstract. Till is the prominent glacial deposit playing a principle role in Quaternary research. Its lithological features allow geological, geomorphological and sedimentological investigations of depositional environments and subsequent postsedimentary alterations. Therefore, the knowledge on all features of the deposit and on interpretational possibilities of the investigations is so important. The paper presents the results of analyses of granulation and petrographical composition of the gravel and boulder fractions with reworking of gravel clasts. The investigations involved analyses of mineral-petrographic composition of the sand fraction, including feldspar content. Contensts of heavy minerals and clay minerals were also analysed. Detailed studies of quartz grains refer to roundness, reworking and microtexture features analysed in the electron microscope. Geochemical and chemical investigations include the main components, microelements, Ca content and pH value. An additional contribution is the results of microstructural investigations of lodgement till, performed with the use of optical and electronic microscopes. The discussed characteristics refer to various regions of till occurrence in the Polish Lowlands. The availability and amount of geological data are dependent on the number of lithological descriptions of tills, performed during the construction of the Detailed Geological Map of Poland, scale 1:50,000. Other data are available from publications. The discussion of individual research results is given in a chronological order for particular regions, providing a relatively complete history of development of the research methods in Poland against the background of world achievements.