Geologiczna ocena możliwości produkcji bloków skalnych z polskich złóż położonych poza Dolnym Śląskiem

Abstract

Perspectives for mining of dimension stones from Polish deposits outside Lower Silesia – a geological approach.A b s t r a c t: Rock pieces of a volume above 0.5 m3 and a cuboid shape are called dimension (block) stones and are used for construction and for carving decorative elements in architecture. In Poland, outside the Sudetes (Lower Silesia), only deposits of carbonates and sandstones yield dimension stones. Those deposits differ in geological structure, physical and mechanical properties and in natural divisibility of stone. Thus, they are sources of dimension stones on the international (at least European), regional (country) or only local scale. The Carbonatic Sigismundus (Zygmuntowski) conglomerate of Permian age from the Holy Cross Mts. (Central Poland) as well as the Triassic diplopora dolomite and the Upper Jurassic Zalesice limestone (both from the Kraków-Czestochowa region in Southern Poland) can have international significance. Several deposits of hard (thus susceptible to polishing) Palaeozoic decorative limestone ("marble") from the Holy Cross Mts. and Kraków-Silesia region, that have centuries-long tradition of use inarchitecture, still have perspectives on the country scale. Similarly, the Lower and Upper Triassic and Lower Jurassic dimension sandstones of the Holy Cross Mts. (Ostrowiec, Drzewica and Borucice series), as well as the Carpathian flysch sandstones of the Godula, Istebna, Magura and Krosno formations (of Cretaceous to Palaeogene age) and soft and porous limestones of Cretaceous and Neogene age from the Holy Cross Mts. and Roztocze (east Poland) are known and used in domestic architecture. Few other relatively smalldeposits of dimension stones of low natural divisibility andmoderate decorativeness have only local significance.