Faryad, S. W. (2002): Branisko & Čierna Hora Mts - version 1. In: Dunkl, I., Balintoni, I., Frisch, W., Hoxha, L., Janák, M., Koroknai, B., Milovanovic, D., Pamić, J., Székely, B. and Vrabec, M. (Eds.): Metamorphic Map and Database of Carpatho-Balkan-Dinaride Area. http://www.met-map.uni-goettingen.de
Branisko
& Čierna Hora Mts. (BCH)
compiled: S. W. Faryad (2002)
completed:
Age of
Protolith, Geochemistry
Lithology,
Mineralogy, Metamorphic Grade
Thermobarometry
Geochronology
Structural
Evolution
Summary
Bibliography
Links
The Branisko and Čierna
Hora Mts., represent the most eastern part of the Veporic unit in the Western
Carpathians. They are exposed beneath the Intra-Carpathian Tertiary sequences
and comprise three structural levels: Variscan basement rocks, late Palaeozoic/
Mesozoic cover formations and the Choč nappe with late Palaeozoic/ Mesozoic
lithologies.
Geographic Position
The Branisko Čierna
Hora Mts. are situated in the eastern part of Slovakia, northeast from the
Gemericum. The basement rocks in the Čierná Hora Mts. are exposed in several
windows that form a NW-SE trending belt of 40 x10 km. The Branisko Mts.
represent a small tectonic window (10 x 6 km) of basement rocks with late
Paleozoic cover formations that is exposed north from the Čierna Hora Mts.
Maps
Geological map
of Branisko and Čierna Hora Mts.: 1:50 000 (Polak et al., 1996), 1:500,000 (Lexa et al.,
2000).
Boreholes
The Branisko Mts.
is crossed by 6 km long high way tunel. The presence of Čierna Hora basement
rocks under the Gemericum was confirmed by some borehole e.g. the V-10 borehole
that reached the Čierna Hora basement rocks in depth of ca 700 m (Grecula, 1977).
Boundaries and Structural Position
The Čierna Hora
Mts. are separated in the south from the Gemericum by the Margecany tectonic
zone. In NE, the basement rocks are covered by late Paleozoic and Mesozoic
formations. The eastern Boundary of the Čierna Hora Mts. is defined by the
Hornad fault. The Branisko Mts. are a N –S post - Paleogene horst limited by
steeply dipping faults. Pre – Tertiary sequences – inclusively basement units
of the horst structure have predominantly E –W orientation. In the SE, they have
tectonic contact with the Čierna Hora Mts.
Subunits
According to
structural position, degree of metamorphism and lithologies, the Branisko and
Čierna Hora Mts are formed from bottom to top by:
-
Basement rocks
-
Late Paleozoic cover sequences
-
Late Paleozoic/Mesozoic Choc nappe.
Three
local lithostructural complexes are distinguished within the Čierna Hora
Mts.basement rocks (Jacko, 1985):
-
the Lodina complex consisted of mylonitized gneisses and micaschists with
intercalations of amphibolites
-
the Miklušovce complex comprising strongly foliated migmatites with small
amounts of aplite-granite bodies
-
the Bujanová complex, represented by gneisses, migmatites, amphibolites, which
are penetrated by slab-like granitoid intrusives.
Based
on Variscan structure of the Central Western Carpathians (Bezak, 1994), the
first complexe belongs to the Middle lithostructural level and the later two to
the Upper lithostructural level.
Correlation
The Branisko Mts.
have been traditionally correlated to the Tatric Unit ((Rösing 1947; Andrusov
1958; Kamenický in Fusán et al. 1963; Maheľ 1986). Recent works (Vozárová &
Vozár, 1986, 1988; Polák et al., 1996), however correlate them based on their
lithology, degree of metamorphism and character of igneous rocks with the Veporic
Unit. Following Jacko et al. (1996), the Bujanová Complex is comparable with
the Branisko Mts.
Age
of Protolith, Geochemistry
Basement rocks have mostly pelitic lithology with layers of basaltic rocks.
Geochemically, the metabasites have tholeiitic composition. They rarely contain
small bodies (up to 2 m in size) of serpentinized pyridotite. Palynological
study of basement gneiss from the Branisko Mts indicated Devonian age (Čorna
and Kamenický 1976). K/Ar age of 346 ± 5 Ma was obtained for granitiod rocks
(Kantor, unpublished).
Lithology,
Mineralogy, Metamorphic Grade
Gneisses, amphibolites,
migmatites and granodiorites represent the basement rocks. Migmatites are
mostly present in the Branisko Mts. and in the Bujanová complex. The gneisses
consist of quartz and feldspars, biotite (XMG= 0.55-0.58), garnet
and rarely sillimanite. Kyanite and cordierite (XMg = 0.68) can be
found in the Branisko Mts. Garnet is rich in Fe and Mg (Alm66-75 Prp16-27
Grs2-4 Sps2-6) with weak decrease of Mg and XMg
towards the rim (Vozárová 1993, Vozárová and Faryad, 1997). Anorthite contents
in plagioclase range between An27-32 in Ky-Sill- bearing gneisses
and An37-41 in garnet- biotite gneisses. Similar mineral assemblages
can be found also in migmatites, however the neosome consists of quartz,
plagioclase and K-feldspar.
The common minerals in amphibolites are magnesiohornblende, plagioclase (An40-45) and rarely garnet and quartz. The presence and amounts of epidote depends on degree of mylonitization. Garnet- pyroxene-bearing metabasites from the Branisko Mts. were described by (Meres et al., 2000, Faryad and Ivan, in preparation). They contain Ca- and Mg rich garnet (Grs20-32, Py18-20), diopside and plagioclase (An10-40). Ultramafic rocks associated with metabasites are strongly serpentinized. Garnet from metabasites in the Čierna Hora Mts has relatively low Mg content (Alm52-67, Grs23-31,Py4-7,Sps2-15).
Thermobarometry
Temperatures of
650-750 °C were obtained for the Branisko Mts. using granet-biotite (Kleemann
and Reinhardt, 1994) and garnet-cordierite thermometry (Perchuk and
Lavrent’eva, 1983) for gneisses (Vozarova, 1993). GASP barometry yield pressure
of 6.3-8.7 kbar. Higher pressure of 10 kbar was obtained for garnet-bearing
amphibolite (Faryad, 1996). P-T conditions of 750 °C and 13-14 kbar were
estimated using various exchange thermometries and equilibrium reactions for
garnet-pyroxene-bearing metabasites (Faryad et al., 2001).
Garnet-amphibole
thermometry (Graham and Powell, 1984) used for the Čierna Hora yielded average
temperature of 572 °C for the Lodina and 618 °C for the Bujanová Complexes
(Korikovsky et al., 1989; Jacko et al., 1990, Faryad and Jacko 2001). Pressures
calculated by garnet-amphibole-plagioclase-quartz barometry (Kohn and Spear,
1990) range from 7.1 to 10.6 (average 9.7 kbar at 600 °C). Temperature 608-674
oC at 10.4-13.4 kbar yielded equilibrium reactions calculated using TWEEQ
program (Berman, 1996).
Alpine Metamorphism
Alpine
metamorphic overprint in the Čierna Hora basement unit is considered by
metamorphic mineral assemblages in the Permian/Mesozoic sequences. Temperature
of 250 oC for sedimentary sequences of the Choč nappe was calculated by illite
crystallinity in pelitic rocks (Korikovskij et al., 1992). Frayad and Jacko (in
press) reported the presence pumpellyite with prehnite, epidote, chlorite and
albite in metagabbro of the Choč nappe. P-T conditions estimated using
Thermo-Calc (Holland and Powell, 1996) for this assemblage are 230-280 °C and 3
kbar. Alpine metamorphism was not investigated in the Branisko Mts. Based on
mineral assemblages in granite (replacement of plagioclase and biotite to white
mica, epidote and chlorite), it was lower then that in the Čierna Hora Mts.
|
|
rock type |
locality |
Mean |
Range (n) |
Source |
|
|
Ar-Ar white mica |
granite |
Bujanova |
1 |
334,5± 3 mil r. |
1 |
|
|
K-Ar biotite |
granite |
Miklosovce |
1 |
295 |
2 |
|
1- Maluski et al., 1993; 2-Kantor et al (1984)
The Branisko Mts. strike
generally E-W, reflecting a progressive trend of Alpine compression and a
dissection into segments by NW-SE and NNE-SSW faults (Jacko, 1985). The older
Variscan deformation represented by isoclinal folds occurred in amphibolite facies
conditions.
Expressive NW – SE folding
with antiform cores of basement complexes, characterize the Čierna Hora Mts.
Variscan structures occurred similar to that in Branisko Mts. in amphibolite
facies conditions and resulted in folding (fold axis ESE-WNW and 15-40° to ESE)
and schistosity of E-W direction, dipping 40-75° to south (Jacko et al., 1995).
The Cretaceous nappe tectonic resulted in imbrication and formation of NW-SE
striking and SW dipping shear zones (Jacko, 1979). The most important Margecany
shear zone of this direction separates the Čierna Hora Mts. from the Gemericum
unit. Both the Branisko and the Čierna Hora Mts. are crossed by post –
Paleogene NE-SW and N –S faults.
The Branisko and Čierna
Hora Mts. comprise three structural levels: the Variscan basement rocks, the
late Palaeozoic/ Mesozoic cover formations and the late Palaeozoic/Mesozoic
outliers of the Choč nappe. Basemant rocks of the Branisko Mts generally
indicate amphibolite facies assemblages, however relics of high-pressure
amphibolite facies conditions (700 °C and 10-13 kbar) are also present. Based
on their lithology, the basement rocks and its Permian cover sequences
comparable with northern part of the Veporic Unit. The basement rocks are
paragneisses amphibolite, migmatite and granitoids and indicate very low-grade
Alpine overprint.
The Čierna Hora Mts. is
considered as the most eastern morphostructural elevation of the Veporic unit.
They are characterized by an expressive NW – SE fold structure with antiforms
of basement rocks. Basement rocks consist of paragneisses with layers and
lenses of amphibolites, migmatites and granitoids. Peak P-T conditions for
Variscan metamorphism estimated are 610 ± 20 oC at 9 ± 1 kbar. Alpine
metamorphic overprint occurred in very low-grade conditions. Metamorphic
minerals in the metadiorite of the late Palaeozoic/Mesozoic Choc nappe are
pumpellyite, epidote, chlorite and albite, which indicate P–T conditions of 280
25 oC and 3 kbar.
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RG (1996) TWEEQU (version 202), Thermobarometry with estimation of
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Gemericum (GEM)
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