Bónová K., Bella P., Kováčik M., Bóna J., Petro Ľ., Kollárová V. & Kovanicová Ľ., 2014: Allochthonous fine-grained sediments and their relation to the genesis of Liskovská Cave (Chočské Foothills, northern Slovakia). Acta Geologica Slovaca, 6, 2, 145–158. (in Slovak with English summary)

Alochtónne jemnozrnné sedimenty a ich vztah ku genéze Liskovskej jaskyne (Chočské podhorie, severné Slovensko)

Allochthonous fine-grained sediments and their relation to the genesis of Liskovská Cave (Chočské Foothills, northern Slovakia)

Katarína Bónová¹, Pavel Bella^2,3, Martin Kováčik⁴, Ján Bóna⁵, Ľubomír Petro⁴, Viera Kollárová⁶ & Ľubica Kovaničová⁴

¹Ústav geografie, Prírodovedecká fakulta Univerzity P. J. Šafárika v Košiciach, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice, katarina.bonova@upjs.sk
²Katedra geografie, Pedagogická fakulta Katolíckej univerzity v Ružomberku, Hrabovská cesta 1, 034 01 Ružomberok
³Štátna ochrana prírody SR, Správa slovenských jaskýn, Hodžova 11, 031 01 Liptovský Mikuláš, bella@ssj.sk
⁴Štátny geologický ústav D. Štúra – RC Košice, Jesenského 8, 040 01 Košice, martin.kovacik@geology.sk, lubomir.petro@geology.sk, lubica.kovanicova@geology.sk
⁵Kpt. Jaroša 13, 040 22 Košice, janobona@hotmail.com
⁶Štátny geologický ústav D. Štúra, Mlynská dolina 1, 817 01 Bratislava, viera.kollarova@geology.sk

Abstract

A combination of sedimentological and mineralogical methods with emphasis on heavy mineral assemblage research applied to allochthonous sediments in the Liskovská Cave located in the western part of the Liptovská Basin (in the tectonic horst composed of Triassic limestones at foothills of the Chocské vrchy Mts.) were used for the identification their provenance and sedimentary history. Allochthonous fine-grained mud was studied in three profiles (LI-1 to LI-3). The sediments originated from the suspension in slow water flow to stagnant water (slackwater facies). This material could be later redeposited during the younger flooding event and small-scale slumps and gravity flows (mudflows) have been locally generated on steeper cave floors. Based on mineralogical study the cave sediments are composed of quartz, muscovite, calcite, chlorite, K-feldspar, plagioclase and dolomite. A heavy mineral assemblage is formed by garnet, zircon, apatite, monazite, tourmaline, staurolite, amphibole, rutile, titanite, epidote, sillimanite, allanite, andalusite, pyroxene and xenotime. Opaque minerals are represented by ilmenite, pyrite, magnetite, Cr-spinel, hematite, Cu-sulfides and Feoxyhydroxides. Their mineralogical character indicates the heterogenous source material which was transported by the Váh River. The results are significant for a more accurate reconstruction of origin and development of the cave, mainly its sedimentary phases in Middle and Late Pleistocene related to floods from the adjacent river bed.

Key words: Liptovská kotlina Basin, Liskovská jaskyňa Cave, paleohydrography, allochthonous sediment, slackwater facies, grain-size analysis, heavy minerals, mineral composition

Manuscript received: 2014-02-12

Revised version accepted: 2014-04-27