Knowledge on the Eemian (MIS 5e) fauna of Poland is based on vertebrate remains from 16 open-air localities and 8 cave sites. Considering the short period of time covered by MIS 5e, the amount of data is surprisingly large. There is still an ongoing debate on whether the age of some assemblages is Eemian, latest Saalian or even earliest Weichselian. There are faunal assemblages or stratigraphically isolated finds with some disputable evidence. The full picture of the evolution of the Eemian vertebrate fauna in the present-day territory of Poland is still far from being complete. The finds of various groups of vertebrates (fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals) from the Eemian Interglacial of Poland are analysed in terms of their environmental preferences. A number of thermophilic species or forms which preferred temperate climate conditions are known from this period. Among them, Clethrionomys glareolus, Glis glis, Meles meles, Martes martes, Lynx lynx, Felis silvestris, Sus scrofa, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, and Stephanorhinus kirchbergensis indicate a forest environment. The presence of species that preferred more open environments ( Cricetus cricetus, Mammuthus primigenius, Coelodonta antiquitatis, and Equus ferus) is also recorded for the Eemian Interglacial of Poland. Characteristic was the presence of the large broad-toothed and flat-headed Ursus arctos taubachensis, which additionally often outnumbered remains of Ursus spelaeus sensu lato in the contemporary layers. The Eemian vertebrate fauna of Poland consisted of about 150 species (representing 61 genera and 26 families), most of which were recorded earlier from other localities of this age in central and eastern Europe.

The lower (but not lowermost) part of the Upper Cretaceous Anaipadi Formation of the Trichinopoly Group in the area between Kulatur, Saradamangalam and Anaipadi, in the south-western part of the Cauvery Basin in southeast India yielded rich inoceramid and ammonite faunas. The ammonites: Mesopuzosia gaudama (Forbes, 1846), Damesites sugata (Forbes, 1846), Onitschoceras sp., Kossmaticeras (Kossmaticeras) theobaldianum (Stoliczka, 1865), Lewesiceras jimboi (Kossmat, 1898), Placenticeras kaffrarium Etheridge, 1904, and Pseudoxybeloceras (Schlueterella) sp., are characteristic of the Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Zone. The absence of Peroniceras (P.) dravidicum (Kossmat, 1895) indicates the presence of only lower part of this zone, referred to the nominative Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Subzone at the localities studied. The inoceramids present are Tethyoceramus madagascariensis (Heinz, 1933) and Cremnoceramus deformis erectus (Meek, 1877), recorded for the first time from the region. The latter dates the studied interval as early early Coniacian, and allows, for the first time, direct chronostratigraphic dating of the Tethyoceramus madagascariensis Zone, and consequently also of the Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Subzone. As inoceramids occur in the middle part of the ammonite-rich interval, the Kossmaticeras theobaldianum Subzone may be as old as latest Turonian and not younger than early early Coniacian. The base of the Coniacian lies in the lower, but not lowermost part of the Anaipadi Formation. Both inoceramids and ammonites represent taxa known from Madagascar and South Africa.

This malacological analysis was conducted at a site with peat and calcareous tufas in Łapsze Niżne, Podhale

(southern Poland). The study was carried out in 6 main and several complementary sections, in which 37 mollusc

species were recognized represented by almost 11 000 specimens. The study enabled the reconstruction of

environmental changes during the accumulation of the Holocene deposits (from the Boreal Phase till present).

Conclusions drawn from these reconstructions were compared with results of malacological and palynological

studies from other sites in Podhale. As a result, regional environmental reconstructions for the Holocene of the

area were made. The specific composition, ecological structure and succession of molluscan assemblages from

Łapsze Niżne indicate a significant role for local factors, thus demonstrating the variability of environmental

conditions within a geographic region.

An accumulation of glacial sediments is located near Písečná village in the depression between the Sokol Ridge

and Zlaté Hory Highlands NNE of Jeseník town (Eastern Sudetes). The accumulation lies at the lateral side

of the mountain valley of the Bělá River and fills a preglacial palaeovalley of this river. Research combining

facies analysis of outcrops, ground penetrating radar survey, interpretation drilling survey, and modelling of

the preglacial relief was undertaken at the site. According to the results obtained, the upper part of the sedimentary

accumulation represents a coarse-grained terminoglacial glaciofluvial delta of the Gilbert type. The

development of the accumulation has dominantly been driven by the preglacial morphology. Facies typical for

foresets of coarse-grained deltas represented mainly by high-density flows, cohesionless debris flows, debris

falls and less common low-density flows were found in the outcrops. The delta near Písečná prograded into

a lake dammed by the ice-sheet front in the north. The lake was bounded by the slopes of Sokol Ridge, Zlaté

Hory Highlands and Góry Parkowe on other sides. The lake level reached an altitude of up to 430 m a.s.l., as

the coarse-grained delta plain base lies at this level.

The shallow-marine carbonate deposits of the Reuchenette Formation (Kimmeridgian, Upper Jurassic) in

northwestern Switzerland and adjacent France yield highly diverse bivalve associations, but only rarely contain

remains of pinnid bivalves. The three occurring taxa Pinna (Cyrtopinna) socialis d’Orbigny, 1850, Stegoconcha

granulata (J. Sowerby, 1822) and Stegoconcha obliquata (Deshayes, 1839) have been revised. A lectotype for

Pinna (C.) socialis was designated and the taxon is assigned herein to P. (Cyrtopinna) Mörch, 1853, the first record

of the subgenus from the Jurassic. A brief review of Stegoconcha Böhm, 1907 revealed two species groups

within the genus. Species close to the type species S. granulata are characterized by a nearly smooth anterior

shell, followed posteriorly by deep radial furrows and rows of pustules covering the dorsal flank. Another group

comprises radially ribbed species related to S. neptuni (Goldfuss, 1837). It includes among others the Paleogene

species S. faxensis (Ravn, 1902), extending the known range of Stegoconcha from the Middle Jurassic into the

Paleogene. The paper suggests a relationship between Stegoconcha and the Cretaceous Plesiopinna Amano,

1956, with S. obliquata as a possible intermediate species leading to Plesiopinna during the Early Cretaceous.

Furthermore, a possible relationship between Stegoconcha and Atrina Gray, 1842 is discussed.

Triceratium barbadense Greville, 1861a, T. brachiatum Brightwell, 1856, T. inconspicuum Greville, 1861b and

T. kanayae Fenner, 1984a, are among the most common diatoms reported worldwide from lower to middle Eocene

biosiliceous sediments. Due to complicated nomenclatural histories, however, they are often confused. A morphometric

analysis performed herein indicates that T. brachiatum is conspecific with T. inconspicuum, and that both

were previously often misidentified as T. barbadense. Triceratium barbadense sensu stricto is a distinct species

similar to Triceratium castellatum West, 1860. Triceratium brachiatum and T. kanayae are transferred herein

to a new genus, Fenneria, for which a close phylogenetic relationship with Medlinia Sims, 1998 is proposed.

A review of the geographic and stratigraphic distribution of Fenneria shows that the best constrained records of

its occurrences are found at DSDP Site 338, and ODP Sites 1051 and 1260. The ages of the base (B) and top (T)

of each species’ stratigraphic range are calibrated here to the Geomagnetic Polarity Timescale either directly or

inferred via correlation with dinocyst biostratigraphy. Latitudinal diachroneity of ~7 million years is documented

for F. brachiata, which disappears earlier in tropical and mid-latitude sites than in the northern high latitudes. These

observations, coupled with a preliminary compilation of the Chron C20n taxonomic composition of pelagic diatom

assemblages for Sites 338, 1051 and 1260, indicate that diatoms diversified palaeobiogeographically considerably

earlier than the Eocene−Oligocene Transition, as commonly believed. This study also emphasizes the importance

of the detailed examination of specimens from both museum collections and deep-sea cores as a step toward enhancing

the utility of Palaeogene diatoms in palaeoceanographic and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions.

The Upper Greensand Formation, mostly capped by the Chalk, crops out on the edges of a broad, dissected

plateau in Devon, west Dorset and south Somerset and has an almost continuous outcrop that runs from the Isle

of Purbeck to the Vale of Wardour in south Wiltshire. The Formation is well exposed in cliffs in east Devon and

the Isle of Purbeck, but is poorly exposed inland. It comprises sandstones and calcarenites with laterally and

stratigraphically variable amounts of carbonate cement, glauconite and chert. The sedimentology and palaeon-

tology indicate deposition in marginal marine-shelf environments that were at times subject to strong tidal and

wave-generated currents. The formation of the Upper Greensand successions in the region was influenced by

penecontemporaneous movements on major fault zones, some of which are sited over E-W trending Variscan

thrusts in the basement rocks and, locally, on minor faults. Comparison of the principal sedimentary breaks in

the succession with the sequence boundaries derived from world-wide sea-level curves suggests that local tec-

tonic events mask the effects of any eustatic changes in sea level. The preserved fauna is unevenly distributed,

both laterally and stratigraphically. Bivalves, gastropods and echinoids are common at some horizons but are

not age-diagnostic. Ammonites are common at a few stratigraphically narrowly defined horizons, but are rare

or absent throughout most of the succession. As a result, the age of parts of the succession is still poorly known

The stratigraphy of the upper Fredericksburg and lower Washita groups of northern Texas and southern Oklahoma is described, and biostratigraphical correlation within the region, and further afield, using micro­ crinoids, ammonites, planktonic foraminiferans and inoceramid bivalves is summarised. The taxonomy of the roveacrind microcrinoids is revised by the senior author, and a new genus, Peckicrinus, is described, with the type species Poecilocrinus porcatus (Peck, 1943). New species include Roveacrinus proteus sp. nov., R. morganae sp. nov., Plotocrinus reidi sp. nov., Pl. molineuxae sp. nov., Pl. rashallae sp. nov. and Styracocrinus thomasae sp. nov. New formae of the genus Poecilocrinus Peck, 1943 are Po. dispandus forma floriformis nov. and Po. dispandus forma discus nov. New formae of the genus Euglyphocrinus Gale, 2019 are E. pyramidalis (Peck, 1943) forma pyramidalis nov., E. pyramidalis forma radix nov. and E. pyramidalis forma pentaspinus nov. The genera Plotocrinus Peck, 1943, Poecilocrinus and Roveacrinus Douglas, 1908 form a branching phylogenetic lineage extending from the middle Albian into the lower Cenomanian, showing rapid speciation, upon which a new roveacrinid zonation for the middle and upper Albian (zones AlR1–12) is largely based. Outside Texas and Oklahoma, zone AlR1 is recorded from the lower middle Albian of Aube (southeastern France) and zones AlR11–CeR2 from the Agadir Basin in Morocco and central Tunisia. It is likely that the zonation will be widely applicable to the middle and upper Albian and lower Cenomanian successions of many other regions.

In the Polish sector of the Magura Nappe have long been known and exploited carbonate mineral waters, saturated

with carbon dioxide, known as the “shchava (szczawa)”. These waters occur mainly in the Krynica Subunit

of the Magura Nappe, between the Dunajec and Poprad rivers, close to the Pieniny Klippen Belt (PKB). The

origin of these waters is still not clear, this applies to both “volcanic” and “metamorphic” hypotheses. Bearing

in mind the case found in the Szczawa tectonic window and our geological and geochemical studies we suggest

that the origin of the carbon dioxide may be linked with the thermal/pressure alteration of organic matter of the

Oligocene deposits from the Grybów Unit. These deposits, exposed in several tectonic windows of the Magura

Nappe, are characterized by the presence of highly matured organic matter – the origin of the hydrocarbon accumulations.

This is supported by the present-day state of organic geochemistry studies of the Carpathian oil and

gas bed rocks. In our opinion origin of the carbon-dioxide was related to the southern, deep buried periphery of

the Carpathian Oil and Gas Province. The present day distribution of the carbonated mineral water springs has

been related to the post-orogenic uplift and erosion of the Outer (flysch) Carpathians.

Approximately 80% of water extracted from oil and gas deposits in Poland is disposed of by injection into the rock matrix. The aim of the model research was to predict both the hydrochemical reactions of water injected into wells for its disposal and the hydrogeochemical processes in the reservoir formation. The purpose of hydrogeochemical modeling of the hydrocarbon formation was also to determine the potential of formation waters, injection waters, and their mixtures to precipitate and form mineral sediments, and to determine the corrosion risk to the well. In order to evaluate saturation indices and corrosion ratios, the geochemical programs PHREEQC and DownHole SAT were used. The results of hydrogeochemical modeling indicate the possible occurrence of clogging in the well and the near-well zone caused mainly by the precipitation of iron compounds (iron hydroxide Fe(OH)3 and siderite FeCO3) from the formation water due to the presence of high pressures and temperatures (HPHT). There is also a high certainty of the precipitation of carbonate sediments (calcite CaCO3, strontianite SrCO3, magnesite MgCO3, siderite FeCO3) from the injection water within the whole range of tested pressures and temperatures. The model simulations show that temperature increase has a much greater impact on the potential for precipitation of mineral phases than pressure increase.

The Telbesmi Formation, at the northern margin of the Arabian Plate, Turkey, is composed of alternating darkbrown,

pinky-brown fluvial arkosic sandstone/mudstones with thin-bedded cherty limestones and channel

conglomerates. The formation contains rare and poorly diversified trace fossils. The siltstone/sandstone beds of

levels 1 and 2 of the formation yielded, however, a moderately diverse assemblage composed of: Cochlichnus

isp., Palaeophycus isp., Planolites beverleyensis, Teichichnus isp. and ?Treptichnus rectangularis. This assemblage,

made up of traces left by deposit feeding organisms, represents the Scoyenia ichnofacies. Treptichnus

rectangularis and Palaeophycus isp., of the assemblage, can be considered markers for the base of the Cambrian

in southeast Turkey.

During the late Oligocene to early Miocene the residual Magura Basin was located along the front of the Pieniny Klippen Belt (PKB). This basin was supplied with clastic material derived from a south-eastern direction. In the Małe (Little) Pieniny Mts. in Poland, the late Oligocene/ early Miocene Kremna Fm. of the Magura Nappe (Krynica subunit) occurs both in front of the PKB as well as in the tectonic windows within the PKB. Lenses of exotic conglomerates in the Kremna Fm. contain frequent clasts of Mesozoic limestones (e.g. limestones with “filaments” microfacies and Urgonian limestones) and Eocene shallow-water limestones. Fragments of crystalline and volcanic rocks occur subordinately. The provenance of these exotic rocks could be probably connected with Eocene exhumation and erosion of the SE part of the Dacia and Tisza Mega-Units.

The long-ranging Early to Middle Triassic coniform conodont form-genus Cornudina Hirschmann occurs

abundantly in the Anisian of NW Turkey, Northern Tethys. Although suggested to represent the P1 element

of an apparatus of the Order Ozarkodinida Dzik, questions concerning the apparatus of Cornudina remain.

A description of the probable phylogenetic trends in the P1 elements of Cornudina is attempted and the role

of the form-genera Ketinella Gedik and Kamuellerella Gedik, as the alternative ramiform skeletal elements in

the Cornudina multi-element apparatus, is investigated. The newly described, Gedikella quadrata gen. nov.,

sp. nov., is an S element, Kamuellerella rectangularis sp. nov., is either an S3 or an S4 element, and Ketinella

goermueshi sp. nov., is an M element.

Very rare chondrichthyan spines from the Famennian (Upper Devonian) of European Russia are referred here to ctenacanthiforms, euselachians and a chondrichthyan group of uncertain systematic position. Ctenacanthus Agassiz, 1837 is recorded from the lower and middle Famennian of the central and north-western parts of the area. Sculptospina makhlaevi Lebedev gen. et sp. nov. originates from the lower Famennian of the Lipetsk Region. The holotype of ‘Ctenacanthus’ jaekeli Gross, 1933 and a new specimen from the upper Famennian of the South Urals are shown to belong to the same taxon, which is transferred to Acondylacanthus St. John and Worthen, 1875. New specimens of Tuberospina nataliae Lebedev, 1995 from the upper Famennian of Central Russia are described in detail. The newly presented material increases our knowledge of the composition of Famennian marine assemblages from the East European Platform. It is suggested that these assemblages may be classified as chondrichthyan-dominated and dipnoan-dominated. Hypothetically, after the end- Devonian Hangenberg extinction event, which affected numerous secondary consumers in vertebrate communities, some chondrichthyan groups could have encroached to take advantage of previously occupied ecological niches. Ctenacanthus, as well as Acondylacanthus and Amelacanthus survived the end-Devonian mass extinction to continue into the Carboniferous.

Ophiuroids from the Upper Jurassic marine deposits (upper Oxfordian–lower Kimmeridgian) of southern and north-western Poland have been studied in two sections: Zalas quarry in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland in southern Poland and Wapienno/Bielawy quarries in the Kuyavia region of north-western Poland. Described herein are nine taxa belonging to five genera (one new to science): Alternacantha Thuy and Meyer, 2013; Dermocoma Hess, 1964; Ophiobartia Loba gen. nov.; Ophioderma Müller and Troschel, 1840; Ophiotreta Verrill, 1899, and three families: Ophiacanthidae and Ophiodermatidae (both of Ljungman, 1867), and Ophiotomidae Paterson, 1985. Only a few representatives of some of these taxa have previously been reported from the Jurassic of Poland. One species, Ophiobartia radwanskii Loba, is established as new. The ophiuroid material recognized from both Polish localities is close to those described from Western Europe at family or even genus level. Both studied ophiuroid assemblages from Zalas and Wapienno/Bielawy show similarities, being dominated by the cosmopolitan species Ophioderma spectabile Hess, 1966, and by different species of Dermocoma. The recognized ophiuroid assemblages represent a rather shallow-water environment.

This paper is a summary of the results of research on the accumulation conditions of the Upper Younger Loess (LMg) in Poland and Bug loess (bg) in Ukraine from the maximum stage (MIS 2) of the Vistulian (Weichselian) Glaciation in central and eastern Europe. These studies included an analysis of the morphological (topographic) situation of the loess cover, its grain size and heavy mineral composition, the preserved structures of loess sedimentation as well as mollusc and pollen analyses of this loess. They revealed that the accumulation of Upper Younger Loess (UYL) might have been more dependent on the prevailing moisture conditions than previously thought. These conditions could have been caused by cold air masses from an ice sheet and warm air masses from the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic coming together in the Carpathians and the Holy Cross Mountains and favouring the formation of dust storms and precipitation. In this process, a loading of loess dust (formed from local rocks weathering in periglacial conditions) by atmospheric moisture particles was especially significant. The moist substrate not only favoured the periodic development of vegetation and molluscs but also enabled the interception of dust and the accumulation of an increasingly thick loess cover. Westerly and south-westerly winds predominated in the UYL as indicated by the topographic position of loess patches and the mineral composition of the studied loess. Periodically an increased air circulation from the east and northeast occurred.

In the mining galleries of the abandoned Au-As mine in Radzimowice, diverse groups of secondary arsenates crystallized recently. They form several characteristic assemblages. In the first of them the typical minerals are bukovskýite and melanterite. The second group of secondary arsenates includes scorodite, kaňkite, zýkaite, and pitticite. The third assemblage includes Co-Ni-Mg arsenates of the erythrite-annabergite-hörnesite series. The first assemblage crystallized in a zone with a very high activity of sulphate and arsenate ions and where the pH varies within a narrow range of 2.0–3.5. The second group of secondary arsenates formed in the acidic zone. The minerals identified here suggest pH variation within fairly wide ranges, from about 2.0 to 5.5. Contrary to the first and second mineral assemblage, the Co-Ni-Mg arsenates formed under different geochemical conditions. Their crystallization took place under weak acidic to neutral conditions.

Twenty silver minerals of the sulphide, arsenide, selenide, telluride, sulphosalt and chloride groups were found in 13 locations in the Variscan Karkonosze granitoid pluton. Previously only one of these minerals was known from this area. The findings include species characterized in publications as rare or exceptionally rare, e.g., muthmannite and tsnigriite. They occur in pegmatites and quartz veins; their parageneses are described. The studies include determination of chemical compositions, formulae calculations and recording of XRD patterns. Inclusion studies in paragenetic quartz indicate that they crystallized from epithermal fluids with a common but low component of CO ₂. The results suggest that the minerals formed from trace elements (Ag included) in the Karkonosze granitoid due to very local degrees of recrystallization of the host granitoid.

The contributions of the members of the Department of Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Petrology, University of Warsaw, to the study of the chevkinite-group of minerals (CGM) are described. The range of research topics includes: (i) geochemical and mineralogical studies of natural occurrences of the group, and attempts to relate their chemical composition to host lithology; (ii) detailed analysis of the hydrothermal alteration of CGM in various settings, with the aim of understanding element redistribution and the potential implications for ore formation. An ongoing series of high P-T experiments is providing quantitative information on the pressures, temperatures and melt water conditions under which the alteration assemblages have formed. Various spectroscopic techniques are being used to determine the structure of the CGM and to identify cation distribution in the structures.

The Northern Copper Belt is located in south-western Poland, a region well known for its copper and silver occurrences of varying significance. This area also includes the abandoned mines of the North-Sudetic Trough (Old Copper District), as well as the currently active New Copper District in the southern part of the Fore- Sudetic Monocline. The vast exploration programme of Miedzi Copper Corp. initiated in 2011 in the northern, deeper part of the Fore Sudetic Monocline provided new data about the deeper parts of this geological unit, located north of the known deposits. A number of prospective areas with Cu-Ag mineralization were investigated, which ultimately resulted in the discovery of three new Cu-Ag deposits. Both the prospective areas and the documented deposits form the so-called Northern Copper Belt, which as a whole has high potential for the identification of new ore deposits and an increase in resources. A description of these three new deposits is provided along with characteristics of the areas of their possible extension, and the additional prospective areas with hypothetical and speculative resources. The new deposits are compared to other Polish Cu-Ag ore deposits, with an emphasis on differences in their geological structure and mineralogy. The paper also presents a brief summary of the applied new exploration tools which have led to this discovery.