Heavy minerals in sediments from the Mošnica Cave: Implications for the pre-Quaternary evolution of the middle-mountain allogenic karst in the Nízke Tatry Mts., Slovakia

Research on sediments from the Mošnica Cave in Slovakia reveals that heavy minerals, including garnet, zircon, and staurolite, suggest a past larger catchment area for the allogenic karst of the Mošnica Valley. These minerals, sourced from granitoids, amphibolites, and Triassic cover sediments, indicate a pre-Quaternary landscape with less dissection. The study proposes that a shift in the watershed boundary, likely due to Late Tertiary tectonic tilting, reshaped the terrain. Sedimentological, petrographical, and mineralogical analyses were employed to uncover these insights, providing a window into the region's geological history.

Bónová, K., Bella, P., Bóna, J., Spišiak, J., Kováčik, M., Kováčik, M., & Petro, Ľ. (2014). Heavy minerals in sediments from the Mošnica Cave: Implications for the pre-Quaternary evolution of the middle-mountain allogenic karst in the Nízke Tatry Mts., Slovakia. Acta Carsologica, 43(2-3). https://doi.org/10.3986/ac.v43i2.653