PALEOTEMPERATURES OF UPPER CARBONIFEROUS SEDIMENTARY ROCKS IN THE NW PART OF THE UPPER SILESIAN COAL BASIN, POLAND
Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Mining and Geology, Institute of Applied Geology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice. E-mail : probierz@zeus.polsl.gliwice.pl
Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Mining and Geology, Institute of Applied Geology, Akademicka 2, 44-100 Gliwice.
Abstract
Paleothermal conditions of Upper Carboniferous sedimentary rocks in the strongly folded north-westernpart of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin (USCB) are characterized in this paper. NS-oriented narrow folds predominate, with amplitudes ranging from 100 to 800 m, often dislocated by axial faults. The paleothermal conditions, i.e. maximum paleotemperatures and paleothermal gradient were calculated according to Bostick’s nomogram and Barker and Pawlewicz’s method on the basis of studies of 115 samples of coal taken from depths between +17 and -368 m b.s.l. The paleotemperatures range from 135 to 220oC and the paleothermal gradients from 2.4 to 5.9oC/100 m. The coalification process probably has a synorogenic character.