Paleovolcanic reconstruction in the Tokaj Mountains

Abstract

The Tokaj Mts, situated in the northeastern part of the inner arc of the Carpathians, forms a part of a Miocene calc-alkaline andesitic-dacitic-rhyolitic volcanic island arc. The ancient volcanic structures were reconstructed on the basis of the 1:50 000-scale and 22 sheets of the 1:25 000-scale geologicpetrologic maps, as well as the revision of the volcanic facies in 150 boreholes. Multispectral and SAR satellite imagery, aerial photos, data and maps of airborne geophysical surveys (magnetic and radiometric), gravity-filtered anomaly maps, geochemical (soil and stream sediment Au, As, Sb, Hg) concentration distribution maps and the K/Ar dating of 132 samples from 80 paleomagnetic measurements were also used.The anomalies were only taken into consideration in the interpretation if the coincident results of at least 3 methods indicated the presence of any volcanic structure. In consequence, 91 map-scale volcanic structures were identified by morphology -complex calderas, single lava domes, volcanic fissures, subvolcanic intrusions, diatremes, stratovolcanoes and postvolcanic formations. Conclusions were also drawn regarding the link to the volcanic structures and prospective occurrences of the mineral resources of the Tokaj Mts: andesite, dacite, welded zeolitic tuff, K-metasomatite, perlite, pitchstone, pumice, bentonitic, illitic, kaolinitic, diatom-bearing and silicified lacustrine sediments, hydrothermal Au-Ag and Pb-Zn veins, and Hg stockwerks.Key words: exploration methods, volcanoes, island arc, calc-alkaline, morphology, complex interpretation IntroductionThe subject matter was developed under the leadership of Tibor Zelenka by Pál Gyarmati, János Kiss, László Vértesy, István Horváth, Zoltán Pécskay and Emõ Szalay, and was supported by OTKA project T022769. The study aimed at Addresses: T. Zelenka: H-3515 Miskolc-Egyetemváros, Hungary, e-mail: tibor.zelenka@gmail.com P. Gyarmati: H-1143 Budapest, Stefánia út 14, Hungary J. Kiss: H-1145 Budapest, Kolumbusz u. 17-23, Hungary Received: March 13, 2012; accepted: April 14, 2012 1788-2281/$ 20.00 © 2012 Central European Geology, Vol. 55/1, pp. 49-84 (2012) DOI: 10.1556/CEuGeol.55.2012 Paleovolcanic reconstruction in the Tokaj Mountains establishing an up-to-date approach to the paleovolcanic reconstruction of the Tokaj Mts based on geologic, volcanological, geophysical, geochemical and geomorphologic data. Exploration historyReviewing the publications on volcanology concerning the Tokaj Mts from the last 250 years, one can find remarkable statements from almost every author.The essays of Beudant (1822), Richthofen (1861) and Wolf (1869) are the pioneers of the recognition of geologic formations. The fundamental monograph of Szabó (1867) entitled "Tokaj-Hegyalja és környékének földtani viszonyai" (Geologic features of Tokaj-Hegyalja and its surroundings) provided the basis for the recognition of the volcanic structure of the mountains. Szádeczky (1897) was the first to recognize that the amphibole andesite had broken through the rhyolite.Pálfy (1927) stu...

Accumulation patterns and health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in the topsoil of two sloping vineyards (Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary)

“…The vineyards are situated at the hillslopes of the Tokaj Mountains. The interplay between the volcanic base rocks, the loess cover of variable thickness of the Tokaj Hill, and the surrounding alluvial plains, as well as the landscape topography create the diversity of soils in the region (Lóczy, 2015;Nyizsalovszki and Fórián 2007;Zelenka et al 2012;Szepesi et al 2018). Although the vineyards of Tállya and Tokaj belong both to the Tokaj-Hegyalja region, the soil-forming processes, soil characteristics, and cultural practices of the two sites considerably differ.…”

“…In Tállya, vineyard soils developed on rhyolit and rhyolite tuff, fine-grained, extrusive igneous rocks. The andesite of the subvolcanic body in Tállya was intruded into loose pumiceous rhyolite tuff in two phases based on the observations of two kinds of pyroxene andesite (Zelenka et al 2012). The vineyard's slope shape displays a slight curving at the upper part and sharply increasing steepness at the middle (Fig.…”

Identification of Geoheritage Elements in a Cultural Landscape: a Case Study from Tokaj Mts, Hungary

“…15 to 10 Ma (Pécskay et al 2006;Kiss et al 2011), in a transitional shallow marine to subaerial environment (Kováč et al 2007;Piller et al 2007). The volcanic landforms (Zelenka et al 2012;Szepesi et al 2018bSzepesi et al , 2019 consist of caldera systems, rhyolitic lava dome fields, andesitic-dacitic composite volcanoes, and eroded outcropping intrusions (e.g., laccolith). Glassy volcanic rocks (perlites) are also associated with the Miocene lava domes with highest volumes in the Carpathian Basin (Zelenka et al 2012;Szepesi et al 2019).…”

“…The volcanic landforms (Zelenka et al 2012;Szepesi et al 2018bSzepesi et al , 2019 consist of caldera systems, rhyolitic lava dome fields, andesitic-dacitic composite volcanoes, and eroded outcropping intrusions (e.g., laccolith). Glassy volcanic rocks (perlites) are also associated with the Miocene lava domes with highest volumes in the Carpathian Basin (Zelenka et al 2012;Szepesi et al 2019). The central and northern parts of the NTM with the dominance of hard volcanic rocks are characterized by variable heights and slopes (Fig.…”

Geochemical distribution and risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in the soil and eroded sediment in two sloping vineyards

“…The vineyards are situated at the hillslopes of the Tokaj Mountains. The interplay between the volcanic base rocks, the loess cover of variable thickness of the Tokaj Hill, the surrounding alluvial plains, as well as the landscape topography create the diversity of soils in the region (Lóczy, 2015;Nyizsalovszki and Fórián, 2007;Zelenka et al, 2012;Szepesi et al, 2018). The climate of the area is humid continental, characterized by cold winters and warm summers.…”