Acta Musei Moraviae

Research of Permo-Carboniferous sediments of the southern part of the Boskovice Graben; an overview (Part 1. History of Mining and Mineralogy)

The Boskovice Graben represents a narrow depression of the NNE-SSW direction, filled of terrestrial Carboniferous-Permian sediments largely conglomerates and sandstones, less commonly also claystones, aleuropelites and minor pelocarbonates. Some volcanic and volcanoclastic rocks are also be present. Along the western margin three coal seams of the Stephanian C age are located. Alum was the first produced commodity and from 1755 to 1992 hard coal was mined in the southern part of the Boskovice Graben (the Rosice-Oslavany Coalfield). The most important mines were opened at Zastávka (Julius), Babice (Ferdinand), Zbýšov (Antonín, Jindřich I, II, Simson and Anna), Padochov (Františka) and Oslavany (Kukla). Mine Jindřich II in Zbýšov near Brno reached a depth of 1428.4 m and was the deepest mine in Europe at the time. On fissures in pelocarbonate and clastic sediments, located near coal seams the lowtemperature mineral assemblages involving dolomite – quartz – calcite – pyrite – anhydrite – gypsum – baryte – sphalerite – organic compounds (hatchettite, solid bitumen – válaite) are developed. In the overlying Permian sandstones only calcite, válaite, and sporadic baryte occur. For the Rosice-Oslavany Coalfield especially calcite, anhydrite, quartz and organic minerals are typical. This paper provides a basic overview of mineral assemblages based on the literature data and samples stored at the Moravian Museum in Brno. Chemical composition of individual minerals and, in particular, their genesis will be studied in the future.