How the mountains were formed and where the coal in Poland comes from?
what forms of relief are found in Poland;
when and what major geological events took place in Poland.
discuss the processes conducive to the formation of mountains;
explain how the mountains in Poland were formed;
give information about the location of different types of mountains found in Poland;
name the formation stages of hard coal;
discuss the processes conducive to the formation of coal;
show brown and hard coal deposits in Poland.
Before starting the class, arrange the puzzle and think about what mountains have been shown in the picture.
Over millions of years, the landscapes on our planet have changed many times. In the area of today's Poland there were different natural conditions as well. Some of the lands was flooded with sea water, other times mountains uplifted as a result of the movements of the Earth's crust. There were also periods when the area of our country was overgrown with lush tropical forests, from which coal was formed later on. The geological history of the Earth is fascinating, and it is worth learning a little more about it.
Using the knowledge gained so far, solve the following task.
Complete the text.
Eurasian, folding, earthquakes, continents, african, orogenesis
Mountains arise as a result of uplifts which are the result of ...................... movement where lithospheric plates press against each other with enormous strength, the terrain undergoes ...................... and uplifting, and mountains are formed. The Carpathians were formed as a result of the movement of the ...................... plate northwards and its collision with the ...................... plate. This slow process of mountain-forming movements is called ...................... and continues to this day. The proof is in the form of .......................
How the mountains were formed
Internal processes (endogenous) – mountain-, land-, and ocean‑forming movements, as well as earthquakes and volcanic phenomena – contribute to changes in the appearance of lands and oceans. They determine the formation of mountains and lead to changes both in the vertical (relief) and the horizontal (coastline) shape of the land. They are the result of forces having their source in the depths of the Earth. Internal factors have remained basically the same from the beginning of the formation of our planet. They include: enormous pressure, very high temperatures, as well as pressure differences (effects of the activity of energy inside the Earth).
Mountains are formed mainly as a result of the uplift which is the result of continental movement. This is the lithospheric plate theory. Where the lithospheric plates press against each other with enormous force, the terrain is folded and uplifted – fold mountains are formed. The Carpathians were formed as a result of the movement of the African plate northwards and its collision with the Eurasian plate. It is worth remembering that this slow process is still continued. Earthquakes that occur in the south of Europe from time to time are the best proof.
At the beginning of the Cenozoic era, during the most intense folding of the Carpathians, there was a rejuvenation of the relief in the Sudetes. There were significant shifts of rock layers along faults and the so‑called fault block mountains were formed.
The Sudetes were formed in the Paleozoic era. At first, in the place of today's Sudetes there was a sea on the bottom of which sedimentary rocks were formed. During Caledonian folding (the first part of the Paleozoic era), huge mountains were created in this area.
Then, for many millions of years, the Caledonian massif was destroyed.
During the Hercynian‑forming movements (the second part of the Paleozoic era), the Caledonian massif was divided, and the Eastern Sudetes were uplifted and formed. At that time, the main foundation of today's Sudetes was formed. The oldest range of the Sudetes is the Sowie Mountains (part of the Central Sudetes), the younger is the Eastern Sudetes, and the youngest is the Western Sudetes, and some individual ranges, such as the Table Mountains. At the same time, there was also an intense volcanic activity, the effects of which were intrusions of magma into the layers of older rocks. This way, the ranges of the Karkonosze Mountains and the Jizera Mountains were formed.
During the alpine tectonic movements (the beginning of the Cenozoic era), the old massif of the Sudetes cracked and shaped the relief of today’s Sudetes. The fault block mountains were formed.
Various external processes are still forming the Sudetes.
Another type of mountains is volcanic mountains. They were formed as a result of volcanic activity, for example, in the Kaczawskie Foothills in the Sudetes or in the Silesian Upland.
Put in the correct order from the youngest orogenesis to the oldest one.
- Alpine orogenesis
- Caledonian orogenesis
- Hercynian (Variscan) orogenesis
How coal was formed
Internal processes diversify the Earth's surface through uplifting and folding. However, external processes (exogenous) – weathering, erosion, accumulation, mass movements – contribute to levelling out the Earth's surface. One of these processes – accumulation – significantly contributed to the formation of coal deposits in Poland.
In the Paleozoic era, in the Carboniferous period, black coal deposits were formed. At that time, there was an equatorial‑like climate in Poland. There was lush, ever‑green vegetation rich in various species, similar to modern equatorial forests. Plant remains were covered with rock deposits brought by wind and water. Under anaerobic conditions and at high pressure, these remains transformed into peat first, then into brown coal, and finally black coal. It was the so‑called coalification, i.e. increasing the content of element CC (coal) in rocks.
After some time, plant remains accumulated on sediments again, and subsequent layers of coal were formed. In some periods there were earthquakes, and rock layers, including those with coal, were mixed along faults. That is why today, hard coal is found at very different depths – from a few meters to several kilometres. In Poland, deposits of this energy material are located in the Silesian Upland and the Lublin Upland, and are still being exploited. Whereas in the Sudetes near Wałbrzych, black coal mining was completed several years ago.
In the Cenozoic, a few dozen million years ago, there was a humid and hot climate, and coal deposits could form again. However, until today they have managed to reach only the brown coal stage. The deposits of this raw material lie shallow underground and are quite rich in Poland. Currently, brown coal is mined in opencast mines near Bełchatów, Konin and Turoszów.
Select the items in the correct column.
| Brown coal occurs in ... | Brown coal occurs in ... | Brown coal occurs in ... |
|
Konin Bełchatów Bogatynia Jaworzno □ |
Konin Bełchatów Bogatynia Adamów □ |
Bełchatów Bogatynia Jaworzno Wałbrzych □ |
Homework
For volunteers: using the Learning Apps app (learning game Millionaires), create questions related to the issues learned in today's lesson.
Homework for all students from selected issues from the e‑textbook.
Key words
orogenesisorogenesis, coal, mountains
Glossary
orogeneza - okres intensywnych ruchów górotwórczych
Kaledonidy - góry powstałe podczas orogenezy kaledońskiej
Alpidy - góry powstałe w orogenezie alpejskiej