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Geological objects across Poland primarily benefit from protection through their inclusion within national and landscape parks, nature reserves and various environmental conservation measures. The most captivating geological sites in the country are catalogued within the Central Register of Geosites of Poland. Globally, the most significant means of promotion of geological heritage are through UNESCO Global Geoparks. As of March 2024, there are over 200 such geoparks worldwide, with only three situated in Poland. The precise definition of a geopark remains absent in Polish legislation and is therefore used quite freely. Among the designations made in this manner was the geological education centre at the "Owadów-Brzezinki" quarry near Opoczno. This centre owes its existence to the exemplary cooperation of local authorities, industry stakeholders and scientific community. It allows the dissemination of knowledge about a world-class palaeontological site, where dozens of new species of Late Jurassic fauna have been found and documented, including ammonites, horseshoe crabs, lobster-like crustaceans, ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and many others. The site’s exceptionally rich and perfectly preserved fossil marine fauna qualifies it as a Fossil Lagerstätte – a repository of extraordinary fossils. Researchers have reconstructed the environmental conditions conductive to the accumulation and survival of these unique specimens. Upon the completion of planned investments by local authorities, the "Owadów-Brzezinki" Geopark may become a potential nucleus for another Polish UNESCO Global Geopark. Undoubtedly, its establishment will further catalyse the growth of geotourism in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interesting case of a caries-affected area where bacterial remains were plausibly preserved in situ was found in an isolated tooth of the Plio-Pleistocene dormouse Glis sackdillingensis (Rodentia, Gliridae). The sample is 2.9-2.6 million years old, and may be the only described case of a dental pathological condition preserved in a fossil together with the microbial pathogen responsible for its development. The tooth was investigated using various complementary techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, Microtomography, and Light Microscopy. Available data on dietary habits and lifestyle of modern dormice are extrapolated to explain the origin of the infection. The results of the investigation are presented within the wider context of the fossil record of dental infections and other microbe-related diseases in vertebrates. Possible methodological reasons for the lack of similar reports are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Owadów-Brzezinki palaeontological site is known for its very well-preserved fossils of Late Jurassic vertebrates, such as numerous fossil fish teeth and occasional dental bones. Some of these represent well-studied taxa, including the most common large predatory fish, with notable examples of caturoids (such as Strobilodus sp.) and pachycormids (Orthocormus teyleri). The current study presents the microstructure and histological features of the teeth of the selected specimens of the above taxa. They are determined through examinations of tooth cross-sections under thin microscopic observations and by the usage of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The above inspections, combined with aspects of external tooth morphology, allowed us to determine the palaeoecology of the aforementioned taxa of large predatory fish. It is concluded that examined Caturoidea displayed a rather homogenous dentition belonging to the intermediate cut/slash guild, characterized by an internal orthodentin histology with prominent incremental Andresen growth lines of differing form, indicating living in a highly variable, unstable environment. The teeth of pachycormid specimen (O. teyleri) can be characterized as having denteon-based orthodentin histology, with a rapid rate of tooth eruption and a heterodont, elongated specialist dentition of the piercing guild. The observed structural differences in the teeth suggest a different niche distribution between the taxa studied. They help to explain how these predatory ray-finned fishes may have coexisted both in the local environment of the Owadów-Brzezinki and in the wider, more global context of Late Jurassic shallow marine environments. In addition, the tooth samples are characterised by pronounced surface bioerosion with traces of Mycellites ossifragus durophagous fungal activity, indicating an intense bioerosion caused by these microorganisms after the death of the fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously unidentified small (up to 1.3 mm in length), gently curved hollow spines composed of calcium phosphate and derived from the upper Famennian (Devonian) of the Holy Cross Mountains in central Poland are described. They are similar to the type species of Phakelodus, but show some distinct morphological differences, therefore, have been included into Phakeloides polonicus gen. et sp. nov. The studied specimens of that species show relatively massive mineral structure characterized by significant porosity with well-preserved major structural features. The outer layer of the spines is, in contrary, fragmentarily preserved, and exposes distinct mosaic-like ornamentation of the surface of the middle layer, which consists of obliquely arranged, shallow furrows. Geochemical analyses of the Devonian Phakeloides polonicus gen. et sp. nov. spines have revealed the presence of a weaker mineralized structure, compared to conodont apatite, composed of a diagenetic phosphate phase. It is characterized by moderate cathodoluminescence intensity, elevated concentrations of iron and sulphur as well as decreased concentrations of strontium, calcium, and phosphorus. The "Orsten" type, early diagenetic phosphatization of the outer layer of the spines is not observed in studied specimens of Phakeloides polonicus gen. et sp. nov., contrary to the previously investigated Furongian (Cambrian) material. This points to the low rate of diagenetic phosphatization, which was likely enabled by very slow sedimentation and long residence time of the spines close to sediment-water interface at varying redox conditions and significant flux of phosphate ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microscope, cathodoluminescence, chemical and oxygen isotope studies have been conducted to determine the original mineralogy and diagenetic alteration of phosphatic grasping spines of Cambrian chaetognaths. The obtained data, along with a comparison to the composition of conodont apatite, show the presence of a few generations of diagenetic phosphate phases. A thin, outer layer of the spines is composed of very early diagenetic phosphate, which incrusted the original cuticle layer contributing to the preservation of an original shape and structural details of the fossils. This process can be linked to the 'Orsten'‐type phosphatization mainly known from Lower Palaeozoic strata. Successive phosphate generations are observed within the middle and inner layers as well as internal cavities of the spines. Plastic deformations and diagenetic features of the spines show that they were originally composed of slightly flexible chitinous organic matter similar to that of modern chaetognaths. This conclusion is substantiated by rare findings of purely organic remnants of Cambrian chaetognath grasping spines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Siltstone and sandstone beds of the Mount Wawel Formation (Eocene) contain trace fossils interpreted as insect resting traces and arthropod trackways, the latest determined as Glaciichnium australis isp. nov. and cf. Pterichnus isp. Glaciichnium is included in a new ichnofamily Protichnidae, which embraces invertebrate trackways composed of straight central trail(s) and lateral tracks. The same deposits contain fragments of plant stems in growth position, delicate fern-like plant twigs and leaves of Nothofagus. Their deposition took place in very shallow but flowing water, probably in a marginal part of a lake, perhaps in a delta. The presence of mudcracks proves incidental exposure of the sediment. The trace fossils were produced by arthropods, especially insects and/or isopods, between episodes of deposition and were influenced by the water flow and subtle changes in substrate consistency. This resulted in several morphological variants of the traces. Glaciichnium australis is similar to those produced by some caddisflies (Trichoptera) in shallow puddles in the Tatra Mountains of Poland. The arthropod-dominated trace fossil assemblage is similar to the Glaciichnium ichnocoenosis, which is known from some Pleistocene lacustrine varve sediments of Europe. This fits well with the beginning of climatic cooling in Antarctica during the late Eocene. This also shows the recurrence of some ichnological features on both ends of the globe in similar palaeoenvironmental conditions and supports basics of the ichnofacies concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Western Europe has yielded numerous Jurassic turtle taxa, several represented by cranial material or complete skeletons, the fossil record of the Jurassic turtles remains scarce to the north and east from Germany. Although some Late Jurassic testudinates were historically described from Poland, they were, thus far, represented by fragmentary remains that never were properly figured or described in detail. Therefore, very little is known about the mid‐Mesozoic diversity of turtles in that region of the continent. A new pancryptodiran turtle genus and species, Owadowia borsukbialynickae, is described from the uppermost Jurassic (Tithonian, ca. 148 Ma) carbonate sediments of the Kcynia Formation in Owadów‐Brzezinki Quarry, near Tomaszów Mazowiecki in central Poland. The lower jaw morphology and palaeoecological setting inhabited by the new genus and species, together with the trophic relationships of the Jurassic pancryptodiran turtles, are discussed in an attempt to determine the potential range of mode of life of O. borsukbialynickae. We propose that the new specimen belongs to a new durophagous pancryptodiran turtle taxon. O. borsukbialynickae might have spent considerable time in the marine environment and specialized on eating hard‐shelled invertebrates like bivalves and decapod crustaceans, common to that setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigates the potential of X-ray microcomputed tomography (XMT) as an analytical tool for tooth histology. Saurichthys teeth from the Lower Triassic fossil fish remains from Spitsbergen Island, Norway are analyzed. Comments on the stable isotope composition of the Saurichthys teeth from the Lower Triassic are made.

The Carboniferous Limestone at Bullslaughter Bay hosts some of the most notable examples of deep weathering in the British Isles as well as two members of an enigmatic suite of breccias known as the Gash Breccias. The weathered limestone has been investigated thoroughly in order to identify the process responsible for the weathering. In this paper it is demonstrated that the weathering is isovolumetric but the weathering profile is not characterised by a vertical gradient and its depth suggests that meteoric waters did not contribute significantly to the weathering process. The weathered limestone has lost significant amounts of calcium and parts are virtually decalcified. It is seen that the dominant primary minerals of illite and quartz have been preserved while secondary clay minerals are generally absent. The weathered limestone cannot be a saprolite sensu stricto as it has been subjected to only restricted chemical processes. It is, therefore, interpreted as a "ghost-rock". This type of weathering results from chemical dissolution by slow moving waters in the saturated zone. It is suggested that the weathering may have taken place during periods of emergence in the Carboniferous, at the same time as the cyclothem tops were exposed to subaerial modification, as evidenced by omission surfaces and palaeokarstic solution features. This is the first time that ghost-rock weathering has been reported from the British Isles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]