Geosite: Miedzianka Mountain (FID: 2)

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Passive geosite (Active processes: 0)

Description: The Miedzianka Nature Reserve, located in the Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross) Mountains of central Poland, protects a distinctive hill built of Devonian limestones. The site is renowned for its copper mineralization. Since the Middle Ages, the area was exploited for copper ores, leaving behind traces of historical mining such as adits, pits, and spoil heaps. Mining activity declined in the 19th century, but the geological heritage remains well preserved. The limestones also host a variety of fossils, providing insight into marine environments of the Devonian period (Frasnian and Famennian). Today, the reserve combines natural, geological, and cultural values. Its steep rocky slopes, former mining remnants, and rare plant species create a landscape of both scientific interest and scenic character, making Miedzianka one of the key geosites of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains.

Property: Public.

Accessibility: The Miedzianka Nature Reserve is located near the village of Miedzianka, about 30 km west of Kielce. It is accessible by road, with parking available in the vicinity. A marked trail leads to the hilltop and around the reserve, offering viewpoints and access to geological exposures.

Use limitations: The Miedzianka Nature Reserve is subject to protection regulations.

Safety: Visitors to the Miedzianka Nature Reserve should exercise caution due to natural hazards associated with former mining and quarrying. Steep limestone slopes, loose rock, and remnants of old mining pits and adits pose risks of falling or collapse. Staying on marked trails significantly reduces potential danger.

Interpretatives: The mining heritage room in Miedzianka displays minerals, mining tools, and archival documents, illustrating the significance of ore extraction for the region.

Infrastructure: The Miedzianka Nature Reserve is equipped with a basic tourist infrastructure that enables visitors to explore its geological and cultural features. A marked hiking trail leads across the hill and provides access to limestone outcrops, former mining areas, and scenic viewpoints over the Świętokrzyskie Mountains. In the nearby village of Miedzianka, a small mining heritage room presents the history of local copper mining and serves as an introductory point for visitors.

Protection: The reserve is legally protected as a strict nature reserve within the Świętokrzyskie region. Its main objectives are the preservation of Devonian limestone outcrops, copper mineralization zones, and xerothermic plant communities.

Fragility: The site is ecologically and geologically fragile. Overgrowth of quarry walls and natural succession threaten the visibility of rock exposures, while grasslands and xerothermic habitats are vulnerable to encroachment by shrubs and trees. Without active management, characteristic geological and botanical features may gradually diminish.

Vulnerability: Human activities remain a significant threat to the reserve. Unauthorized mineral collecting damages outcrops, while littering and disturbance of old adits and caves endanger both heritage and local fauna. Intensive tourism outside designated paths may erode soils and harm sensitive vegetation. Effective supervision and educational outreach are crucial for long-term protection.

Geodiversity elements

Spatial type Scale Relevance Name Descriptions
surface 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Aeolian sands Sands were deposited during the Middle Polish Glaciations
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (2)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Sedimentation of glaciofluvial sands during the Middle Polish Glaciation Glaciofluvial sands Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Glaciofluvial sedimentation passive hundred thousand-year 400 ka 130 ka
Formation of sands into dunes under periglacial climatic conditions Aeolian sands Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Formation of dunes passive thousand-year 100 ka 10 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface km ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Lower Triassic sandstones
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Sedimentation of continental deposits in the Early Triassic Lower Triassic sandstones Palaeogeographical, Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of continental deposits in the Early Triassic passive million-year 250 Ma 240 Ma
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Famennian marls and shales Famennian marl and shale deposits are forming a lens within the Frasnian limestones
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (2)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Marine sedimentation of Famennian deposits Famennian marls and shales Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Sedimentation of Famennian marls and mud shales passive million-year 372 Ma 360 Ma
Deformation of Upper Devonian rocks during the Variscan orogeny Famennian marl and shale deposits formed a lens within the Frasnian limestones Structural
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Variscan deformations passive million-year 330 Ma 300 Ma
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
group of surfaces km ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Glaciofluvial sands
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Sedimentation of glaciofluvial sands during the Middle Polish Glaciation Sands of the kame terrace up to 320 m a.s.l. Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Glaciofluvial sedimentation passive hundred thousand-year 400 ka 130 ka
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
surface 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Ridge at the summit of Miedzianka
Images (3)
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (2)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Karst processes leading to the formation of caves and ridges Ridge at the summit of Miedzianka Hydrological
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Intensive karst processes in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 2 Ma
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains during the Laramide movements Ridge at the summit of Miedzianka Structural
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 5 Ma
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
group of surfaces 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
✅ Cultural 		Quarries
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Exploitation of Devonian limestones Inactive quarry Economic
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Extraction of Devonian carbonates passive century 18th century 1950
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Inactive quarries Devonian limestones were mined in the quarries century 18th century 1950
group of surfaces 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
✅ Cultural 		Remains of copper ore mining Heaps
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (3)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Mining of copper ores Heaps Economic, Engineering
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Underground mining of copper ores passive century 13th century 1954
Primary copper mineralization Copper mineralization Concentration of primary copper ores in limestone fractures Geochemical, Geothermal, Mineralogical
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Primary Variscan copper mineralization passive million-year 330 Ma 300 Ma
Secondary copper mineralization Azurite, malachite Geochemical, Mineralogical
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Secondary copper mineralization passive million-year 300 Ma 65 Ma
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Heaps Remains of copper ore mining century 13th century 1954
group of surfaces 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Asplenietea rupestria Rocky plant communities of the class Asplenietea rupestria
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Rocky plant communities of the class Asplenietea rupestria These communities develop on the walls of former quarries and in limestone rock crevices, mainly exposed in the upper parts of the hill year 1954 present
surface 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Juniperus communis Community of Juniperus communis on dry grassland
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Community of Juniperus communis on dry grassland year 1954 present
group of surfaces m ✅ Abiotic
✅ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Festuco-Brometea Dry grasslands on calcareous substrates of the class Festuco-Brometea
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Dry grasslands on calcareous substrates of the class Festuco-Brometea year 1954 present
surface km ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Frasnian limestones
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (4)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Sedimentation of limestones in a shallow, warm sea Frasnian limestones Palaeogeographical, Sedimentary
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Marine sedimentation of Frasnian deposits passive million-year 382 Ma 372 Ma
Deformation of Upper Devonian rocks during the Variscan orogeny Deformed Frasnian limestones Structural
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Variscan deformations passive million-year 330 Ma 300 Ma
Karst processes leading to the formation of caves and ridges Karstified Frasnian limestones, caves Hydrological
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Intensive karst processes in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 5 Ma
Exploitation of Devonian limestones Quarries and mining adits created during copper ore exploitation Economic, Engineering
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Underground mining of copper ores passive century 13th century 1954
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
group of points 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
✅ Cultural 		Adits and caves
Images (3)
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Mining of copper ores Mining adits Economic, Engineering
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Underground mining of copper ores passive century 13th century 1954
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Adits Underground mining of copper ores century 13th century 1954
point m ❌ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
✅ Cultural 		Mining Heritage Room in Miedzianka
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Mining Heritage Room in Miedzianka The Mining Heritage Room, established in September 2008 in the former mining school and mining office, presents the region’s copper mining history. The historical exhibition displays tools, machines, and mining techniques used locally, while the natural history section showcases minerals from the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and worldwide, as well as fossils discovered in the area. year 2008 present
point m ❌ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
✅ Cultural 		Headframe of the former “Piotr” shaft
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (0) No themes for this element.
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Headframe of the former “Piotr” shaft This is the only headframe in the Świętokrzyskie region. Originally built in 1902 in Siemianowice Śląskie for the “Kazimierz” mine in Sosnowiec, it was relocated in the 1950s to Mount Miedzianka in Chęciny County, where copper ore mining was underway. Due to limited ore reserves and the discovery of richer deposits elsewhere, the tower operated at this site for only three years (1951–1954). year 1951 present
point mm ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Viewpoints from Mount Miedzianka
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (1)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains during the Laramide movements Viewpoint from Mount Miedzianka View of the Mesozoic margin of the Holy Cross Mountains Geomorphological, Structural
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 5 Ma
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.
line 10-100m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
✅ Cultural 		Trail to the quarries and spoil heap
Images (0) No images for this element.
Themes and processes (2)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Exploitation of Devonian limestones Inactive quarries Economic
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Extraction of Devonian carbonates passive century 18th century 1950
Mining of copper ores Heap Economic
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Underground mining of copper ores passive century 13th century 1954
Biocultural components (1)
Component Description Time scale Begin End
Inactive quarries Quarries and spoil heaps from Devonian limestone and copper ore exploitation century 13th century 1954
line m ✅ Abiotic
❌ Biotic
❌ Cultural 		Trail along the rocky ridge at the summit of Miedzianka Frasnian limestones
Images (1)
Zdjęcie elementu
Themes and processes (2)
Process Feature name Description Classification
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains during the Laramide movements Ridge at the summit of Miedzianka Structural
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 5 Ma
Karst processes leading to the formation of caves and ridges Ridge at the summit of Miedzianka Hydrological
Theme images (0)
Time scales (1)
Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Intensive karst processes in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 5 Ma
Biocultural components (0) No biocultural components for this element.

Geosite map

Geosite summary

Themes and processes (12)

Process Feature Description
Sedimentation of glaciofluvial sands during the Middle Polish Glaciation Glaciofluvial sands
Formation of sands into dunes under periglacial climatic conditions Aeolian sands
Sedimentation of continental deposits in the Early Triassic Lower Triassic sandstones
Marine sedimentation of Famennian deposits Famennian marls and shales
Deformation of Upper Devonian rocks during the Variscan orogeny Famennian marl and shale deposits formed a lens within the Frasnian limestones
Karst processes leading to the formation of caves and ridges Ridge at the summit of Miedzianka
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains during the Laramide movements Ridge at the summit of Miedzianka
Exploitation of Devonian limestones Inactive quarry
Mining of copper ores Heaps
Sedimentation of limestones in a shallow, warm sea Frasnian limestones
Primary copper mineralization Copper mineralization Concentration of primary copper ores in limestone fractures
Secondary copper mineralization Azurite, malachite

Time scales (12)

Process Is active Time scale Begin End
Glaciofluvial sedimentation passive hundred thousand-year 400 ka 130 ka
Formation of dunes passive thousand-year 100 ka 10 ka
Sedimentation of continental deposits in the Early Triassic passive million-year 250 Ma 240 Ma
Sedimentation of Famennian marls and mud shales passive million-year 372 Ma 360 Ma
Variscan deformations passive million-year 330 Ma 300 Ma
Intensive karst processes in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 2 Ma
Uplift of the western part of the Holy Cross Mountains in the Late Paleogene and Neogene passive million-year 40 Ma 5 Ma
Extraction of Devonian carbonates passive century 18th century 1950
Underground mining of copper ores passive century 13th century 1954
Marine sedimentation of Frasnian deposits passive million-year 382 Ma 372 Ma
Primary Variscan copper mineralization passive million-year 330 Ma 300 Ma
Secondary copper mineralization passive million-year 300 Ma 65 Ma

Biocultural components (8)

Component Description Time scale Begin End
Inactive quarries Devonian limestones were mined in the quarries century 18th century 1950
Heaps Remains of copper ore mining century 13th century 1954
Rocky plant communities of the class Asplenietea rupestria These communities develop on the walls of former quarries and in limestone rock crevices, mainly exposed in the upper parts of the hill year 1954 present
Community of Juniperus communis on dry grassland year 1954 present
Dry grasslands on calcareous substrates of the class Festuco-Brometea year 1954 present
Adits Underground mining of copper ores century 13th century 1954
Mining Heritage Room in Miedzianka The Mining Heritage Room, established in September 2008 in the former mining school and mining office, presents the region’s copper mining history. The historical exhibition displays tools, machines, and mining techniques used locally, while the natural history section showcases minerals from the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and worldwide, as well as fossils discovered in the area. year 2008 present
Headframe of the former “Piotr” shaft This is the only headframe in the Świętokrzyskie region. Originally built in 1902 in Siemianowice Śląskie for the “Kazimierz” mine in Sosnowiec, it was relocated in the 1950s to Mount Miedzianka in Chęciny County, where copper ore mining was underway. Due to limited ore reserves and the discovery of richer deposits elsewhere, the tower operated at this site for only three years (1951–1954). year 1951 present