Chromium ore is treated as an important strategic raw material. It is used by many branches of the industry. The most important applications are metallurgical, refractory and chemical. Unfortunately, no chromium ore deposits have been found in Poland until now, with the exception of two chromium ore sites described in the Lower Silesia region. These concentrations are formed by chromitite, which is rock consisting mainly of chromian spinel. They are localized within so called Sudetic Ophiolite rocks along the edge of the Góry Sowie Massif. They form typical podiform deposits, which are characterized by the high Al content of the rock. The first locality, near Tąpadła village (the Gogołów-Jordanów Massif), is better known. The ore was exploited here at the turn of the19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. According to the literature, 3500 tons of the ore was obtained - all the resources at this location. The second locality, situated at the Braszowice-Brzeźnica Massif, was never studied and described properly, falling into obscurity since the 19th century. During the field work at the Braszowice-Brzeźnica Massif, the author has found numerous chromium ore fragments among the debris. The rising prices of chromium on the world's markets suggest that it is reasonable to study the ore quality and overall resource potential of this deposit. The preliminary studies have shown that chromitities from Braszowice are typical ores of the podiform variety, the majority texturally massive and nodular. The chemical analyses of the primary chromianspinels grains revealed that they could be treated as refractory chromite (38% wt. of Cr2O3, lower than 30% wt. of Al2O3, and Cr/Fe ratio about 3:1). However, the metamorphic processes modified the primary chemical composition of the studied ore. They caused enrichment in Fe and Cr, and a decrease in Al in comparison to the primary ore. Moreover, the whole rock chemical analyses revealed that the content of the main elements is insufficient to use the ore without enrichment processes. Furthermore, the size and number of the potential ore bodies are presumably small. Consequently, both the chemical composition and the resources of the chromium ores from the Braszowice–Brzeźnica Massif are insufficient to allow for profitable exploitation, despite the high price of chromium.
This study presents the results of a comprehensive geoarchaeological study implemented at an archeological site covering ca. 5 ha near the city of Csorna on the NW part of the Danube Plain, NW Hungary. The site itself exposed a complex fluvial system of an ice age creek with near bank and overbank areas (levee, point bar, back swamp). Spatial distribution of archeological features allowed for the interpretation of differential use of the fluvial landscape by different cultures. According to our data, the referred fluvial system must have emerged during the Late Glacial. At this time, creeks originating from hills to the SE followed a uniform NW trajectory. From the Holocene, small creeks were beheaded turning into inactive flood channels. It was the time when the gradual infilling of the floodplain started. Alternating layers of floodwater coarses and floodplain fines mark recurring floods at our site. These could have been correlated with cooler, wetter climatic phases of the North Atlantic, Western Europe and high stands in Central European lakes. Highest floods are recorded during the Late Bronze and Iron Ages besides the Neolithic. Pollen data enabled us to make inferences on the vegetation as well.
The illustrated weekly Wędrowiec (The Wanderer), published in 1863–1906, certainly lived up to its programmatic title and published a great deal of material on geography, history of culture and travels abroad. This article discusses the texts that dealt with the ancient history of the Middle East.