Volcanic spa

Towering over the town of Szczawnica in the Pieniny mountain range (a description of the Pieniny Mountains and Spiš) are extinct volcanoes. Thanks to former volcanic processes, there are natural springs of acidic mineral water that highlanders call szczawy (from which the town takes its name – Szczawnica). Such mineralised acidic water surfaces at the foot of Bryjarka, and due to them, Szczawnica became a popular health resort.

Not many people walking along the streets of Szczawnica realise that the peaks of Bryjarka and Jarmuta in the Pieniny mountain range, towering over the town, are extinct volcanoes. Thanks to former volcanic processes, there are natural springs of acidic mineral water that highlanders call szczawy (from which the town takes its name – Szczawnica). Such mineralised acidic water surfacesat the foot of Bryjarka, and due to them, Szczawnica became a popular health resort.

Skiing down a volcano

Ski down the slope of a volcano? Why not! Such attractions are only possible in the Małopolska region, specifically on Mount Wdżar, an extinct volcano in Kluszkowce. The ski lifts on its slope perform the function of a family ski station – Czorsztyn Ski in winter, and in summer a mountain and water sports, leisure and fun centre. Mount Wdżar lies on the Gorce side of the Snozka Pass, separating the Gorce Mountains from the Pieniny Mountains. The area is full of rocks of volcanic origin called ‘crystalline andesite’. In the entirety of the Polish Carpathians, they are to be found only here and on Mount Bryjarka above Szczawnica. An interesting magnetic anomaly can be observed at the top of Mount Wdżar in Kluszkowce: the compass needle ‘goes crazy’ and instead of pointing north it points south. Opinions on why this happens are divided. Some scientists believe it was caused by a lightning strike, others that it is a trace of past volcanic activity – when hot magma solidified, the magnetite mineral in it aligned itself with the earth's former magnetisation. This phenomenon is called palaeomagnetism.

Volcanic fumes in Muszyna and Tylicz

A mofetta is a place where carbon dioxide bubbles emerge with a characteristic bubbling sound from fissures in the ground. It is a volcanic exhalation (fumes) indicative of volcanic activity. Such mofette can be found near Muszyna and Tylicz on the border of the Beskid Sądecki and the Low Beskids. The Muszyna mofetta is located on the border between two villages: Złockie and Jastrzębik, at the bottom of Złocki Creek. The carbon dioxide released here is formed at considerable depths, and as it rises to the surface, it saturates the waters, thereby creating oxalates. The Złockie mofetta is named after Professor Henryk Świdziński, who discovered it in 1938, and was designated an inanimate nature monument in 1998. It should also be mentioned that it is Poland's largest and most active geological form. Its area is about 25 square metres. Insects, birds, and there have even been cases of... sheep dying over the mofetta. Carbon dioxide is heavier than air, so it accumulates near the ground. If the wind does not blow it away, it displaces oxygen and, deprived of it, creatures hovering above the mofetta soon die.

Also interesting are the mofette in Tylicz (a description of the mofette in Tylicz) in the area of the tourist settlement ‘Domki w lesie’ made up of 11 circles, in the vicinity of which you can count as many as 50 places where gasses are emitted from the depths of the earth. The site is well-developed for tourism, with information boards, benches and a bridge over the settlement. As it turns out, this mofetta has a sensational history. According to the website atrakcjekrynicy.pl: ‘In the 1960s, the mofetta was surrounded by circles in order to extract carbon dioxide for the cultivation of algae used as animal feed. It was one of the biggest mysteries of the communist era – research was conducted there to create condensed food for the cosmonauts of the Soviet Union. Scientists saw hope in freshwater algae, which had perfect conditions for growth in the Tylicz mofetta. This is because carbon dioxide accelerates the growth of algae. Thus, a secret algae research centre was located here, operating under the official cover of an agricultural centre. Eventually, after many years of testing, it was decided that algae were not very well absorbed by the human body and their production was abandoned. The official version was that algae had not proved to be a sensational feed. The communist authorities ordered the concrete circles to be filled in.’

Also interesting are the mofette in Tylicz in the area of the tourist resort Domki w lesie that are made up of 11 circles, in the vicinity of which you can count as many as 50 places where gasses are emitted from the depths of the earth. The site is well-developed for tourism, with information boards, benches and a bridge over the settlement. As it turns out, this mofetta has a sensational history. According to the website atrakcjekrynicy.pl: ‘In the 1960s, the mofetta was surrounded by circles in order to extract carbon dioxide for the cultivation of algae used as animal feed. It was one of the biggest mysteries of the communist era – research was conducted there to create condensed food for the cosmonauts of the Soviet Union. Scientists saw hope in freshwater algae, which had perfect conditions for growth in the Tylicz mofetta. This is because carbon dioxide accelerates the growth of algae. Thus, a secret algae research centre was located here, operating under the official cover of an agricultural centre. Eventually, after many years of testing, it was decided that algae were not very well absorbed by the human body and their production was abandoned. The official version was that algae had not proved to be a sensational feed. The communist authorities ordered the concrete circles to be filled in.’

Volcanoes around Kraków

Volcanic activity in the area is one of the phenomena accompanying the final tectonic movements, described as Variscan or Hercynian, that took place 280 million years ago. The Tenczyn Castle in Rudno (a description of the Castle Tenczyn Rudno) is a beautiful fortress on the Trail of the Eagles’ Nests, a pearl of the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland. An interesting fact, however, is that not everyone knows that Tenczyn Castle is located on a former volcanic cone. The hill on which it rises is about 400 metres above sea level. It is the highest hill of the Tenczyn Hump. Traces of former volcanoes can also be found in the area of Miękinia, Krzeszowice, and Alwernia. In Regulice near Alwernia is a disused quarry. At its entrance (in the eastern part), layered, soft, celadon and brownish-red tuffs are exposed. These are composed of fine volcanic ash material deposited in a depression on the slope of the former volcano. Volcanic melaphyr rocks and the purple variety of quartz and amethyst are also found here, which is particularly pretty and worth seeking out during the tour. The porphyry rock is a slightly different volcanic rock from a disused quarry in Miękinia. Feldspar, quartz, and biotite phenocrysts are visible in this grey-purple to dark-red stone. Based on its mineral composition, it is described as an acid rock – rhyolite. Rhyolite has been quarried at this site since 1852. It was used mainly for road construction and concrete.

Is a volcanic wake-up call possible?

Could extinct volcanoes in Poland be waking up? Scientists say this is very, very unlikely. In Poland, tectonic plates clash, but the phenomenon's scale is negligible. Hypothetically, an earthquake is more possible than a volcanic eruption. Something might change in a few million years, but for now, there is nothing to fear.