Geological structure of the Ciemniak Massif on the basis of data from the Mała Cave in Mułowa (Western TatraMts.)

The Mała Cave in Mułowa has been explored to a depth of 555 m at the beginning of the 21th century. It makes a good opportunity to review the knowledge on the geological structure of the Ciemniak Massif. The geological research was performed in two main conduits of the cave. The Mała Cave in Mułowa developed in Lower and Middle Triassic carbonates belonging to the dziary Unit (CzerwoneWierchy Nappe – part of the High-Tatric Allochthon), as well as in marly shales of the Zabijak Formation and limestones of the Wysoka Turnia Limestone Formation belonging to the High-Tatric Autochthon. The cave is the second outcrop of the lower limb of the main syncline of the dziary Unit. It follows that the dziary Unit in the Ciemniak area is represented by a recumbent, open syncline with completely preserved both limbs. This syncline is open northtoward . The fold axes are subhorizontal and the axis surface is inclined ~37o N. From a depth of 300 m (below the entrance), the cave was formed at the contact of Cretaceous rocks belonging to the autochthonous cover and Triassic rocks of the dziary Unit