Folia archeologica 45.

Tóth Endre: Dr. Soproni Sándor szakirodalmi munkássága

PALAEOLITHIC TOOLS 4,'i large slightly smoky quartz crystals resembling the "Maramarosh diamond", the genetical conditions ofwhich agree with those of the so-called "Mirabeu Diamond" from Switzerland (Rykart R. 1989). These quartz varieties are characterised by the presence of natural wax (osokerite) and a large number of inclusions with hydrocarbons. The samples investigated contain no such inclusions, therefore we can exclude this genetical environment from potential sources for the artefacts. 5. Quartz occurrences associated with metamorphic rocks Metamorphic rocks tend to lose during their formation the volatile content: water, CO., and other constituents during a "pseudo-hydrothermal" process. As a result, the plastic deformation in great depth leads to the formation of lenses or hollows ("clefts") filled in mainly by quartz crystals. The resulting mineral association is known as "Alpean mineral paragenesis", and was first observed in the Alps. It was traced at several locations within metamorphic rocks. Typical minerals of this association are quartz varieties (rock crystal, smoky quartz, amethyst), feldspars (pericline, adularia), titanite, rutil, hematite, magnetite, fluorite, apatite, chlorite, epidot, beryl, actinolite and diopside. Typical mineral for the SiO., varieties is rock crystal, clear and transparent, in large crystals of 10-100 kg occasionally. Other occurrences in the Carpathian Basin are subordinate compared to the Alps. They are: In Slovakia: Vepor Mts, Revuca-Kohút. Smolárka, Hnustá - Paramovou Skala (Zipser, K.A. 1817), Abelov (Hercko I. 1984). Crystals are often smoky (morion type) witli Alpean mineral association. Clear crystals were observed in the Slovakian Ore Mts. near Svedlár in phyllite quartz lenses (Grecula P. et al. 1995). In Romania: In the Northern continuation of the Transylvanian Ore Mt., e.g., Cheud, Fericea, Simleu Silvanei (Radulescu D., Dimitrescu R. 1966) in subordinate quantities. The quarts crystals are cloudy with lots of inclusions and there are other minerals associated typical for the Alpean paragenesis (adular, anatase, chlorite). In Bohemia and Moravia: Over the Carpathian Arch, on the territory of Northern Moravia at Jesenik we can find Alpean type veins (Vernirovice - Bernanrd J. et al. 1966). They are known, however, more of other silicates e.g. epidot and adularia. In Hungary: In the epimetamorphic phyllite series of the Szendrő mts. contain quartz veins and lenses (Gatter 1987) occasionally with clear parts. Due to their small size and quantity, they are unlikely to serve as sources of archaeological rock crystal. In Austria: Alpean type occurrences are subordinate in the central parts of Europe, with the exception of the Alps themselves. They can be still collected in the so-called "klufts" from primary deposits by the help of alpinist climbing techniques or from secondary sources, i.e., end moraines or the sediments of mountain streams. The fluid inclusion characteristics of the rock crystal formed in the Alpean clefts are well known (Poty В., Stalder Ci. 1970, Mullis J. 1979, Frey M. et al. 1980 etc.). Mineralogists have found a close correlation between the diagenetical state of the bedrock, the degree of metamorphisation and the habit of minerals as well as the fluid inclusions. On the basis of these features, Mullis (1994) separated four sub-types (see Table). As the morphological features of archaeological rock crystal are not known due to flaking and the fluid composition is only tentatively known, the Alpean rock crystals can only be hypothesed as the source of the material.