“Biesak-Białogon” nature reserve

If you want to see the oldest rocks in Kielce and records of volcanic activity from 480 million years ago, this is the place to go. The former quarry and the surrounding forest area have been protected since 1981 as the “Biesak-Bialogon” nature reserve. Sandstone quarried here was used to produce paving stones that decorated many streets in Kielce. Thanks to the mining works, a profile of rocks of marine origin representing two periods in the history of the Earth: Cambrian and Ordovician, has been exposed. Fossilised sediments of the Cambrian sea more than 500 million years old are the oldest rocks that can be seen in the reserve. Younger than these are Ordovician sandstones that are about 480 million years old. Among them are interlayers of greenish soft rocks called bentonites – this is fossilised marine sediment mixed with volcanic ash. In the northern wall of the quarry we also have a profile section where older (Cambrian) rocks lie on younger (Ordovician) rocks. This, in turn, is a record of past rock-forming movements that have shifted and reversed the layout of the rock layers. The landscape value of the reserve is emphasised by a small lake filling the former quarry excavation.