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Sieniawa Lignite Mine – extraordinary history, geology and mining achievements during the last decade Cover

Sieniawa Lignite Mine – extraordinary history, geology and mining achievements during the last decade

Geologos
Volume 32 (2026): Issue 1 (May 2026)
By: ,  ,   and    
Open Access
|May 2026
Figures & tables

Figures & Tables

Fig. 1.

Location maps. A – Study area; B – Lignite saddles mined in the vicinity of Sieniawa (based on SLM data); C – Lignite saddle XIII mined in 2025 (based on Google Maps).

Fig. 2.

Preserved traces of old mining technology in the village of Sieniawa. A – Lignite loading/sorting facility and cable car used until 1986 (see https://klimatylagowskie.pl/index.php?pg=start17); B – Same view as in Figure 2A in October 2025; C, D – Renovated cable car and underground train located in front of the SLM management in Sieniawa, September 2015 (photographs 2B–D by authors).

Fig. 3.

Geological cross section A–B through the lignite saddles VIII–XIII (based on Winnicki, 2004; Kot & Widera, 2018; Kasiński et al., 2019). Note the deeply disturbed sediments including lignite seam; for location cross sectional line A–B see Figure 1B.

Fig. 4.

Geological cross section C–D through the lignite saddles XIII (based on SLM data). For location cross sectional line C–D see Figure 1C and for explanations see Figure 3.

Fig. 5.

Lignite wall and accompanying siliciclastics exposed in October 2025. A – Broad westward view of lignite opencast mine; B – Corresponding line-drawing of what is seen in Figure 5A. Note the complex internal structure of the lignite fold (anticline) and the location of the section examined in detail in Figure 6; for location of lignite wall see Figure 1C and for explanations see Figure 3.

Fig. 6.

Sedimentological log, ash yield, siliciclastic facies and lignite lithotypes with palaeoenvironmental interpretation along the section studied in detail. Note the folded structure of all sediments, as well as the presence of xylites and fusitic fragments within the lignite seam; for location of examined section see Figure 5B; for explanations of facies and lithotype codes see Table 1.

Fig. 7.

Amount of lignite exploited in SLM from 2002 to 2024. Note the sudden increase in lignite mining from 2019 onwards (based on data from the Polish Geological Institute and SLM).

Fig. 8.

The most famous product of SLM, of lignite origin, awarded with many pro-quality medals.

Fig. 9.

Selected examples of land reclamation in SLM carried out during the last decade. A–C – Saddle VIII east; D–F – Saddle XIII west. Lignite extraction in the shown parts of lignite saddles ended at: A, B – March 2016, C – June 2018, D, E, F – September 2024 (photographs 9A–C, F by authors; photographs 9D, E from Google Maps).

Codification of lignite lithotypes after Widera (2021) and siliciclastic facies after Widera et al_ (2019)_

Lignite lithotypes
codedescription
DLm(fo)massive detritic lignite, folded
DLh(fo)horizontally stratified detritic lignite, folded
XDLm(fo)massive xylodetritic lignite, folded
WDLh(fo)horizontally stratified weathered detritic lignite, folded

The main elements of palynological spectra from the Sieniawa profile and their indication_ For location of samples analysed see Figures 5B and 6_

Samples studiedThe most frequent and characteristic elements of the palynomorph assemblage (botanical affinity in brackets)Environment and vegetation
S43 S41Pinuspollenites (Pinus), Myricipites (Myricaceae), Sciadopityspollenites (Sciadopitys), Cathayapollis (Cathaya), Ericipites (Ericaceae), Ilexpollenites (Ilex), Tricolporopollenites pseudocingulum (Fagaceae?, Styracaceae?), Momipites (Engelhardioideae), Periporopollenites (Liquidambar), freshwater algaefreshwater environment, shrub bog, mixed mesophytic forest, riparian forest
S36 S26Pinuspollenites (Pinus), Tricolporopollenites pseudocingulum (Fagaceae?, Styracaceae?), Quercoidites henricii (Quercus, evergreen), Ericipites (Ericaceae), Myricipites (Myricaceae), Edmundipollis (Cornaceae, Mastixiaceae, Araliaceae), Sciadopityspollenites (Sciadopitys), Ilexpollenites (Ilex), Nyssapollenites (Nyssa), Neogenisporis (e.g., Gleicheniaceae) charcoal particles in S26shrub bog, mixed mesophytic forest, wildfires
S18 S12Inaperturopollenites (Taxodium, Glyptostrobus), Pinuspollenites (Pinus), Nyssapollenites (Nyssa), Sequoiapollenites (e.g., Sequoia), Tricolporopollenites pseudocingulum (Fagaceae?, Styracaceae?), Ericipites (Ericaceae), Quercoidites henricii (Quercus, evergreen), Symplocoipollenites (Symplocos), Momipites (Engelhardioideae), Myricipites (Myricaceae)swamp forest, mixed mesophytic forest, shrub bog
S5 S1Pinuspollenites (Pinus), Sequoiapollenites (e.g., Sequoia), Inaperturopollenites (Taxodium, Glyptostrobus), Tricolporopollenites pseudocingulum (Fagaceae?, Styracaceae?), Quercoidites henricii (Quercus, evergreen), Ericipites (Ericaceae), Momipites (Engelhardioideae), Sciadopityspollenites (Sciadopitys), Myricipites (Myricaceae), dinoflagellate cysts (Dinophyceae)marine influence, swamp forest, mixed mesophytic forest, shrub bog

Total lignite production at the Sieniawa Lignite Mine (SLM) in the years 2015–2024 (based on data from the Polish Geological Institute and SLM)_ Compare with Figure 7_

YearLignite production [in thousands of tonnes]
201573
201670
201784
2018111
2019296
2020213
2021359
2022531
2023763
20241,072
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/logos.2026.32.geo01 | Journal eISSN: 2080-6574 | Journal ISSN: 1426-8981
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Language: English
Page range: 1 - 12
Submitted on: Jan 20, 2026
Accepted on: Feb 25, 2026
Published on: May 30, 2026
Published by: Adam Mickiewicz University
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Keywords:
Mining history,
lignite usage,
mining climax,
complex geology,
glaciotectonics,
Miocene,
western Poland
Related subjects:
Geosciences,
Geophysics,
Geology and mineralogy,
Geosciences, other

© 2026 Andrzej Bik, Jerzy Jarosz, Marek Widera, Elżbieta Worobiec, published by Adam Mickiewicz University
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 32 (2026): Issue 1 (May 2026)
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