Železný potok

Geological structure beneath the water

Which rock lies beneath the water line (Geological Map of Slovakia 1:50,000), how old it is, how thick the Quaternary cover is and in which tectonic unit the water flows. The bedrock decides the hardness of the water, the bottom, the turbidity after rain and the abundance of springs.

The points follow the water line (for a stream and a basin, fishing district after fishing district). The strip is a cross-section by distance, not a map; the width of a section corresponds to the number of points.

• Sandstones and conglomerates75%SR 1.8 %
• River alluvium25%SR 72 %

marker on the bar: share among all sample points on streams in Slovakia

Sandstones and conglomerates: Moderately mineralised water, depending on the share of carbonates.

Geological age of the rocks

• Permian75%
• Quaternary25%

Most common rock units

Quaternary cover

• fluvial sediments of floodplains100%SR 68 %

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• Typical thickness of the Quaternary cover2.3m

• 2 – 550%SR 48 %
• 0 – 250%SR 16 %

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Tectonic units

• GEMERIKUM100%SR 13 %

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Tectonic division

• Paleo-Alpine tectonic units of the Inner Western Carpathians100%SR 16 %

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Neotectonic units

• positive unit (mountain range)100%SR 60 %

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Direction of neotectonic movements

• large uplift100%SR 26 %

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Regional geological division

• Gemer Belt100%SR 5.9 %

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Regional geological division (subunits)

• Spiš–Gemer Ore Mountains50%SR 2.9 %
• Slovak Paradise50%SR 0.7 %

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Engineering-geological districts

• region of low-grade metamorphic rocks60%SR 1.7 %
• region of mountain-stream deposits20%SR 21 %
• region of metamorphosed volcanic rocks20%SR 0.2 %

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Engineering-geological formations

• formation of epimetamorphic rocks80%SR 2.2 %
• formation of Quaternary sediments20%SR 71 %

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Susceptibility of the area to slope deformations

• Region of stable areas100%SR 95 %

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The map covers 4 of 6 points on the water line.

Hydrogeology: aquifers and groundwater

Streams and rivers are fed by groundwater. Hydrogeological maps show in which rocks the water is stored, how permeable they are and what the water in them is like. The data come from ŠGÚDŠ maps, not from measurements at a particular water.

Aquifer rocks (hydrogeological map 1:200,000)

• Basic volcanic rocks67%SR 6.6 %
• Gravel33%SR 52 %

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Aquifer type

• Menšie zvodnence s medzizrnovým alebo puklinovým typom priepustnosti alebo oblasti s takmer žiadnymi množstvami podzemnej vody67%SR 6.4 %
• Menšie zvodnence s medzizrnovým alebo puklinovým typom priepustnosti alebo oblasti s takmer žiadnymi množstvami podzemnej vody (Gravel)33%SR 22 %

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Type of permeability (basic hydrogeological map 1:50,000)

• fissure80%SR 12 %
• intergranular20%SR 86 %

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Hydrogeological function

• aquifer100%SR 95 %

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Main hydrogeological region

• Paleozoic of the Slovak Ore Mountains in the Hornád basin100%SR 2.1 %

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Genetic type of groundwater

• fluviogenic50%SR 6.4 %
• silicate-carbonate50%SR 2.9 %

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Chemical type of groundwater

• Ca-Mg-Na-HCO3-SO450%SR 4.5 %
• Ca-Mg-HCO3 and Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO450%SR 0.0 %

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Groundwater quality class

• B67%SR 18 %
• A33%SR 36 %

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Surface water chemistry according to the atlas

Modelled composition of the water in the area the fishing district line runs through. The rasters of the Geochemical Atlas of Slovakia (surface waters) are an interpolation of measurements in sampled streams, so they show the typical background of the area, not a measurement in a particular stream.

Ionic composition of the water

Water type by dominant ions: Ca–Mg–HCO₃–SO₄

Shares are in equivalents, the usual way of comparing the composition of waters.

Major ions

• SulphatesSO429.6 mg/lpercentile 33
• ChloridesCl4.26 mg/lpercentile 29
• MagnesiumMg8.58 mg/lpercentile 26
• FluoridesF0.0596 mg/lpercentile 16
• CalciumCa25.8 mg/lpercentile 15
• BicarbonatesHCO379.4 mg/lpercentile 13
• SodiumNa2.32 mg/lpercentile 7
• PotassiumK0.697 mg/lpercentile 6

dot: average along the water line, line: from the lowest to the highest value, scale: position among sample points on streams in Slovakia (0 to 100th percentile)

Nutrients and organic pollution

• NitratesNO36.67 mg/lpercentile 53
• PhosphatesPO40.0358 mg/lpercentile 20
• AmmoniumNH40.0329 mg/lpercentile 13
• Chemical oxygen demandChSK1.46 mg/lpercentile 9

Metals

• AluminiumAl189 μg/lpercentile 77
• IronFe0.131 mg/lpercentile 60
• ManganeseMn40.9 μg/lpercentile 57
• ZincZn1.92 μg/lpercentile 12

Elements in river sediments

The Geochemical Atlas of Slovakia (river sediments) describes what the river carries in the fine material on its bed. Sediment collects metals from rocks, ore occurrences and past mining and industry. It is not a legal limit or a health risk assessment: it shows how an element on this stream ranks among streams in Slovakia.

Potentially toxic and trace elements

• CopperCu390 mg/kgpercentile 95
• CobaltCo18.0 mg/kgpercentile 95
• TinSn18.1 mg/kgpercentile 95
• BismuthBi1.97 mg/kgpercentile 95
• MolybdenumMo1.27 mg/kgpercentile 95
• SeleniumSe0.766 mg/kgpercentile 95
• AntimonySb12.3 mg/kgpercentile 95
• MercuryHg1.12 mg/kgpercentile 95
• CadmiumCd1.13 mg/kgpercentile 95
• ArsenicAs28.8 mg/kgpercentile 94
• VanadiumV108 mg/kgpercentile 91
• ZincZn211 mg/kgpercentile 90
• NickelNi39.7 mg/kgpercentile 89
• LeadPb28.9 mg/kgpercentile 86
• ChromiumCr87.5 mg/kgpercentile 71

dot: average along the water line, line: from the lowest to the highest value, scale: position among sample points on streams in Slovakia (0 to 100th percentile)

Natural radioactivity and radon

Airborne gamma-ray spectrometry by ŠGÚDŠ measures radiation from potassium, uranium and thorium in rocks and soil. Granites and some acidic volcanic rocks have the highest values, limestones and floodplains the lowest. Caesium-137 is a remnant of fallout from the Chernobyl accident and nuclear weapons tests.

• Potassium (K)K1.38 %percentile 69
• Equivalent thorium (eTh)eTh5.38 ppm5th percentile
• Equivalent uranium (eU)eU1.70 ppm4th percentile

dot: average along the water line, line: from the lowest to the highest value, scale: position among sample points on streams in Slovakia (0 to 100th percentile)

• Areal activity of 137CsCS1372,285 Bq/m²percentile 77

Radon risk by isopleths

• medium83%SR 64 %
• high17%SR 0.1 %

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Geophysical fields: magnetics and gravity

Maps of the magnetic field and gravity (ŠGÚDŠ) reveal what lies beneath the sediments and the surface: volcanic bodies, faults and crustal thickness. For an angler they are interesting indirectly: they show where the bedrock changes, and with it the water.

Geothermal potential

The Atlas of Geothermal Energy of Slovakia records rock temperature and heat flow from the Earth's interior. It is the potential of the area, not the actual warmth of the water in the stream. Specific geothermal boreholes and springs near this water are in the geothermal energy section below.

Relief, climate and soils

A basin is not just water: slope and elevation determine the speed of runoff, climate the temperature and amount of water, and soils what is washed into the stream. The data come from the geomorphological division, climatic-geographical types and soil maps of ŠGÚDŠ.

• Elevation of geomorphological units (from–to)308–1 161m a.s.l.
• Average elevation of the units700m a.s.l.
• Average slope15.4°
• Average January temperature-5.8°C
• Average July temperature14.5°C
• Annual precipitation1,025mm

Geomorphological units

• Volovec Mountains100%SR 2.8 %

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Geomorphological regions

• Slovak Ore Mountains100%SR 10 %

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Climatic-geographical types

• mountain climate100%SR 33 %

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Susceptibility of soils to acidification

• soils moderately susceptible to acidification80%SR 25 %
• naturally acidic soils20%SR 8.5 %

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Soil contamination (map 1:500,000)

• uncontaminated soil, the geogenically determined content of some risk elements reaches limit values A100%SR 45 %

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Lithogeochemical types

• Late Paleozoic of the Central Western Carpathians100%SR 1.9 %

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Map of the corridor

Where the nearest mine workings, deposits, burdens, geothermal boreholes and gold finds are. Groups can be switched off.

Trace elements in surface waters

Arsenic, antimony, cadmium, lead, copper, zinc and other elements in samples from rivers and streams (Geochemical Atlas of Slovakia, surface waters, 2015). The bar shows where the highest value lies among all samples in Slovakia; the light marker is the median of the samples at this water.

• AntimonySbelevated (top 10 %)
  highest 3.00 μg/lmedian 0.650 μg/l20 samples50 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Hnilčík1999, 10 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 93 of all samples in Slovakia.

• ChromiumCrelevated (top 10 %)
  highest 4.90 μg/lmedian 3.20 μg/l20 samples20 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Ráztoka, potok1992, 940 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 91 of all samples in Slovakia.

• ArsenicAselevated (top 10 %)
  highest 4.00 μg/lmedian 0.500 μg/l20 samples70 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Hnilec1992, 280 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 90 of all samples in Slovakia.

• CopperCuslightly elevated
  highest 4.00 μg/lmedian 2.00 μg/l20 samples35 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Nálepkovo-Prvý Hámor2000, 950 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 86 of all samples in Slovakia.

• CadmiumCdslightly elevated
  highest 0.250 μg/lmedian 0.250 μg/l20 samples20 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Hnilec, 320 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 75 of all samples in Slovakia.

• BariumBatypical value
  highest 40.0 μg/lmedian 10.0 μg/l20 samples
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Železný potok1992, 60 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 50 of all samples in Slovakia.

• SeleniumSebelow half of Slovakia
  highest 0.500 μg/lmedian 0.500 μg/l20 samples100 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Nálepkovo-Prvý Hámor2000, 950 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 46 of all samples in Slovakia.

• LeadPbbelow half of Slovakia
  highest 2.50 μg/lmedian 2.50 μg/l20 samples100 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Nálepkovo-Prvý Hámor2000, 950 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 43 of all samples in Slovakia.

• LithiumLibelow half of Slovakia
  highest 5.00 μg/lmedian 5.00 μg/l20 samples100 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Nálepkovo-Prvý Hámor2000, 950 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 34 of all samples in Slovakia.

• StrontiumSrbelow half of Slovakia
  highest 80.0 μg/lmedian 45.0 μg/l20 samples
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: Nálepkovo-Prvý Hámor2000, 950 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 22 of all samples in Slovakia.

Major ions, mineralisation and pH

Basic water chemistry: which rocks the minerals in it come from.

• Silicon dioxideSiO2typical value
  highest 10.9 mg/lmedian 7.26 mg/l20 samples
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: 1000m J od obce Závadka1992, 640 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 51 of all samples in Slovakia.

Gold and ore minerals in river sediments

Regional panning prospecting: the heavy fraction was washed out of river gravel and the mineral grains in it were counted. The map of finds is positive: a sample without gold is not listed in the atlas, so the absence of a find is not proof that there is no gold.

• Limonite (FeO(OH)·nH₂O)2 samples, at most 315 grains
• Magnetite (Fe₃O₄)2 samples, at most 4115 grains
• Rutil (TiO₂)2 samples, at most 55 grains
• Anatas (TiO₂)1 sample, at most 5 grains
• Barite (BaSO₄)1 sample, at most 315 grains
• Cinabarit (HgS)1 sample, at most 5 grains
• Hematite (Fe₂O₃)1 sample, at most 5 grains
• Chalcopyrite (CuFeS₂)1 sample, at most 5 grains
• Pyrite (FeS₂)1 sample, at most 815 grains

Rock-forming and accessory minerals

• Apatit (Ca₅(PO₄)₃(F,Cl,OH))2 samples, at most 5 grains
• Epidot (Ca₂(Al,Fe)₃Si₃O₁₂(OH))2 samples, at most 1815 grains
• Granáty ((Fe,Mg,Ca,Mn)₃Al₂Si₃O₁₂)2 samples, at most 55 grains
• Tourmalines (complex borosilicate)2 samples, at most 5 grains
• Korund (Al₂O₃)1 sample, at most 5 grains
• Zirconium (ZrSiO₄)1 sample, at most 5 grains

Groundwater: chemistry, water types and radioactivity

Hydrogeochemical objects (analyses of springs and boreholes), the geochemical atlas of groundwater (1996) and radiohydrochemical sampling. Groundwater feeds streams, so its composition also affects the water in the stream.

Chemical water types nearby

• Ca-Mg-SO4-HCO324×
• Ca-Mg-HCO317×
• Mg-Ca-HCO310×
• Ca-Mg-HCO3-SO49×
• Ca-SO4-HCO35×
• Ca-HCO35×
• Mg-Ca-SO4-HCO34×
• Ca-Mg-SO43×

Water quality class according to the hydrogeochemical map

• class B40×
• class A28×
• class H9×
• class F8×
• class E2×
• class D2×
• class C2×
• class G1×

Metals in groundwater

• CopperCuextreme (top 1 %)
  highest 53.4 μg/lmedian 0.250 μg/l47 samples
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: prameň1992, 2.7 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 99 of all samples in Slovakia.

• AntimonySbextreme (top 1 %)
  highest 9.40 μg/lmedian 0.100 μg/l47 samples51 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: prameň1992, 2.7 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 99 of all samples in Slovakia.

• AluminiumAlextreme (top 1 %)
  highest 0.370 mg/lmedian 0.00500 mg/l47 samples62 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: prameň1993, 330 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 99 of all samples in Slovakia.

• ArsenicAsextreme (top 1 %)
  highest 25.0 μg/lmedian 0.500 μg/l47 samples68 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: prameň1992, 2.7 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 99 of all samples in Slovakia.

• MercuryHgextreme (top 1 %)
  highest 0.700 μg/lmedian 0.100 μg/l47 samples85 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: štôlňa1992, 2.3 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 99 of all samples in Slovakia.

• ChromiumCrhigh (top 5 %)
  highest 5.90 μg/lmedian 0.250 μg/l47 samples66 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: studňa1993, 1.3 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 96 of all samples in Slovakia.

• ZincZnhigh (top 5 %)
  highest 1,530 μg/lmedian 0.500 μg/l47 samples60 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: studňa1993, 1.5 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 96 of all samples in Slovakia.

• LeadPbelevated (top 10 %)
  highest 2.00 μg/lmedian 0.500 μg/l47 samples70 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: studňa1993, 2.4 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 90 of all samples in Slovakia.

• SeleniumSeslightly elevated
  highest 1.00 μg/lmedian 0.500 μg/l47 samples96 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: prameň1992, 2.6 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 83 of all samples in Slovakia.

• LithiumLislightly elevated
  highest 16.0 μg/lmedian 1.00 μg/l47 samples60 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: studňa1993, 70 m from the water. Comparison: percentile 75 of all samples in Slovakia.

• IronFetypical value
  highest 0.00500 mg/lmedian 0.00500 mg/l20 samples100 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: prameň1992, 2.6 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 50 of all samples in Slovakia.

• CadmiumCdbelow half of Slovakia
  highest 0.250 μg/lmedian 0.250 μg/l47 samples100 % below the limit of quantification
  1. up to 50 %
  2. 50–75
  3. 75–90
  4. 90–99
  5. above 99

  Highest value: prameň1992, 2.6 km from the water. Comparison: percentile 47 of all samples in Slovakia.

Radon in waters

Mine workings, deposits and ore occurrences

Old mine workings outside mining areas (Geofond register), deposits and mining areas, and the metallogenetic map. Gold, silver and other metals near streams can get into sediments and water.

What was mined here (according to the register of old mine workings)

• Fe1116×
• Cu623×
• Kr1×

Types of mining objects

• adit753×
• spoil heap547×
• pinge (mining subsidence pit), line of pinge pits108×
• shaft28×
• other type of object15×

Nearest old mine workings

Deposits and mining areas

Ore occurrences in the metallogenic map

Boreholes and Geofond archive reports

Register of hydrogeological boreholes, other boreholes and geothermal boreholes. Each borehole has a report in the Geofond archive (geological profiles, pumping tests, chemical analyses of the water); the report number is in the table.

1,223 boreholes in the 3 km zone, of which 18 hydrogeological and 1205 other; with an archive report number 1220.

Borehole depths

• up to 10 m53×
• 10–30 m118×
• 30–100 m426×
• 100–300 m374×
• over 300 m248×

Nearest boreholes

Geothermal energy and mineral waters

Geothermal boreholes (wellhead water temperature, yield, chemical type) and sources of geothermal and mineral waters within 10 km. Data on the use and existence of a borehole come from the Geofond register.

Sources of geothermal and mineral waters

Environmental burdens, landfills and anthropogenic sediments

Recorded environmental burdens (industrial sites, landfills, mining), the register of waste landfills and monitoring of anthropogenic sediments (industrial sludge). It is a list of places, not a measurement of water pollution.

Waste landfills

Landslides and slope deformations

Register of documented slope deformations (Geofond). Landslides by a stream can bring fine material into the water, change the bed and dam the channel.

Types of deformations

• Landslides1×

Degree of activity

• Stabilizovaný1×

Current state

• SD taken from archival materials, ktorá bola konfrontova1×