The Wieliczka salt mine, near Krakow in southern Poland, is a world-famous historical and modern destination for both geoscientists and tourists. Despite numerous publications, there is still a lack of consensus on the nature and origin of the large-scale folds as well as whether the small-scale structures represent tectonic or soft-sediment deformation. In this preliminary work, we offer new ideas on both aspects. At the large scale, we emphasize the mechanical stratigraphy of the layered evaporite sequence, which comprises a thin basal weak layer, a thin strong unit, a thicker weak layer, and a thicker strong unit. We suggest that the inclined to recumbent folds and thrusts formed tectonically due to overthrust shear between the basal detachment and the overriding Carpathian frontal thrust, with different structural styles decoupled by the thick weak layer. At the small scale, we suggest that there was early extension directed toward the east to north-east, followed by contraction vergent toward the north. We infer that there was early, syndepositional gravity gliding down a topographic slope dipping into the coeval Gdow depocenter to the east, and that subsequent north-directed Carpathian shortening generated the small-scale contractional structures as the larger folds were developing.

中文翻译：

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波兰维利奇卡盐矿大规模和盐内变形的性质和起源

位于波兰南部克拉科夫附近的维利奇卡盐矿是地球科学家和游客世界著名的历史和现代目的地。尽管发表了大量文献，但对于大尺度褶皱的性质和起源以及小尺度结构是代表构造变形还是软沉积物变形，仍缺乏共识。在这项初步工作中，我们提供了两个方面的新想法。在大尺度上，我们强调层状蒸发岩层序的机械地层，它包括一个薄的基底弱层、一个薄的强单元、一个更厚的弱层和一个更厚的强单元。我们认为，由于基底分离和压倒性的喀尔巴阡山锋冲断层之间的逆冲剪力，在构造上形成了倾斜的褶皱和逆冲冲断层，不同的结构风格被厚厚的弱层解耦。在小尺度上，我们认为早期向东向东北延伸，随后向北趋近收缩。我们推断，早期的同沉积重力沿着向东倾斜到同时代的 Gdow 沉积中心的地形斜坡滑落，随后向北的喀尔巴阡山缩短产生了小规模的收缩结构，因为较大的褶皱正在发展。