A multi–methodological approach to reconstruct the configuration of a travertine fissure ridge system: The case of the Cukor quarry (Süttő, Gerecse Hills, Hungary)

Travertines are continental carbonates that precipitate from spring waters, mainly due to CO₂ degassing. They are widely quarried as building stone, which has led to numerous (often abandoned) travertine quarry outcrops. These and other outcrops, however, merely represent the surface expressions of the complex architecture of travertine bodies and their deep–rooted feeding systems. Integration of field observations and geochemical analyses with crucial subsurface geophysical data is required in order to fully understand travertine systems and their relationship to the local geological framework. Such a multi-methodological approach is illustrated here for the case of the abandoned Cukor quarry. Radio-magnetotelluric (RMT) and Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) surveys provide unique insights into local tectonics, geobody architecture and the topography preceding travertine deposition. Altogether, the lens–shaped, isolated domal geobody with spring-proximal lithofacies and subvertical bedding, in addition to the contrasting geochemistry and age with surrounding travertine, enabled the unequivocal reconstruction of the dismantled Cukor fissure ridge. This study illustrates the high potential of this multi–methodological approach on poorly exposed, strongly weathered, quarried and tectonically deformed travertine bodies, and provides information on the complex feeding system beneath travertine deposits. Their reconstruction can be interpreted in light of the neo–tectonic expression of regional uplift, helps to complete the regional tectonic history and provides insights into older landscapes that lack preservation or would no longer be immediately recognized at the surface.