Prospective copper resources in Poland

Abstract

The most significant copper reserves in Poland are confined to sediment-hosted stratiform Kupferschiefer-type deposits that occur at the Zechstein/Rotliegendes transition in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline and North-Sudetic Trough. Gradual depletion of shallow reserves results in exploitation of deeper beds. Latest studies of numerous drill hole cores strongly indicate that the Kupferschiefer series in SW Poland (outside the Lubin-Sieroszowice Copper District) contains a very large volume of prognostic, prospective and hypothetical resources. 38 prospects have been delineated (including 6 areas with prognostic resources, 4 with prospective resources, and 28 areas with hypothetical resources). Among the prospective areas, particular attention is paid to the areas adjacent to the existing mines of Lubin-Sieroszowice copper district, with prognostic resources (Białołęka, Grochowice, Kulów, Luboszyce). Also the areas: Nowiny, Żarków and Mirków are interesting due to accessible depths, Sulmierzyce and Janowo areas due to considerable resources and reasonable depth, and Mozów area – because of high Cu-Ag grading mineralized body with credible continuation to south east through Jany and Grochowice prospects, towards the Lubin-Sieroszowice mining district. It can be estimated that approximately 179 million tons Cu and 346 thousand tons Ag concentrated as potential resources in prospects of SW Poland for future mining, which will be possible, when geological and technological barriers (depth, temperature, oil and gas) will meet economic trends in the world market. Expected progress in underground mining at depths exceeding 1500 m (a depth limit for economic categories) will make this approach effective and technically possible. Additional six prospective areas have been delineated in the contact zone between Upper Silesia and Małopolska blocks, where porphyry-type Mo-Cu-W mineralization (locally with skarns) occurs within porphyry/granitoid rocks and Ediacaran, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian and Carboniferous metasediments and other sedimentary formations. It should be noted, however, that irregular network of examined drill holes tended to simplify the ranges of prospects and to overestimate resource evaluation. Extensive deep exploration drilling is required to verify resource potential of granted and applied exploration licenses in several targets. The long-term challenges require new solutions for mining industry of the future and industrial market within the EU, to enable the reindustrialization of Europe.

The Kupferschiefer Deposits and Prospects in SW Poland: Past, Present and Future

“…Among the demarcated prospects, the expected northwest-trending extension of the L-S deposit and the Sulmierzyce area seemed to be most interesting [42][43][44][45]. The increasing number of studied boreholes allowed Oszczepalski et al [24] to present a summary with 38 prospective areas. Consequently, based on all studies of boreholes, extensive drilling operations were recently performed within several exploration concessions both on the Fore-Sudetic Monocline, in the North Sudetic Trough and in theŻary Pericline [30].…”

“…Oxidized rocks (Rote Fäule) were found in the basal limestone, the Kupferschiefer or the Zechstein Limestone above the oxidized Weissliegend in 33 oxidized areas [24]. In the central parts of the oxidized zone, the oxidation interval may locally reach even the lower part of the Lower Anhydrite (A1d) [13,18,74,75].…”

“…Those boreholes were drilled in an irregular grid, but they formed some clusters (e.g., the Grochowice-Kulów area; Figure 8). Despite this, those holes later allowed four favorable areas to be identified: Jany, Grochowice, Sława and Kulów [21][22][23][24]. These prospective areas rim the vast Zielona Góra oxidized area, where the Lower Zechstein sediments are intensely oxidized ( Figures 4-6 and 8).…”

“…Taking into account the spatial distribution of prospective areas on the reduced side of the redox border it was stated that, just as in the case of the western part of the Lubin-Sieroszowice deposit, Cu-Ag orebodies were expected to occur in the nearest neighborhood of the Zielona Góra oxidized area forming a northwest-trending copper belt that rims the oxidized area [18,20,21,24,43].…”

“…Results of exploration drilling by the Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute (PGI-NRI) and studies of cores from boreholes drilled by the Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNiG) have been summarized in consecutive reports [18][19][20][21][22][23]. New studies of numerous drill cores strongly indicate that the Lower Zechstein rocks contain a very large volume of resources [24].…”