11 th SGA Biennial Meeting

Lets Talk Ore Deposits

26-29th September 2011 Antofagasta, Chile

Prospectivity analysis of the Polish Kupferschiefer

new insight
Sawomir Oszczepalski
Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute, Rakowiecka 4, 00-975 Warsaw, Poland
Stanisaw Speczik
Polish Geological Institute-National Research Institute, Rakowiecka 4, 00-975 Warsaw, Poland
Abstract. The resource base of the Polish copper
industry is confined to stratabound Kupferschiefer-type
deposits that occur at the Zechstein/Rotliegendes
transition in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline and NorthSudetic Trough. Latest informations strongly indicate that
the Kupferschiefer series in SW Poland (outside the
Lubin-Sieroszowice Copper District) contains a very large
volume of ores. Among the potential deposits, particular
attention is paid to the areas around existing mines
(Kulw, Luboszyce, cinawa West and Wartowice West).
Also the areas: Nowiny, arkw and Mirkw are
interesting due to accessible depths, Mozw area
because of high Cu-Ag grading mineralized body with
credible continuation towards the active mines, as well as
the Sulmierzyce and Janowo areas due to considerable
resources and reasonable depth. Taking into account
both documented reserves of Old and New Copper
Districts as well as reconnaissance resources, it can be
estimated that approximately 250-300 Mt Cu and 200300 thousand t Ag is available in SW Poland for future
operations, which will be possible, when geological and
technological barriers (depth, temperature, oil and gas)
will meet economic trends in the world market.
Keywords. Kupferschiefer,
areas, resources, SW Poland

exploration,

Ag). Economically mineable reserves in the LubinSieroszowice District (1194 Mt of ore, 25 Mt Cu, 70300
t Ag) enables possible mine production ranging from 20
to 30 Mt of ore per year over 2040 year period.
Gradual depletion of shallow reserves results in
exploitation of deeper beds. Progress in underground
mining at depths exceeding 1250 m (a depth limit for
economic viability categories in Poland) will make this
approach effective, profitable and technically possible.

2 Prospective areas in SW Poland

Due to increased interest of KGHM PM SA and
international enterprises in exploration for new copper
deposits, PGI-PBG conducted many years of exploration
programs. Subsequent successive cores of 370 archival
boreholes were studied outside the mining districts
(Oszczepalski and Rydzewski 1997; Speczik et al. 2007).
Present studies allowed the construction of the latest
version of the prospectivity map that presents the limits
of the oxidized (Rote Fule) areas, metal zones and Cu
resources in SW Poland (Oszczepalski and Speczik
2010). Cue (including silver) contours of 35 kg/m2 (at cut
off 0.7% Cu) define prognostic areas (Fig. 1).
15 prospects with the ore interval at depth up to 2000
m were delineated (Table 1): 3 areas (Kulw, Luboszyce,
cinawa Zachd) adjacent to the New Copper District,
with total reconnaissance resources of 21.7 Mt Cu, the
Wartowice West area in the vicinity of the Old Copper
District (0.4 Mt Cu) and additional 11 targets (with total
resources about 47.4 Mt Cu) that are located distally
relative to the Lubin-Sieroszowice deposit. In addition, 6
areas (Mozw, Wilcze, Papro, Kaleje, erkw,
Florentyna) with rich copper mineralization at depth
below 2000 m were noted in the northern part of the
Fore-Sudetic Monocline (some 186.4 Mt Cu).
Examination of the organic material was especially
valuable (Table 2). It allowed, in a complimentary way,
a precise demarcation of oxidized and ore-bearing
reduced areas (e.g., Pttmann et al. 1989; Kucha and
Przybyowicz 1999; Bechtel et al. 2000; Oszczepalski et
al. 2002; Oszczepalski and Speczik 2009). Studies of the
present heat flow were also of high importance (Speczik
et al. 2007), because they helped to select the
prospective areas that fulfill both requirements: (1) the
presence of Cu-Ag and Rote Fule-related noble metals
orebodies hosted by rocks with organic matter of highest
maturity and (2) low values of the present day
geothermal field. Those areas are acknowledged to be
economically and technologically optimal for foreseen
operation.

prospective

1 Introduction
Exploration of the Kupferschiefer mineralization has
been carried out in Poland since the discovery of the
Lubin-Sieroszowice deposit in 1957 (Wyykowski
1958). Systematic study of lateral contact of oxidized
and reduced rocks constitutes the key mappable
exploration criteria for the Kupferschiefer-type deposits
(Rydzewski 1978; Oszczepalski and Rydzewski 1991;
Speczik 1995; Speczik et al. 1997; Oszczepalski 1999;
Bachowski et al. 2007; Wirth et al. 2007).
At present, the underground ore excavation is active
only in the Lubin-Sieroszowice area (New Copper
District). Although the available reserves were still large
(99 Mt of ore containing 1.4 Mt Cu and 5170 t Ag) in the
North-Sudetic Trough (Old Copper District), the
production terminated since 1989. At the end of 2009,
the proved reserves in the both districts comprised 1782
Mt of ore, which contained 35 Mt Cu and 102 870 t Ag
up to 1250 m of depth.
In the mining area of New Copper District (Fig. 1),
total proved reserves amounted to 1470 Mt of ore (30 Mt
Cu and 83890 t Ag) grading at 2.1% Cu and 57 g/t Ag in
averaged interval of 3.2 m. In surrounding reserve
documented areas there are additional proved and
probable reserves (212 Mt ores, 4 Mt Cu and 13810 t

295

11 th SGA Biennial Meeting

Lets Talk Ore Deposits

26-29th September 2011 Antofagasta, Chile

Figure 1. Cu-Ag prospectivity map for SW Poland.

Table 1. Reconnaissance copper resources in SW Poland (without documented Cu-Ag deposits)
Area
(km2)
132

Depth
(m)
1503.55 - 1961.68

91
16
6

1462.50 - 1545.20
1200.51 - 1367.40
941.27 1463.00

1.66
2.58
2.90

Borzcin

1496.46 1496.97

Czeklin

31

1733.53 1733.76

Henrykowice

17

1466.25 1602.47

0.85

2.74

1.0

Janowo

50

1711.78 1712.66

0.88

2.26

2.5

Prospective area
Kulw
Luboszyce
cinawa West
Wartowice West

Average thickness Average Cu grade Cu resources

(m)
(%)
(Mt)
1.41
2.98
13.8
1.76
1.28
1.10

6.6
1.3
0.4

0.51

4.91

0.6

0.23

10.54

1.9

Kouchw

820.74 821.45

0.71

1.94

0.04

Milicz

15

1644.75 1646.61

1.86

0.89

0.6

Mirkw

35

1176.36 1177.53

1.17

1.56

1.6

Nowiny

10

547.70 548.17

0.47

3.64

0.4

Sulmierzyce

261

1580.20 1909.09

1.60

3.52

36.7

lubw

25

1384.30 1384.50

0.20

10.73

1.4

arkw

1359.27 1360.40

1.13

3.07

0.7

115

3864.50 - 3865.50

1.00

2.99

8.6

Florentyna
Kaleje

268

3135.20 - 3136.20

1.00

7.07

47.4

Mozw

484

2175.48 - 2537.00

2.14

3.22

83.3

Papro

266

2608.88 - 2608.98

0.10

21.48

14.3

Wilcze

161

2431.31 - 2431.86

0.55

7.75

17.2

erkw

162

3545.70 - 3548.50

2.80

1.38

15.6

296

Remarks
Deposits
proximal to
mining districts

Deposits at the
depth <2000 m

Deposits at the
depth >2000 m

11 th SGA Biennial Meeting

Lets Talk Ore Deposits

26-29th September 2011 Antofagasta, Chile

Table 2. Averaged values and ranges of metals, C org, maceral

composition, vitrinite reflectance (Ro), and the Rock-Eval
indices in SW Poland.
Zone

Rote Fule

Depth (m)

644-1482

Cu+Pb+Zn (%)
Au (ppb)
C org (%)
Vitrinite
Sapropelic matter
Alginite
Bituminite
Vitrinite-like matter
Solid bitumen
R o (%)
HI (mg HC/g TOC)
OI (mg CO2/g TOC)
Tmax (oC)

0.1
1254
0.5

Cu
6571353
6.1
3
5.1

Pb-Zn
6871961
4.1
5
6.3

1
1
0
68
13
1.02
88
183
449

8
11
50
9
1
0.82
242
34
436

9
11
44
4
1
0.59
285
19
436

Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Ministry of the Environment for
support and PGNiG SA for access to drill cores and
archives.

References
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3 Concluding comments
The highest prospectivity in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline
is confined to Kulw, Luboszyce and cinawa West
areas, directly adjoining the New Copper District. These
areas cover 239 km2 and contain about 21.7 Mt Cu at
depths ranging between 450 and 2000 m. Several
targeted areas located slightly farther from the LubinSieroszowice deposit (Kouchw, Borzcin, lubw,
Mirkw) cover 70 km2 and contain 4.0 Mt Cu at 8001500 m depth. Other 4 areas in the eastern part of the
Fore-Sudetic Monocline (Henrykowice, Janowo, Milicz,
Sulmierzyce) have total area of 343 km2 and resources
of 40.8 Mt Cu at depths that range from 1450 to 2000 m.
At the ary Pericline two areas: arkw and Czeklin
have been delineated, with a size of about 40 km2 and
resources of 1.7 Mt at depth from 1350 to1800 m. Close
to the Old Copper District, two small prognostic areas
(Wartowice Zachd and Nowiny) at depth to 1500 m
have been fixed.
It should be noted, however, that irregular network of
examined drill holes tended to overestimate the tonnage,
resulting in highly approximate resource evaluation. To
make the data spacing denser, examination of the
available cores from more than 300 non-examined
archival and new boreholes of the oil and gas industry is
being carried out in follow-up programs. Local
reconnaissance and exploration drilling is also required
to identify new targets.
The choice between greenfield and brownfield
exploration will depend on strategy and risk tolerance
during the worldwide economic crisis (Thompson and
Kirwin 2009). Significant are also the limitations related
to uneven data distribution and density and unfavorable
geological conditions for expected mining, while the
economic barriers for production constitute: deeper
levels, higher temperature, thinner sections of the
Mansfeld type, and oil and gas occurrences.

297