Poland’s largest accumulations of copper and silver are associated with Sudetic deposits that are found in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline (New Copper Basin) and in the North Sudetic Trough (old Copper Basin). The deposits are composed of Weissliegend sandstones, Basal Limestone, Kupferschiefer shale and Zechstein limestone. The deposits are polymetallic: the value of the silver present in the deposits is almost equal to the value of copper, with significant amounts of lead, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, rhenium, gold and platinum.
MAP OF COPPER AND SILVER ORE DEPOSITS IN POLAND (COMPILED BY S. OSZCZEPALSKI ET AL., 2016)
The developed and currently mined deposits are: Rudna, Sieroszowice, Polkowice, Lubin-Małomice, Głogów Głęboki-Przemysłowy and Radwanice-Gaworzyce in Radwanice Wschodnie region. All of the aforementioned deposits are located in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline.
SIMPLIFIED GEOLOGICAL CROSS-SECTION OF THE FORE-SUDETIC MONOCLINE WITH THE DEPOSIT SERIES MARKED (AFTER: S. OSZCZEPALSKI, 1999)
Undeveloped deposits of the Fore-Sudetic Monocline and North Sudetic Trough include: part of Radwanice Gaworzyce, Bytom odrzański, Głogów, Retków and Wartowice. In total, their anticipated economic resources are 563.2 million tonnes of ore containing 8.1 million tonnes of copper and 22.4 thousand tonnes of silver. In addition to economic resources, the total anticipated sub-economic resources amount to 809 million tonnes of ore, 13 million tonnes of copper and 41 thousand tonnes of silver.
