General information
On the website, minerals have been organized within four groups on a basis of their usability as a raw material. Sometimes it can be misleading – for example: dolomite deposits are located in two mineral groups – as raw materials for the ceramic industry and in a dimension and crushed stones group; limestones are used as a raw material for the cement and lime industry and as dimension stones. Such examples can also be referred to other minerals or rocks. It can be easily explained by a range of raw material studies, that have been performed for particular industries during a process of exploration and documentation of mineral deposits. To make it easier, minerals are also presented in alphabetical order.
All data have been presented on a basis of actual information coming from the System of Management and Protection of Mineral Resources in Poland MIDAS, carried out by the Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, and on a basis of publication ‘The balance of mineral deposits resources in Poland as of 31 XII 2024’.
Definitions
Geological resources (total: anticipated economic resources and anticipated sub-economic resources) – total mineral resources within deposit boundaries.
Limit values of parameters that define a deposit – values of deposit parameters delineating deposit geological boundaries.
Anticipated economic resources (‘balance resources’) – deposit resources (or part of a deposit) meeting limit values of the parameters that define a deposit.
Anticipated sub-economic resources (‘sub-balance resources’) – deposit resources (or part of a deposit) not meeting limit values of parameters that define a deposit.
Economic resources (in place) – a part of anticipated economic resources or anticipated sub-economic resources or – in the case of brines, curative and thermal water – exploitable resources, within a projected mining area or a separated deposit part designed for development, that can be a subject of technically and economically justified exploitation upon meeting the law requirements, including environmental restraints.
Sub-economic resources – a part of anticipated economic resources not-classified as economic resources within an area designed for development, that can be a subject of mining as a result of technical or economical or law requirements changes, including environmental restraints.
Exploitable resources – crude oil or natural gas resources, that are supposed to be extracted by applying current exploitation technology.
According to the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of the 1st of July 2015 on a geological documentation of a raw material deposit, excluding a hydrocarbon field (Journal of Laws 2015, Item 987), the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of the 1st of July 2015 on a geological-investment documentation of a hydrocarbon field(Journal of Laws 2015, Item 968) and the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of the 24th of April 2012 on detailed requirements for deposit development plans (Journal of Laws 2012, Item 511)
Resources categories
Solid minerals
- D (preliminary exploration; inferred resources) – mineral deposit boundaries, geological structure and predicted resources are evaluated on a basis of available geological data, in particular from isolated excavations or natural outcrops, geological interpretation of geophysical measurements. An admissible error of average deposit parameters and deposit resources estimation may exceed 40 %.
- C2 (preliminary exploration; inferred resources) – mineral deposit boundaries are evaluated on a basis of available data from isolated excavations, natural outcrops, interpolation or extrapolation of geophysical measurements; main structural and geological features and tectonics are recognized; geological-mining conditions of exploitation are preliminarily evaluated; quality of a raw material is evaluated on a basis of regular sampling in a full range of raw material usage. An admissible error of average deposit parameters and deposit resources estimation cannot exceed 40 %.
- C1 (detailed exploration; indicated resources) – mineral deposit boundaries are evaluated on a basis of available data from exploration excavations, natural outcrops or interpolation or extrapolation of geophysical measurements; a grade of deposit exploration allows to prepare a deposit development plan, including a detailed delineation of structural and geological features, tectonics and quality of a raw material in a deposit, geological-mining conditions of exploitation, and allows to assess an impact of intended exploitation on the environment. An admissible error of average deposit parameters and deposit resources estimation cannot exceed 30 %.
- B (detailed exploration; measured resources) – mineral deposit boundaries are delineated in details on a basis of specially carried out exploration excavations or geophysical measurements, a delineation of structural and geological features, correlation of strata, main tectonics features has to be unambiguous, a quality and technological properties of a raw material should be confirmed by sampling results in pilot-scale tests or commercial scale. A degree of deposit exploration is sufficient enough to elaborate a deposit development plan. An admissible error of average deposit parameters and deposit resources estimation cannot exceed 20 %.
- A (detailed exploration; measured resources) – a mineral deposit is explored to the extend which allows current planning and carrying out exploitation with a maximum possible rate of resources absorption; a delineation of structural and geological features, tectonics, resources on a basis of the opening-out, preparing and mining excavations, a type, quality and technological properties of a raw material on a basis of regular excavations sampling and data from current production is required. A degree of a deposit exploration is sufficient enough to elaborate a deposit development plan. An admissible error of average deposit parameters and deposit resources estimation in particular blocks cannot exceed 10 %.
According to the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of the 1st of July 2015 on a geological documentation of a raw material deposit, excluding a hydrocarbon field (Journal of Laws 2015, Item 987).
Hydrocarbons
- C (preliminary exploration; inferred resources) – hydrocarbons field boundaries are delineated on a basis of geophysical measurements and geological interpretation; such data allow, contained in a geological-investment documentation of a hydrocarbon field, allow to plan other works necessary to continue field exploration or its exploitation, when there is hydrocarbon inflow from at least one well in an amount of economic value or, in the case of the multi-horizontal fields, when a hydrocarbons saturation of gas and oil horizons is known on a basis of the drilling geophysics logging with gas, oil or methane inflow from at least one well in an amount of economic value. An admissible error of average field parameters and field resources estimation cannot exceed 50 %.
- B (detailed exploration; indicated resources) – a geological structure of a field, its boundaries and reservoir parameters as well as their variability, are determined on a basis of detailed results of geological works; such data, contained in a geological-investment documentation of a hydrocarbon field allow to plan other works necessary to continue field exploration or its exploitation, when there is hydrocarbon inflow from at least one well in an amount of economic value. An admissible error of average field parameters and field resources estimation cannot exceed 35 %.
- A (detailed exploration; measured resources) – data for a B category are defined on a basis of exploitation results. An admissible error of average field parameters and resources estimate cannot exceed 20 %.
According to the Regulation of the Minister of the Environment of the 1st of July 2015 on a geological-investment documentation of a hydrocarbon field (Journal of Laws, Item 968).