WYSTĘPOWANIE I ZASOBY PERSPEKTYWICZNE RUD NIKLU W POLSCE

Abstract

THE OCCURRENCE AND PROSPECTIVE RESOURCES OF NICKEL ORES IN POLANDAbstract. In Poland, the only one documented nickel deposit is the saprolitic-type deposit in Szklary Lower Silesia, abandoned in 1983. Its documented balance resources are (B and C1 categories) ca. 117 thousands Mg of metallic nickel at 0.7% cut-off. However, around the Sowie Mts. block gneisses, more such Ni-layer silicate type ores in small and separate lenses are expected. Prognostic resources of nickel in serpentinite waste are estimated for ca. 25 thousand Mg. The advances in hydrometallurgy of weathering-type nickel ores and high nickel prices allowed considering the poor Ni-ores containing <0.5% Ni as potentially economic to modern processing. Intensification of Ni prospecting should cause an increase in the amount of prospective nickel resources by tens of thousands tons of nickel from saprolitic-type deposits hosted by serpentinite wastes developed on the Szklary, Braszowice–Brzeźnica and Gogołów–Jordanów massifs. Moreover, the verification of current documented resources according to new balance criteria should also result in an increase in Ni resources in Poland. The additional source of Ni in Poland is the Zechstein Cu-Ag-formation, from which the annual production is ca. 2 thousands Mg of nickel-sulfates during technological processing of Cu ores. It is worthy to notice that during documentation of the new Cu-Ag resources hosted by the Zechstein formation in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline, an increase in nickel resources should be expected in Poland. In this area, nickel is the coexisting element in the copper-bearing sulfide ores. Besides, some evidence for possible hypothetic resources of magmatic Ni-Cu deposits connected with ultramafic cumulates of ophiolitc sequences in the Gogołów–Jordanów, Braszowice–Brzeźnica and Nowa Ruda gabbros massifs, is also suggested.