Blaski i cienie sukcesu, czyli o życiu Jana Wyżykowskiego i odkryciu „wielkiej miedzi”

Abstract

The splendors and shadows which is about the life of Jan Wyżykowski (1917–1976) and the discovery of the “great copper” in Poland.A b s t r a c t. After World War II, JanWyżykowski studied at the Faculty of Mining University in Kraków. In1946–1948, he held summer practices in mines and at the Polish Geological Institute (PGI), which allowedhim to explore the ore deposits in Lower Silesia. On January 1951, he was transferred to the PGI, where allworks related to the issues of the ore exploration were gradually taken over by the Ore Department based inKraków. In the early 1950’s, a research program for copper exploration began to crystallize in the area located north of the Old Copper Basin and north of Wrocław. Such program was postulated by two heads of the Ore Department, R. Krajewski and A. Graniczny. A seismic profile was acquired along the Bolesławiec Głogów line to determine the extent of the Zechstein Kupeferschiefer formation in the Fore-Sudetic area. Wyżykowski was a planner of the drillings along this profile. The first three boreholes did not indicate the possibility of success. What is more, Wyżykowski’s research was illegal, because he drilled to a depth of 700 metres, which was about 300 metres deeper than allowed. The thesis of futility of exploration in this area started to dominate. Despite all these adversities, Wyżykowski stubbornly strove to achieve the goal. A team led by him came across economic copper ore deposits on 23 March, 1957. In the Sieroszowice IG 1 borehole, at a depth of 650 m, copper mineralization of 1.4% was found in marls. The presence of rich copper mineralization was confirmed also in a nearby borehole drilled in Lubin, S-19. The history of the “great Polish copper has started”.