Historia regionalnych badań geologicznych Oddziału Dolnośląskiego PIG-PIB we Wrocławiu oraz perspektywy na najbliższe lata

Abstract

History of regional geological research at the Lower Silesian Branch of the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute in Wroc³aw and prospects for the coming years.A b s t r a c t. The specificity of the activities of the Lower Silesian Branch of the Polish Geological Institute – National Research Institute (PGI-NRI) is due to main factors: (1) mosaic-like geological structure of Lower Silesia, (2) the wealth of various mineral resources, (3) centuries-old mining traditions of the region. Initially, the researches included mainly geological cartography, subsequently expanding the scope of work to include regional (structural) geology and deposit geology. The contribution of applied geology, especially hydrogeology and environmental geology, has increased significantly in the previous decades. Three chapters present different periods of the Lower Silesian Branch of the PGI-NRI with its most important milestones for the Polish geology in the last seven decades. This division includes three periods: (1) years of development (1949–1989); (2) years of stagnation (1989–2013), and (3) years of disorganization (2014–2019). The period of intensification of geological researches carried out by the Lower Silesian Branch of the PGI-NRI lasted until the years of the so-called system transformation. During that period, the programs of deep boreholes were finished. In the 1990s, detailed cartographic works in Lower Silesia were completed. Acute shortage of new factographic material caused the necessity to analyze the archival material stored during previous decades at the Lower Silesian Branch. In 2014, it has practically decommissioned the regional branches, including the Lower Silesian Branch. Full centralization has led to the liquidation of both the branches’ independence and their previous focus on the implementation of tasks related to the specificity of a given region. In the forthcoming future, new challenges would depend on a proper organization chart of the PGI-NRI and the position of the regional branches in this scheme.