Economic geology at AGH - a summary of the 2022 activities

23 December 2021

Year 2022 was a period of intense work for the Ore Geology team at AGH. Besides writing scientific articles, staff took part in numerous conferences, field work and excursions.

Members of the ore deposits research group participated in a conference 16th SGA Biennial Meeting 2022 presenting the following results:

  • Formation of the Zee Phyu Kone Au-Cu (Pb-Zn) skarn mineralization in the Mogok Metamorphic Belt, Central Myanmar: insights from mineral chemistry and C-O-S isotopes Thu, Piestrzyński, Foltyn, Kozub-Budzyń
  • Geochemical study of accessory chromian spinels from listvenites from the Trepça Mineral Belt, Vardar Zone, Kosovo Lizoń, Tomczak, Mederski, Pršek, Asllani
  • LA-ICP-MS trace element pilot study of sulfides from the Cu-Ag Lubin-Sieroszowice district, SW Poland Foltyn, Zygo, Pieczonka, Bertrandsson Erlandsson, Melcher
  • New mineralogical data on polymetallic mineralization in the Gierczyn-Przecznica area, SW Poland Zygo, Foltyn, Kozub-Budzyń, Ożóg, Pieczonka, Piestrzyński, Skirak
  • Primary cassiterite mineralization and its manifestation in the alluvial samples: Gierczyn-Przecznica case study in SW Poland Piestrzyński, Foltyn, Kozub-Budzyń, Ożóg, Pieczonka, Zygo
  • Sn-Ta mineralization of LCT Viitaniemi pegmatite, Finland Kluza, Wojsław, Mederski, Zarzycka, Pršek
  • Trace elements in sphalerite from the Kizhnica-Hajvalia-Badovc ore field, Kosovo: an example of In-bearing sphalerite Mederski, Pršek, Dimitrova

    • In April 2022 SGA Baltic Student Chapter organized a field trip in the German part of Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains). Students had a n opportunity to observe tin skarn Hämmerlein (Pöhla mine), zinc skarn Waschleithe (Herkules-Frisch-Glück mine) as well as greisens and ore veins in the Zinnwald mine. A trip to Freiberg isn't complete without visit in Terra Mineralia Museum, while meeting with students of TU Bergakademie Freiberg was one of the highlights. Granite quarry WEKOM II in Strzegom Massif was visited on a way back to Kraków.


    In May 2022 13th Annual SGA Baltic Student Chapter Meeting was organized (hybrid - in Kraków and online). Lectures by prof. Frank Melcher (Montanuniversitat Leoben) "Green Deal Raw Materials" and prof. Peter Koděra (Comenius University, Bratislava) "Epithermal and porphyry deposits of Slovakia" were one of the highlights. After student presentation session, a talk about mineral deposits of Ukraine was given by prof. Adam Piestrzyński and a special guest, dr Liuba Figura from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The meeting commenced with a trip to underground Wieliczka salt mine and Guido coal mine. Moreover, SGA BAltic Student Chapter organized in 2022 online meetings with students from SGA chapters in Cordóba (Argentina) and Satbayev University in Almaty (Kazakhstan).

    At the beginning of May, students had an apportunity to participate in annual field work in Kosovo, as part of their Master projects.

    As part of the collaboration with other SGA and SEG student chapters, visits in copper mines in the Fore-Sudetic Monocline in Poland were organized for students from Halle (June 2022), Tübingen (August 2022), Bratislava (September 2022), Prague and Brno (October 2022). Moreover, in June 2022 a group of geologists from Anglo American company led by Christian Ihlenfeld, visited Ruda and Polkowice-Sieroszowice mines. Ore Geology group at AGH paid several visits to GG-1 shaft building site in Kwielice, which this year become the deepest shaft in Poland reaching the depth of 1351 meters.

    In June 2022, four master srudents and one PhD student took part in exploration project focused on lithium pegmatites in Nord Helgeland area in northern Norway. Participants had an opportunity to work in an interneationla team of geologists during geological mapping and sampling.

    In July 2022, students who chose the "Economic Geology" specialization, participated in the summer field practice in Kosovo.

    In September 2022, third edition of the "Course for Young Geologists" took place in the Owl Mountains organized by the Geology Student Scientific Association AGH.


    In October 2022, there was a work meeting of the MinExTarget - Enhanced Use of Heavy Mineral Chemistry in Exploration Targeting consortium. Representatives of GTK (Finnish Geological Survey), GEUS (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland), University of Oulu (Finland), UiT Arctic University in Tromsø (Norway) took part in the inauguration ceremony for the new academic year at the Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection AGH and visited Wieliczka salt mine.


    During 63th St. Barbara Conference of Students Scientific Associations at AGH in December, three presentations were prepared in the geology section, all supervised by the Ore geology group:

  • Od serpentynitu do listwenitu: wpływ procesów hydrotermalnych na skały maficzne z okolic Janjeva, Kosowo
    Adam Tomczak, Konrad Kluza (supervisor: Sławomir Mederski)
  • Spinele chromowe jako świadek procesu listwenizacji, Janjevo, Kosowo
    Karolina Lizoń (supervisor: Sławomir Mederski)
  • Surowcowo-złożowa ocena skał intruzji wulkanicznych w formacji La Quinta, Kolumbia
    Jakub Mach (supervisor: prof. Adam Piestrzyński)


    • Four students defended master thesis in December:

  • Surowcowa ocena nowo odkrytego, potencjalnego złoża metali kolorowych, północna Kolumbia
    Jakub Mach, supervisor: prof. Adam Piestrzyński
  • Geochemical and mineral characteristics of ore minerals from the Lubin Central shaft area
    Piotr Skupień , supervisor: prof. Adam Piestrzyński
  • Mineralogical chararcteristics of Nb-Ta-Sn mineralization from the Kibara belt, Rwanda
    Dominik Handzlik supervisor: dr hab. Jaroslav Pršek
  • Mineralogical studies of the Au bearing quartz veins, Vysna Boca area, Slovakia
    Błażej Szrek supervisor: dr hab. Jaroslav Pršek