SALT DEPOSITS IN POLAND (CENTRAL EUROPE): GEOLOGY, RESOURCES AND MANAGEMENT

摘要

The rock salt occur in Poland (Central Europe) in two salt bearing formations of the Upper Permian (Zechstein) and the Neogene (Middle Miocene) age but the potash salts are located only in the Permian one. The total resources of rock salt are over 84 × 109 Mg with predominant Permian resources (4 thick complexes of rock salts, occupied the nearly 2/3 area of Poland, over 80 ×109Mg in 15 documented salt deposits both of stratiform and diapir types). They are now exploited in 2 underground salt mines and 2 solution mines producing in 2007 ca. 3.1 × 106Mg of rock salt mainly from the diapirs. The most perspective future management of these rock salt deposits are the safety underground cavern storages (for oil and gas, now 2 such ones exist) and depositories. The Neogene deposits (stratiform and stratiform-folded), exploited in the past millennium, occur in the limited area od southern Poland and are now only of historical-touristic value.The potash salts, quite frequent within the Permian evaporate complexes, are documented in a single salt diapir in central Poland (mainly consisted of carnallite and kieserite, resources of over 72 × 106 Mg, minimal and accidental exploitation) and in sulphate horizons accompanied the rock salt seam in northern Poland (4 deposits of polyhalite with resources of ca. 0.67 × 109 Mg). Because of low market prices of potash products offered by the neighbouring countries e.g. Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the future management of national potash salt resources seems to be non-economic.