Category Archives: Our activities

Thanks to cooperation with the Moroccan Chapter we organized international field trip to important Morocco bearings, participated by members of Prague Chapter and Moroccan Chapter in 13th to 21th March,2016 . Five czech members flew to Marrakech and visited some interesting deposits in High Atlas area (6th-13th) before the common program with our Moroccan colleagues.

Mibladen area

Bou Azzer

Our program started with visiting Mibladen, area with galena mines and world-famous crystals of vanadinates. Then we explored also Taouz (Pb veins), Imilchil (pegmatites) and Imini (Mn ore). Poor vegetation on numerous large outcrops gave us great opportunity to study geology even from car.

In 13th March we met with Mococcan SGA chapter in Agdz and next day we looked at the Bou Azzer mining district and ophiolitic suture zone (Pan-African mineralization of the Anti-Atlas belt (Co-Ni-As) with nice samples of skutterudite).

pyrhotine in shale (Draa Sfar)

In following days our interests were heading to variscan central Jebilet Massif with visiting Draa Sfar Mine (VMS polymetallic ore deposits), the Kettara district (VMS and SEDEX) and the BirN’Has deposit (base metal veins in metapelites and carbonates). Thanks to MANAGEM mining company, we could visit their underground mines.

Kettara

Then a Meeting took place at the Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Marrakech. Prof. Omar Saddiqi (Hassan II University, Casablanca) was talking about the Geology of Morroco. Mr. Mustapha Chaib (ONHYM mining company, Rabat) have been presenting about the Moroccan mining potential. And Mr. Jan Bubal (Prague Chapter) had presentation about the Geology of Czech Republic.

Next field visit was directed to the Azegour Skarn deposit and surrounding areas (Mo, W, Cu deposits; western High Atlas). And the last day we visited Benguérir phosphate deposit (Cretaceous/Tertiary) with OCP mining company.

outcrops everywhere

SGA News No 39 page 1

For more photos click here.

Last excursion of the 2015 (7th-8th November) led us to German city Freiberg, where we visited the historical shaft (Pb-Zn-Ag vein type mineralization) and the Terra Mineralia exposition with world famous mineral samples.

Pavel with Pb-Zn-Ag vein mineralization

On the second day it led us to Antonsthal ore heap (skarn) and localities in the field on the Czech side of the borders: Loučná (pyroclastics with large pseudoleucite crystals) and Ahníkov (lateritized ultramafic body with veinlets of pink and violet chalcedony).

Ahníkov

This two-day excursion provided interesting insight into geology and history of mining at the Saxony and it was a chance as well to visit one of the best mineral collection in the World. This excursion was attended by 22 Chapter members.

SGA News No 39 page 18  
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Traditional October field-trip (10th-13th, 2015) of the SGA Student Chapter Prague was this year dedicated to mineral deposits of Poland.

Main attractions of this four-day field trip were underground visits to the two active mines – Pomorzany mine (Pb-Zn, Mississippi valley type deposit) and Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine (Cu, Kupferschiefer type deposit) run by the KGHM Company. We have also visited the famous salt mine Wieliczka and the historical city Krakow.

Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine (salt)

10th: Tourist mine Kletno located in the Snieznik Massif (U) and historical city Krakow.
11th: Salt mine Wieliczka and students from SGA Baltic Student Chapter prepared lectures about the main mineral deposits of Poland
12th: Active underground mine Pomorzany located within the Olkusz area and dumps of the Bytom area (Pb-Zn Mississippi Valley type)
13th: Active Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine (Kupferschiefer and salt)

This trip would not be possible without the amazing help of the former SGA Baltic Chapter president Joanna Kolodziejczyk and we would like to thank her a lot for her help and effort she put into this. Also we would like to thank to Władysław Zygo and Jaroslav Prsek for accompanying us at the mine visits and to KGHM Company for making the underground visit possible.

SGA News No 39 page 17                      

Polkowice-Sieroszowice mine (Kupferschiefer)

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One day field trip to Western Czechia was held on 18th May 2015. 

Twelve students led by Mgr. Jan Bubal visited Open-Air museum in Stříbro with visiting of gallery Prokop and near ore heap (Pb-Zn mineralization).

Close to Stříbro, we also looked at the Vlčí hora Mnt. consist by tertiary basalts and pyroclastics with large phenocrysts of augite and amphibole. 

In following area Planá-Michalovi hory ore district we saw some old open pits with Pb-Cu-Ni-Co mineralization.

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Our chapter organized its first field trip in 2015 (21.-27. April) to the Portuguese part of the world-class metallogenic province – the Iberian Pyrite Belt. This province is situated at the SW of the Iberian Peninsula extending from Seville in Spain to the south of Lisbon in Portugal. This district has a long and rich mining history – from the pre-Roman times to present and is also known for an extraordinary density of the giant volcanic-hosted massive sulfide deposits (VHMS). This VHMS belt contains more than 85 massive sulfide deposits with total mass exceeding 1600 Mt of massive ore to which more than 2000 Mt of low-grade stockwork mineralization should be added. The mineralization is distributed between eight supergiant and a significant number of other smaller deposits. During the last hundred years approximately 80 mines have been operating. In total they produced ~ 300 million tons of polymetallic ores (Pb, Zn, Cu, Au, Ag, Sn), although sulfur and copper have been the main commodities processed in most cases.

no more for ore

The main attraction of this field-trip was the underground visit of the active mine Neves-Corvo (SOMINCOR company) – Cu-Sn-Zn ores. We have also visited the Lousal (S-Cu ores) closed mine with its wonderful science center, old open pit Sao Domingos (Au-Ag-Cu ores), which was mined for copper and gold since the roman times and several other localities in the field. Not mentioning the beautiful city Lisbon and its surroundings.

The 5 students participated in this 7-days field-trip, which was led by professor Jorge Relvas.

SGA News No 38 page 30

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Czech Academy of Science, Institute of Geology, v.v.i., Praha Czech Science Foundation project No. P210/14/13600S
in collaboration with the SGA Prague Student Chapter

First announcement of international workshop

Vertical zoning of tin granite plutons in light of modern analytical methods

A 1596 m long fully-cored borehole CS-1 was realized in 1961-1963 in the Cínovec/Zinnwald granite cupola, Krušné Hory/Erzgebirge, Czech Republic. For more than 50 years this borehole represents one of the most inspiring sources of our knowledge about evolution of rare-metal granite plutons through the world.

Vertical zoning of the Cínovec cupola involving albite-lepidolite, albite-zinnwaldite, and albite-biotite granites combined with microgranites, feldspathites, greisens, and flat quartz veins gives an excellent opportunity for the study of magmatic/hydrothermal evolution of Sn- W-Nb-Ta-Li-bearing system and formulation of genetic models.

Rapid development of microanalytical methods in two last decades, electron microprobe and laser-ablation ICP-MS analyses, provides new, high precision chemical and mineralogical data. Back-scattered electron and cathodoluminescence imaging enable objective study of rock- and mineral textures. New data support formulation of more presumable genetic models.

Mining of tin and later also tungsten ores operating in Cínovec from the 16. century was interrupted in 1991. At present, some attempts for re-opening of the mine are going on. So the theoretical models may be immediately used in praxis.

Within the frame of Czech Science Foundation project No. P210/14/13600S we acquire principally new data about whole-rock and mineral changes along the borehole CS-1. In order to present these data, provoke discussion about the most plausible evolutionary model of this granite and deposit, and compare this object with other rare-metal granites worldwide, we organize two-day workshop connected with excursion to old tin mines in Krupka (Bohemia) and Zinnwald (Saxony).

Scope of the workshop: Vertical zoning of tin granite plutons in light of modern analytical methods

Place: Institute of Geology, Praha Time: 6.-7. October 2015 Tentative program:

• Detail information about actual investigation of the Cínovec granite system
• Contribution of other participants
• Discussion about granite-related rare-metal deposits
• Excursion to Krupka and Zinnwald

Contributions to all aspect of utilization of state-of-art methods in investigation of rare- metal granites are welcomed.

In case of your interest to attend this workshop, please contact us for further information.

Contact person: Karel Breiter, E-mail: breiter@gli.cas.cz