{"id":1559,"date":"2025-05-05T13:39:40","date_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/?p=1559"},"modified":"2025-11-03T13:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T12:41:11","slug":"field-trip-to-the-au-vms-deposit-zlate-hory-czech-republic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/?p=1559","title":{"rendered":"Field Trip to the Au-VMS deposit Zlat\u00e9 Hory, Czech Republic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jakub Pt\u00e1\u010dek, SGA Student Chapter Prague<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of April 2025, the SGA Student Chapter Prague organised another of its many excursions \u2013
this time to Zlat\u00e9 Hory (Golden Mountains), located in the northern part of the Jesen\u00edky Mountains.
The goal of the excursion was to explore local geological points of interest, including minerals of
Alpine paragenesis and those associated with the rock listvenite (\u201ekrupn\u00edk\u201c in Czech). The highlight of
the trip was a descent into the Zlat\u00e9 Hory gold mine, where exploration is currently underway on a
previously unmined gold-bearing body. Nine chapter members participated in the three-day excursion,
on which members Jan Mr\u00e1\u010dek, Jan Kamensk\u00fd, and Michal \u010curda took charge of both the logistical
coordination and the provision of expert guidance. The Zlat\u00e9 Hory area geologically belongs to the
Variscan orogenic zone of the Bohemian Massif, also known as the Moravo-Silesian Zone. It lies in
the highly deformed contact zone between the Keprn\u00edk and Desn\u00e1 units (domes). The area\u2019s geological
evolution is highly complex and remains an active subject of scientific discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a geological perspective, the two units differ significantly and undoubtedly had distinct origins.
The Keprn\u00edk Unit is composed primarily of strongly metamorphosed sedimentary and volcanic rocks,
such as paragneisses, phyllites, and amphibolites, which are characterised by a high-grade
metamorphism typical of the amphibolite facies. In contrast, the younger Desn\u00e1 Unit consists mainly
of weakly metamorphosed sediments, including phyllites, schists, and greenschists, corresponding to
the greenschist facies. The most widely accepted interpretation suggests that the Keprn\u00edk Unit forms a
nappe structure thrust eastward over the (para)autochthonous Desn\u00e1 Unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first stop of the excursion was the locality Sobot\u00edn, known for its well-formed epidote crystals and
as a classic site for the preview of Alpine paragenesis minerals. Although previous extensive
collecting by mineral enthusiasts has reduced the locality\u2019s productivity, several noteworthy specimens
were nevertheless obtained for the collection. The epidote veins at this site were originally discovered
by chance during the construction of a road leading to the next stop of the excursion \u2013 the nearby
Smr\u010dina quarry. The primary focus at this locality was the rock listvenite, which was historically
utilised in local ironworks. In addition to listvenite, collectors can also find talc and small but well-
formed magnetite crystals. The final stop of the day was the beryl-bearing pegmatites of St\u0159eleck\u00fd D\u016fl
near Mar\u0161\u00edkov and its surroundings. While the pegmatite at St\u0159eleck\u00fd D\u016fl was historically mined
primarily for feldspar, the locality is best known for its exceptional beryl crystals, including occasional
aquamarine, which could reach lengths of up to 10\u00a0cm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second day of the excursion was dedicated entirely to the modern gold mine operated by the state-
owned company DIAMO, located in the Zlat\u00e9 Hory ore district. Between 1990 and 1993, underground
mining was conducted here, targeting gold hosted in quartz veins alongside pyrite, sphalerite, galena,
and other sulfide minerals. Currently, exploration of the deposit is underway in the previously
unmined sections of the ore body due to its potential for future extraction. The investigation involves
drilling across the old mine adits to estimate the remaining reserves. According to information from
DIAMO, as of 2025, approximately 4 tonnes of gold, 500 tonnes of copper, and significant quantities
of other commodities, such as zinc, germanium, and gallium, have been identified as potential
resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon arrival at the site, we received comprehensive training and were equipped with all necessary
safety gear, including a rescue breathing apparatus. In the mine, we received an overview of the
deposit along with a detailed explanation of all activities related to its exploration. They also showed
us several quartz veins filled with various sulphides, primarily pyrite and chalcopyrite, that often<\/p>\n\n\n\n

contain microscopic grains of gold. Our time underground was, for safety reasons, limited, so the rest
of the briefing took place in an outdoor building where DIAMO stores the drill cores from the
exploration (Fig. 1). Visiting the mine was an unforgettable experience for all of us, and we are very
grateful to Tom\u00e1\u0161 \u017ditn\u00fd, as well as whole DIAMO for making it possible (Fig.\u00a02).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the second day, we visited the nearby Po\u0161tovn\u00ed \u0161tola adit from the medieval ages (Fig.\u00a03).
The earliest records of copper and other ore mining at this site date back to the early 16 th century. This
brief stop enriched our geological knowledge with the historical development of mining in the Zlat\u00e9
Hory ore district. On the final day, we made one last stop at a marble quarry near the town of Lipov\u00e1,
where we learned interesting details about the local marble, its extraction methods, and the
reclamation efforts carried out after mining operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Fig. 1 – A drill core containing macroscopic grains of gold<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Fig. 2 – A group photo with our guides from DIAMO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a>
Fig. 3. The Po\u0161tovn\u00ed \u0161tola adit in Zlat\u00e9 Hory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jakub Pt\u00e1\u010dek, SGA Student Chapter Prague At the end of April 2025, the SGA Student Chapter Prague organised another of its many excursions \u2013this time to Zlat\u00e9 Hory (Golden Mountains), located in the northern part of the Jesen\u00edky Mountains.The goal of the excursion was to explore local geological points of \u2026 Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6,1,4,7],"tags":[59,22,38,18,21,87],"class_list":["post-1559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-events","category-news","category-nezarazene","category-our-activities","category-significant-chapter-events","tag-deposits","tag-gold","tag-prague","tag-sga","tag-zlate-hory","tag-zlato"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1559","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1559"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1559\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1564,"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1559\/revisions\/1564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1559"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1559"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sga.cuni.cz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1559"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}