Mineralogical study of the Drazhnje Prospect (Kosovo) - preliminary report

• Autorzy: Kołodziejczyk J. , Asllani B. , Prsek J.
• Konferencja: XVth International Conference of Young Geologists Her'lany 2014 : Międzybrodzie Żywieckie, Poland, May, 8th-10th 2014
• Języki publikacji: EN

Abstrakty

EN

The mining activities took place in Kosovo since ancient times. The object of interest at these times was gold and silver ores. One of such old mining areas is located in north-east Kosovo, close to the Batlava Lake. Contemporary works include exploration activities and the goal of this research is to determine the features of mineralisation in that deposit. The name Drazhnje is used interchangeably with Cuka e Batllaves. In the close vicinity, there are known also several other base-metal ore bodies that may be of economic interest. During last years, an exploration gallery was built in Drazhnje, which gave an opportunity to collect mineralogical samples of ore from the upper part of the deposit. The Drazhnje prospect is located in area built of Paleozoic metamorphic complex, Jurassic sediments, ophiolite and Cretaceous flysch sediments. The volcanogenic-sedimentary complex of the Tertiary covers all the older rocks. The mineralisation in Drazhnje prospect is located within marbles, serpentinites and volcanic rocks. Mineralogical study is focused on the sulphide composition of the ore. Minimum two stages of mineralization can be distinguished. During the first one, pyrite, pyrrhotite, sphalerite and galena were formed. The younger stage comprises marcasite, chalcopyrite, arsenopyrite, stannite and Pb-Sb sulphosalts, mainly boulangerite. The gangue minerals are quartz and carbonates. Carbonates of different compositions belong to the youngest minerals in both stages. In the polished sections we have observed that stannite replaces sphalerite, and bournonite replaces galena. Galena is also being replaced by boulangerite. Evidence for boulangerite presence was confirmed by XRD method. Smithsonite was recognized as a main secondary mineral. It occurs as a greenish-to pinkish collomorphic coating on the surface of other minerals or it fills cavities in the ores. The Drazhnje deposit exhibits similarities to other Pb-Zn deposits in the area. The mineralization of stockwork character is hosted mainly by carbonates and its genesis is related to the volcanic activity. Preliminary data on ore chemistry indicate that the content of zinc is higher than content of lead, and is estimated at about 4% and 2%, respectively. In the other deposits of Kosovo, these values are reversed. High content of sulphosalts in the studied deposit, like bournonite and boulangerite, indicates that these minerals could be one of important bearers of lead in the Drazhnje deposit. Content of antimony reaches 0.3 wt. %, which could be correlated with relatively low content of lead (around 2 wt. %). During the field studies, we have confirmed that boulangerite is the most common lead mineral in the upper (reachable) part of deposit, whereas galena is not so common. It is worth to add that some amounts of galena have been replaced by bournonite. In comparison to samples from the other Kosovo deposits, we have noticed unusually high content of stannite, which was found in nearly all of the studied polished sections. Further exploration and start of extraction of the deeper parts of the deposit will allow collecting more samples that are necessery for future mineralogical and geochemical studies.

Słowa kluczowe

EN

mining; gold ore; silver ore

• Wydawca: Wydawnictwa AGH
• Czasopismo: Geology, Geophysics and Environment
• Rocznik: 2014
• Tom: Vol. 40, no. 1
• Strony: 91--92

Twórcy

autor

Kołodziejczyk J.

• AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, Department of Economic Geology; al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

autor

Asllani B.

• Trepca under AKP Administration; Mitrovice Industrial Park, Mitrovice 40000, Kosovo

autor

Prsek J.

• AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, Department of Economic Geology; al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Krakow, Poland