Methodology of assignment of Mineral Deposits of Public Importance proposed by MINATURA2020 Project and results of its pilot testing in the Dolnośląskie Province (SW Poland)

MINATUR A2020 project’s aim is to develop a concept and multi-dimensional methodology of assignment and - in a consequence - of safeguarding the Mineral Deposits of Public Importance (MDoPI) at European (EU), country (CL ) and regional/local level (RL ), in order to ensure their optimal use for future needs of the society. MDoPI assignment methodology proposed within MINATUR A2020 project, was tested within a few EU regions, including Dolnośląskie Province in Poland, where undeveloped deposits were verified. Initially, deposits of 4 selected groups of minerals were tested: magmatic and metamorphic crushed and dimension stone (144 deposits), feldspar raw materials (6 deposits), kaolin (11 deposits), and glass sand (7 deposits). In the following step, the deposits of the highest or medium class of geological features were chosen, i.e. 73 mineral deposits with indicated and/or measured resources, including: 50 deposits of magmatic and metamorphic crushed and dimension stone, 6 deposits of feldspar raw materials, 10 deposits of kaolin and 7 deposits of glass sand. Finally, according to assumed MDoPI methodology, 10 of 50 tested deposits of crushed and dimension stone were qualified as MDoPI-CL , while another 20 deposits as MDoPI-RL , 5 of 6 deposits of feldspar raw materials were ranked as MDoPI-CL , while 1 deposit as MDoPI-RL, 2 of 10 kaolin deposits were categorised as MDoPI-CL , while the remaining 8 deposits MDoPI-RL , and all of 7 tested deposits of glass sand were qualified as MDoPI-RL . In total, from among 73 verified deposits, 17 deposits were proposed as MDoPI-CL , whereas 36 deposits were qualified as potential MDoPI-RL . On the basis of performed testing, it can be concluded that the main strength of proposed methodology is the possibility to use multi-criterion methodology containing a number of geological-mining, environmental and spatial factors, giving possibility to categorization of deposits according to their economic importance (EU, country and regional level) for their further safeguarding. Moreover, if legal system of mineral deposits safeguarding is efficiently introduced in Poland, this methodology will be a useful tool for selecting the most valuable mineral deposits that should be protected.