**2. Uranium resources in Poland**

Prospection of uranium deposits in Poland started in the late 1940s of the last century. In the years 1948–1963, Sudetes were the main region of exploration and exploitation of uranium resources [1]. Although more than 100 occurrences of uranium mineralization have been found in the Sudetes, only a few were exploited because of sufficient content of this metal. Uranium was also found and exploited as a by-product from iron sulfide deposit in Rudki ("Staszic" mine) in the Holy Cross Mountains. In this time, approximately 650–700 Mg of uranium was extracted from Polish ores and exported to Soviet Union [1, 2] (**Table 1**).

Polish uranium vein-type deposits in the Sudetes are related to metamorphic rocks. Moreover, uranium mineralization occurs in the sedimentary formation of Inter-Sudetic Depression:


**Table 1.** Uranium exploitation of Sudetes deposits [1–4].

Grzmiąca deposit related to Upper Carboniferous Sandstones, Okrzeszyn deposit related to uranium-rich Upper Carboniferous hard coal seams and Wambierzyce related to Lower Permian Walchia Shales.

ores. The significant resources of uranium are also in unconventional raw materials, e.g. phosphates, nonferrous metal ores, carbonates, monazite sands, black shales, hard coal and brown coal, as well as sea water, from which it can be obtained as a minor by-product. In Polish ores, uranium usually is accompanied by other valuable metals, e.g. V, Mo and lanthanides that can be obtained simultaneously in the technological process to improve the economics of

Prospection of uranium deposits in Poland started in the late 1940s of the last century. In the years 1948–1963, Sudetes were the main region of exploration and exploitation of uranium resources [1]. Although more than 100 occurrences of uranium mineralization have been found in the Sudetes, only a few were exploited because of sufficient content of this metal. Uranium was also found and exploited as a by-product from iron sulfide deposit in Rudki ("Staszic" mine) in the Holy Cross Mountains. In this time, approximately 650–700 Mg of

Polish uranium vein-type deposits in the Sudetes are related to metamorphic rocks. Moreover, uranium mineralization occurs in the sedimentary formation of Inter-Sudetic Depression:

> metauranocircite, autunite, torbernite, uranopilite

**Main U minerals Deposit type U content** 

**[%wt. ]**

0.05–0.11

Vein 0.17

U-rich hard coal

uranium was extracted from Polish ores and exported to Soviet Union [1, 2] (**Table 1**).

Podgórze 280 199 Pitchblende, uranophane, autunite Vein 0.2 Rubezal 0.5 0.5 Pitchblende Vein 0.24 Wolność 118 94 Pitchblende, secondary minerals Vein 0.1–0.2 Miedzianka 14.7 14.7 Pitchblende, secondary minerals Vein 0.61 Mniszków 4.5 4.5 Pitchblende, secondary minerals Vein 0.42 Wiktoria 0.28 0.28 Pitchblende, secondary minerals Vein n.d. Wołowa Góra 2.5 2.5 Brannerite, secondary minerals Vein n.d. Wojcieszyce 14.4 12.3 Pitchblende, asselbornite, autunite Vein n.d.

compounds

Grzmiąca 792 3 Pitchblende, secondary minerals Sandstone 0.054 Wambierzyce 217.5 0 Organometallic compounds Black shale 0.01–0.03 Kletno-Kopaliny 20.71 20.7 Pitchblende, Torbernite Vein 0.26–1

**Exploited [Mg]**

Radoniów 375 214 Uraninite, pitchblende,

Okrzeszyn 938 3 Pitchblende, organometallic

**Table 1.** Uranium exploitation of Sudetes deposits [1–4].

elaborated technology.

**Name of mine Resources** 

n.d. - no data.

**[Mg]**

**2. Uranium resources in Poland**

66 Uranium - Safety, Resources, Separation and Thermodynamic Calculation

In 1956, Polish Geological Institute (PGI) has initiated a new phase of prospecting of uranium. Additionally, parallel studies, based on all available geological and geophysical borehole data from the whole area of Poland, were conducted. The studies have led to the description of uranium mineralization in the Oligocene Menillite Shales of the Carpathians, the Carboniferous of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin and Zechstein copper-bearing shale [3]. Nevertheless, these uranium occurrences have no economic importance due to very low content of uranium, very small resources and close relationship with clay minerals and organic matter.

During prospection conducted by PGI, uranium mineralization in the Ordovician dictyonema Shales (Podlasie Depression) and the more perspective Lower and Middle Triassic sediments in the Peribaltic Syneclise (Vistula Spit area) were discovered and explored (**Table 2**).

Uranium mineralization of Ordovician dictyonema Shales was found in rock layers of thickness from several centimeters up to 4 m (average thickness is about 2.7 m). In vertical profile black shale series was found passing upward brown shales, replaced above by the light beige shales and phosphates. Uranium occurs mainly in black shales. Apart from uranium, higher concentration of other trace metals was observed. For black shales, concentration (geometric mean) of chosen metals was: U 38 [mg/kg]; Th 16 [mg/kg], Cu 236 [mg/kg], La 43 [mg/kg] and V 1508 [mg/kg]. For brown shales, concentration geometric mean was three times lower for most metals, and it was U 38 [mg/kg], Th 18 [mg/kg], Cu 169 [mg/kg], La 45 [mg/kg] and V 678 [mg/kg]. In the black dictyonema shales, uranium showed the strongest correlation with molybdenum (0.83), lead (0.57) antimony (0.52), cadmium (0.50), silver (0.36), lithium (0.28) and beryllium, while in brown dictyonema shales with vanadium (0.69), selenium (0.87), molybdenum (0.78), antimony (0.89), copper (0.34), cobalt (0.66), nickel (0.75) and REE (0.41) [7].

The highest uranium-rich Triassic rocks have been found in the middle part of Peribaltic Syneclise, in the rocks of Upper Bunter. The richest uranium mineralization is related to finegrained, grey and green-grey sandstones, which occurs on the Vistula Spit area. It was found that uranium concentration in the sandstones is very variable and ranges from 4.2 mg/kg even up to 1.5%wt. Higher concentration of some trace metals were also found in these rocks


**Table 2.** Ordovician dictyonema Shales and Triassic Peribaltic sandstones characteristics [5, 6].

(geometric mean): Th 6 [mg/kg], Cu 24 [mg/kg], La 31 [mg/kg] and V 195 [mg/kg]. Uranium related to Triassic sandstones showed the strongest correlation with lead (0.92), yttrium (0.92), silver (0.76), copper (0.75), antimony (0.7) and cobalt (0.44) [8].
