Dolomites
Dolomite is widely used in the glass and ceramic industry, as a flux for smelting iron and steel, and in the production of fireproof raw materials and cement. Moreover, it is also used in agriculture as the raw material for production of calcium-magnesium mineral fertilizers. Dolomite is also used in a construction industry and a road construction as building and crushed stone. These uses are discussed in the section on dimension and crushed stones.
The majority of pure dolomite deposits occur in the areas of the Silesian and Lower Silesian regions and Małopolskie Voivodeship. Raw materials from these deposits are characterized by the best quality and match economic criteria of a flux for smelting iron and steel. The deposits are of a stratified type and Devonian or Triassic in age, as for examples those from Żelatowa, Brudzowice and Ząbkowice Będzińskie deposits.
Deposits of dolomites usable as a raw material for ceramic industry occur in the Lower Silesian region. The dolomites form lenses in metamorphic schists. The best known of these dolomite deposits are situated at Rędziny in the vicinities of Jelenia Góra and in the area of the Kłodzko Basin.
Dolomite deposits occurrence is presented on the map.
The table 1 shows resources and the state of development and exploration of the dolomite deposits.
Anticipated economic resources amounted to 529.01 million tonnes in 2016 and decreased by 2.68 million tonnes in comparison with the previous year. That was the result of exploitation and losses.
Anticipated economic resources of exploited deposits amounted to 234.91 million tonnes in 2016 and accounted for 44.41% of total anticipated economic resources. The resources covered by the detailed exploration (categories A+B, C1) were equal 370.99 million tonnes (70.13% of total anticipated economic resources). Such resources within exploited deposits accounted for 98.39% of anticipated economic resources (231.12 million tonnes).
Economic resources of dolomites decreased by 0.91 million tonnes and were equal 124.58 million tonnes. These resources accounted only for 23.55% of total anticipated economic resources.
Production of dolomite was equal 2,738.02 thousand tonnes in 2016, decreasing by 204.95 thousand tonnes (6.96%) in relation to the previous year. The output grew only from Ząbkowice Będzińskie I deposit (by 160.24 thousand tonnes). For other deposits there were drops recorded: by 196.93 thousand tonnes for Żelatowa, by 138.58 thousand tonnes for Brudzowice, by 24.79 thousand tonnes for Rędziny and by 4.89 thousand tonnes for Chruszczobród 2 deposit.
The figure given below shows changes in domestic resources and production of dolomite in Poland in the years 1989-2016.
Prepared by: Marcin Tymiński
Table 1. Dolomite - million tonnes