29 May – 02 June 2023, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Introduction
The objective of the school is to introduce innovative mineral exploration methods and techniques with special focus on metallic mineral commodities. The program is designed for earth science master students, primarily from the East-South-Eastern European (ESEE) region. Master students from field of mining engineering are also welcome.
Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) is currently in the focus of European mineral resource exploration due to its critical raw material potential, with over 120 critical raw materials deposits and occurrences known in B&H. During the summer field school students will have opportunity to visit three different and significant mineral regions in Bosnia and Hercegovina.
First region to visit is Ljubija iron ore region with three open-cast pits: Omarska, Adamuša and Ciganuša. Second one is the Jajce bauxite-bearing region and the third one is polymetallic mining area of Vareš town.
Application
Students of the TIMREX Summer Field School will have the opportunity to investigate all this impressive raw material deposits from iron ores to bauxite and dimension stone and to learn importance of data collection, analysis, modelling and interpretation of results as the first major step in exploration and exploitation decision making. The TIMREX project supports the participation of the students by a scholarship up to 400 € to cover the travel and subsistence costs during the summer school field programme. Arrival to and from Zagreb is not covered by the project. Eligibility for the scholarship will be defined by external evaluators based on the completed registration form:
Upon successful completion of the summer school a certificate on 3 ECTS is given to the students.
Application deadline: 2 May 2023, 23:59 (CET)
Site location
Omarska, Adamuša and Ciganuša open-cast pits near Prijedor are part of the Ljubija sideriteankerite-limonite ore region related to Early Permian intracontinental rifting containing 50 iron ore deposits and over 100 ore occurrences. Primary carbonate iron ores are siderite and ankerite while limonite is a secondary oxidised ore. Manganese content is several percent. Omarska is the most significant iron ore deposits with primary ore within Carboniferous clastic and carbonate rocks. Unlike Adamuša and Ciganuša pits, Omarska pit is still active where ore is processed in a modern gravity – magnetic separation processing plant. Sideritelimonite ore body in Adamuša pit, according to rough estimation, is 800 m in length, 500 m in width and with thickness up to 40 m while siderite-ankerite and limonite ore bodies in Ciganuša pit have dimension of 1,600 x 1,200 m and total area of 1.25 km2.
In the Jajce bauxite-bearing area numerous high-quality karst bauxite deposits, with high Al2O3 and low SiO2 content, are located. In Bešpelj, Crvene Stijene, and Poljane districts bauxite exploration and exploitation are done by underground methods while Skakavacdeposit is exploited by surface exploitation. Furthermore, two quarries of dimension stone are associated with bauxite deposits: Crvene Stijene, presented by reddish breccias, and polymict grey conglomerates in the hanging wall to bauxite deposits, and Poljane with light grey fossiliferous limestones from footwall of bauxite deposits.
The mining town and area of Vareš has a significant mining history dating back to Bronze Age.
Several iron and polymetallic (lead, zinc, barite, silver, gold) deposits within a 30 km x 10 km sedimentary formation were discovered there. The polymetallic mineralization in the Vareš region is associated with Middle Triassic advanced rifting. Mineralisation includes siderite, manganese-rich hematite, barite, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, galena, sphalerite, tetrahedrite and Pb-sulphosalts.
Program
(L) = Lectures
(PC) = Practical classes, demos
(F) = Field programs
(S) = Social programs
INTRODUCTORY ONLINE LECTURES
23 May 2023
| Time | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|
|
16h00-17h00 |
(L) Regional Geology of the Western Balkans |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF |
|
17h00-18h00 |
(L) Overview of metallic mineral deposits of BIH |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF |
24 May 2023
| Time | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|
|
16h00-17h00 |
(L) Innovative analytical methodologies in exploration
geochemistry |
István Márton,
Stockwork Ltd |
|
17h00-18h00 |
(L) Integration, interpretation and modelling of
multielement geochemical and geophysical datasets |
Tomislav Brenko, UNIZG-RGNF;
Jasna Orešković, UNIZG-RGNF |
25 May 2023
| Time | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|
|
16h00-17h00 |
(L) Specific exploration methods of dimension stone
deposits |
Ana Maričić, UNIZG-RGNF |
|
17h00-18h00 |
(L) Karst Bauxites – potential REE resources? |
Andrea Mindszenty, Eötvös
Loránd University, Budapest |
SUMMER FIELD SCHOOL PROGRAMME
28 May 2023
| Time | Leaders |
|---|---|
|
15h00-16h00 |
Meeting in Zagreb, Pierottijeva street 6 |
|
16h00-19h00 |
Travel to Prijedor (BIH) and accommodation |
29 May 2023
| Time | Location | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
|
09h00-13h00 |
Prijedor |
(F) Omarska open-pit mine
Topic: geochemistry of Iron and manganese |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF |
|
13h00-14h00 |
(F) Visit to the ore processing plant (gravity –
magnetic separation) |
Local geologist |
|
|
14h00-15h00 |
(S) Lunch |
||
|
15h00-18h00 |
(PC) Cabinet work in groups: Link between geochemistry and field mineralogical
data |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF;
Tomislav Brenko, UNIZG-RGNF |
|
|
(PC) Cabinet work in groups: Link between ore geochemistry before and after processing |
|||
|
19h00- |
(S) Dinner |
||
30 May 2023
| Time | Location | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
|
09h00-13h00 |
Prijedor |
(F) Adamuša and Ciganuša – iron ore open-cast pit Topic: geological setting and main features of deposits influencing the exploitation |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF;
Local geologists |
|
13h00-14h00 |
(S) Lunch |
||
|
14h00-16h00 |
(F) Advanced geophysical methods in mineral
exploration (Magnetometry, Electric resistivity
tomography – ERT) – differences between
methods and advantages of geophysical
methods during exploration of deposits |
Josipa Kapuralić, UNIZG-RGNF |
|
|
16h00-18h00 |
Jajce |
Travel to Jajce |
|
|
19h00- |
(S) Dinner |
||
31 May 2023
| Time | Location | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
|
08h00-12h00 |
Jajce |
(F) Jajce underground bauxite mine Topic: observation of stratigraphical setting influencing exploitation |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF;
Local head geologist at
Rudnik boksita Jajce |
|
12h00-15h00 |
(F) REE geochemistry observations / profiling at open-pit Skakavac profile |
Tomislav Brenko, UNIZG-RGNF |
|
|
15h00-17h00 |
(F) Dimension stone quarry: specific issues of dimension stone exploration and resource assessment |
Ana Maričić, UNIZG-RGNF |
|
|
17h00-19h30 |
Travel to Kakanj |
||
|
20h00- |
(S) Dinner |
||
1 June 2023
| Time | Location | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
|
09h00-15h00 |
Kakanj /
Vareš |
(F) Vareš mining area.
Topic: precious and base metal site
development |
Local geologists |
|
15h00-16h00 |
(S) Lunch |
||
|
16h00-18h00 |
(PC) Geochemistry and core analysis cabinet work Importance of data analysis and modelling of different data sets during exploration phase, and its influence on exploitation |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF;
Local geologists |
|
|
19h00- |
(S) Dinner |
||
2 June 2023
| Time | Location | Topic | Leaders |
|---|---|---|---|
|
08h00-12h00 |
Kakanj |
(PC) Students’ presentations – work in groups. Students will present their results. Each group will present different sets of data that are connected to iron ores, bauxite and dimension stone deposits |
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić,
UNIZG-RGNF;
Tomislav Brenko, UNIZG-RGNF; Ana Maričić, UNIZG-RGNF |
|
12h00-13h00 |
(S) Closing event + Lunch |
||
|
13h00-18h00 |
Return to Zagreb / return home from Sarajevo |
||
Course leaders
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić
Sibila Borojević Šoštarić is Professor at the University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. Her main scientific interest in detailed mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical analysis with emphasis on ore deposits, mineralization and metallogeny.
Ana Maričić
Ana Maričić is Associate Professor at the University of Zagreb – Faculty of
Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. Her main scientific interest is
in assessment and qualification of natural building stone, aggregates, sand
and gravel deposits and determination of its of properties and durability
when used in civil engineering constructions.
Tomislav Brenko
Tomislav Brenko is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zagreb – Faculty of Mining, Geology and Petroleum Engineering. His main scientific interests include detailed geochemical and mineralogical analyses, statistical modelling of data and provenance studies in geoarchaeology, with an emphasis on iron ore.
István Márton PhD
István Márton has been working in the exploration and mining industry as an Exploration Geologist and Geochemist, involved in target generation, greenfieldand brownfield- exploration and geometallurgical works in 8 countries being focused on Cretaceous–Miocene epithermal Au-Ag, polymetallic carbonate replacement Pb-Zn-Cu-Au, porphyry Cu-Au-Mo, sedimentary rock-hosted gold and Archean orogenic gold deposits. Since 2009 he is working also as visiting lecturer at the University of Babeş–Bolyai University teaching Introduction to Ore Deposits and Economic Geology courses and supervises bachelor/master student projects. More recently ha is acting as principal geoscientist consultant at Dundee Precious Metals with focus on exploration geochemistry, 3D modelling and drill target generation efforts of the company in greenfield and near-mine projects in Bulgaria, Serbia, Armenia and Canada.
Andrea Mindszenty
Andrea Mindszenty is a Professor Emeritus at the Department of Applied Geology of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest. She has worked for 10 years as an exploration geologist in the aluminium industry in Hungary and abroad (Nigeria, Pakistan, VietNam, Cuba); visited and studied bauxite deposits of India and those of the Mediterranean countries like Italy, former Yugoslavia etc. She joined the University staff in 1981 and has worked in the education of students of geology ever since then. She was co-leader of IGCP Project 287 „Tethyan Bauxites” in 1989-1993. Her major research interest has been: Unconformity-related phenomena (Bauxites and Paleosols/Paleokarst, Travertines, Submarine hardgrounds), Carbonate diagenesis/porosity evolution, Urban Geology, and REE-enrichment in bauxites and Bayer-residue. Currently she is national correspondent of Hungary for the International Association of Sedimentologists (IAS).
