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LITHOLOGICAL TYPES OF SULPHUR ORE AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SMELTABILITY

E. Sermet

Abstract

Polish sulphur deposits occur in the northern, marginal part of the Carpathian Foredeep, in the s.c. chemical horizon of the Lower Tortonian (Miocene, Neogene). This horizon in the productive series is made up of gypsums and post-gypsum formations, especially sulphur-bearing limestones (sulphur content more than 5%). The thickness of seam sulphur deposits is from few to over 40 meters, generally 10-20 m, and average geological yield exceeds 8 Mg/m2. The bottom of the chemical series create sandstones, mudstones, sands and limestones of the Baranow beds whereas the top consists of marly clays defined as the Pecten beds and Krakowiec clays, covered by Quaternary sediments. Deposits are located at depth above 75 m (up to 300 meters) and from 1966 were and still are mined by underground melting. Several types of profiles are separated in the deposit series, in which the basic lithological components occur in the different positions and variable proportions. These are: ? sulphur ?bearing limestones create the whole series, ? gypsum ? generally in the top and the bottom, rarely as continuous intercalations in limestones, ? barren limestones ? more often in the bottom, less often in the top, exceptionally in the thin intercalations, compact, intensely cavernous or crumbly, porous, ? series with significant (over 20%) share of clayey intercalations (marly clays or breccia of limestones, marly limestones and clays), ? sometimes series of the sulphur-bearing limestones, barren limestones and gypsum without a clear advantage of the one from all ingredients. Sulphur-bearing limestones (sometimes marly limestones) are dominant type of the rock in the Polish sulphur deposits, and the sulphur content is from few to tens percents and average is about 25%. Sulphur creates concentrations of waxy (compact), dusty and crystalline types, and the forms of the spatial distribution (textures) are as follows: nested (spotted), banded, vein, breccia and pseudobreccia and secondary ? ribbon and drusy. The ores with high sulphur content, cavernous with breccia, pseudobreccia and nest-like textures are the best melting. On the other side there are ores with low sulphur content, with small number of caverns and with the predominance of finely dispersed forms of sulphur (sulphur ? impregnated limestones). The direct impact of ore textures on melting requires further research and analysis.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2019/1.1/s01.035

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