Application of Historical Geophysical Materials in Searching for Cu-Ag Ore Deposits—A New Direction of Research

Abstract

This paper presents a new instrument in geological exploration, which uses historical geophysical data for the indication of potential zones of the occurrence of Cu-Ag ore, based on the example of the newly discovered Nowa Sól deposit in south-western Poland. Basic historical seismic and gravimetric data were applied along with transformed maps. The new method of effective reflection coefficients (ERC) allowed the utilization of archival seismic records for a more precise determination of the most vaguely traced interfaces within the Permian Zechstein unit. Compared to an amplitude-based seismic section, an ERC section is characterized by its highly increased resolution of imaging. The tracing of changes in the facies and the tectonics of Zechstein sediments, particularly in a zone of their contact with Rotliegend rocks, along with the new ERC method, enabled the establishing of precise locations of prospecting boreholes. The combined use of ERC and historical well logs also allowed more precise identification of the shape of oxidized areas and the adjacent orebodies.