Historical exploitation of copper and silver ores in the Polish part of the Western Tatras

The article is based on material collected during the PhD project on hydrothermal mineralisation in the Polish Tatra Mountains, linked to historic copper and silver mining. The study focuses on the Polish part of the Western Tatras, where numerous signs of past mining activities have been identified, described, and documented. Five preserved features, four adits, and a large heap with a collapsed shaft crater were discovered. Mineralogical and geochemical analyses indicated that the primary components of the ore veins are tetrahedrite-( Zn) and tetrahedrite-(Fe), occurring as intergrowths with chalcopyrite, and less frequently with pyrite and galena. Fluid inclusion studies showed low homogenisation temperatures and low salinity of the mineralising fluids. Eutectic temperature measurements demonstrate that the inclusions represent H₂O–NaCl solutions with a minor KCl component. The sequence of hydrothermal mineral formation in the Western Tatras is reconstructed as: carbonates I → quartz I → barite I → quartz II + carbonates II + ore minerals + barite II → supergene mineralisation. The mineralisation in the Polish Tatra Mountains is classified as dolomite/siderite–quartz type with tetrahedrite. Additionally, evidence for a quartz–carbonate stage with copper sulphides was documented.