Understanding and assessing European mineral resources - a new approach using GIS Central Europe

The GIS (Geographic Information System) Central Europe, in support of the Alpine-Balkan-Carpathian-Dinarides (ABCD) GEODE Project, is composed of spatially referenced geographical, geological, geophysical, geochemical and mineral deposit thematic layers, and their respective attribute data. It has been created to establish insights in the region’s mineral potential and its past and future mining activities, and to determine parameter combinations that control the spatial-temporal distribution of the ore deposits. To contribute to the sustainability of the mining industry, environmental data are also integrated in the information system, allowing a regional scale risk assessment for old and new mining projects. The data analysis and synthesis, required to arrive at the different thematic layers, already highlight parameters that may be tentatively linked to ore deposit formation and localization. The assessment and compilation of heat flow data show a large anomalous area of high heat flow, located within the Pannonian basin, adjacent to the east Carpathians with anomalously low heat flow values. Such high contrasts in the thermal regime in the crust may play a role in the ore genesis. The compilation of multisource gravity information has returned enhanced gravity maps, Bouguer and isostatic anomalies, gravity gradients and gravity discontinuities. Linked in with the earthquake epicenter distribution, these layers contribute to a better understanding of the crustal structure, regionally with the topo-isostatic anomaly map and more locally with the vertical gradient anomaly map. The present-day structure of the crust, completed by the structure of the lithosphere, e.g. with the 3-D seismic tomography visualization, allows to verify the region’s geodynamic evolution. The 3-D visualization (and the correlation with the heat flow thematic layer) reconfirms the preferred positioning of Neogene (Au) deposits above shallow low velocity bodies. The visualization also suggests that (subducted) lithosphere underlying these low velocity bodies obstructs the emplacement of the deposits (e.g. Aegean arc and mainland Greece), unless this subducted lithosphere has been positioned at/around the 660 km discontinuity (Rhodope and Apuseni regions). Geodynamically this observation can be explained by the insufficient influx of asthenospheric heat in the narrow mantle wedges above shallow subducted lithosphere. In relation to the geodynamic setting certain ore deposit types mark the tectono-magmatic evolution of the Tethys and the Carpatho-Balkan arc. Oceanic type mineralizations (chromite, Cu massive sulphides) formed during the oceanic rifting from Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous, and hydrothermal-porphyry types (base- and precious-metal mineralizations) formed during two major stages, during the Cretaceous to Paleogene, and subsequently during the Neogene. Linked in with information on materials processing (waste production and management, toxicity information), land use, infrastructure in/around mining districts, and other socio-economic information help the GIS to evolve towards a modern tool for the sustainable management of mineral resources in southeastern Europe.