MRI-Quarz - Untersuchung von Vorkommen hochwertiger Quarzrohstoffe in Österreich

In co-operation with the Montanuniversität Leoben and with the support of quartz companies selected deposits of quartz sands, quartzites and vein quartz are being investigated with regard to their properties and geometry. In addition to mapping, sampling, geochemical, mineralogical and granulometric analyses, ground and aerogeophysical measurements as well as hand drilling are planned. Subsequently, the deposits will be evaluated according to the UNFC classification scheme.

Austria has a high demand for high-quality quartz raw materials (quartz sand, quartzite, pegmatite/vein quartz), which are used in the glass, foundry and construction industries, depending on their quality. The demand forecast for high-quality quartz raw materials indicates continued growth for Austria in the coming years. However, the secure supply of high-quality quartz raw materials from domestic production is increasingly encountering problems in some regions in the medium term.

From overviews currently available at GeoSphere Austria on the state of research into high-grade quartz raw materials, it can be deduced that there is not yet sufficient knowledge available for an in-depth assessment of their economic suitability as raw materials for significant deposits, i.e. in south-eastern Austria. Together with the Chair of Geology and Mineral Resources at the University of Leoben (MUL) and with the involvement of quartz companies the GeoSphere Austria aims to develop the necessary basis for a geological and economic assessment of selected deposits of high-grade quartz raw materials.

MUL will supervise Master's theses (quartz sands, quartzites, vein quartz) and Bachelor's theses. In addition to hand drilling and ground geophysical measurements, GeoSphere Austria will use a drone (unmanned aerial vehicle - UAV) to carry out aerogeophysical measurements on deposits of high-quality quartz raw materials as part of the master's theses. In addition, GeoSphere Austria will carry out sampling and analyses at other deposits. Selected deposits of high-grade quartz raw materials will be categorised according to the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC).

The quartz sand, quartzite and vein quartz project areas will be selected firsthand on the basis of the proposals that were drawn up as part of the recently completed ‘Literature study on quartz resources in the greater Köflach area’. Of 26 quartz sand deposits analysed in the Neogene of the Styrian Basin and Burgenland, some were recommended for further investigation or the lack of essential parameters for an assessment was determined.

Similarly, some of the 14 Upper and Lower East Alpine quartzite deposits analysed were recommended for further detailed investigations, as essential parameters for a final assessment are not available. In the Niedere Tauern region, deposits of quartz mobilisates were newly mapped as part of the GeoSphere Austria geological survey; these are also proposed for initial sampling and analysis.