Exploration potential |
GEOLOGICAL prospectivity in Kosovo should be viewed as being extremely high. Although there is a mining history that dates back to pre-Roman times, the recent technological advances in mineral exploration have not been systematically applied to Kosovo. The use of remote sensing and geophysical prospecting techniques aimed at discovering buried ore deposits have yet to be applied.
There is no systematic geochemical survey data (soils, stream sediments) available, and drilling records were lost during the 1999 conflict. The complex geological history of Kosovo, lying athwart a major geological suture between the Drina and Vardar Zones, coupled with the lack of systematic mineral exploration activity (such as at the five Trepca mines where the full extent of the mineralisation has not been tested by drilling), indicate high prospectivity. The application of systematic exploration programmes in the new climate of direct foreign investment from the global mining sector should yield exploration successes to rival those of neighbouring countries.
Proven exploration potentials exist for lignite, lead, zinc, silver, nickel, chromium, bauxite, magnesite, and construction minerals (hard rock, gravel, sand, clay). Several indications of precious metals (gold and platinum) were detected in rivers and as accompanying metals in other ores (chromite and base metals).
Grass root prospecting in Kosovo