ABSTRACT
Silver in copper ores accounts for about 20% of the annual income for the Polish Copperbelt company KGHM, and the distribution of silver influences the value of this income as well as the outline of economic zones in the mine workings. One important factor in silver recovery is the substitution of silver in the principal cupriferous minerals. Another important factor is the position of local paleohighs, which influenced the depositional pattern of the Zechstein and the relationship of silver to lead-bearing zones. In the Rudna mine area, above-average silver grades have a north/south trend. Statistical analyses of data and maps of silver distributions in the orebody and across different lithologies are presented in this paper.
