Minerals

The Czech Geological Survey (CGS) deal with several mineral-related agendas within the scope of the state geological service (section 17 of Act No. 62/1988 Coll., on geological work, as amended).

Some activities are carried out directly on behalf of the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) while other tasks are set forth in a contract concluded between the CGS, MoE and the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT) or in other legislative provisions.

The basic and key element is the Mineral Information System SurIS, which is part of the Geological Information System (GeoIS). Over the long term, all available data on the mineral potential of the Czech Republic are continuously collected in the system. SurIS data and information are used by state and local authorities for making qualified decisions favouring the development of the Czech Republic as well as its administrative units.

Tasks carried out on behalf of the MoE

1. Fulfilling the duties of an organization charged with safeguarding and registering unexploited reserved mineral deposits by virtue of Act No. 44/1988., on the protection and use of mineral resources (Mining Act). The MoE authorized the Czech Geological Survey (CGS) with safeguarding and registering 359 reserved mineral deposits. Protected deposit areas have been established at 339 deposits. The duties also include the geological documentation of reserved mineral deposits, the recording of the status and changes in reserves, proposals for establishing, modifying or cancelling protected deposit areas, the safeguarding of reserved mineral deposits during land-use planning activities, and the assessment of structure and facility locations in protected deposit areas.
2. Maintaining an inventory of reserves of reserved mineral deposits by virtue of Act No. 44/1988, on the protection and use of mineral resources, and Decree No. 497/1992., on the inventory of reserves of reserved mineral deposits. The inventory contains the Mineral Information System (SurIS) databases, the Geo(MŽP)V3-01 and Hor – MPO statistical reports, and a collection of (administrative) documents concerning each deposit. A total of 1,508 reserved mineral deposits have been inventoried in the Czech Republic, of which 493 are being exploited.
3. Annual compilation of the “Register of Mineral Deposit Reserves of the Czech Republic“ (hereinafter the “Register“) according to Act No. 44/1988., on the protection and use of mineral resources (Mining Act), and Decree No. 497/1992., on the inventory of reserves of reserved mineral deposits, based on the Geo(MŽP)V3-01 statistical report. The “Register“ is subdivided into three sections (metallic ores, energy minerals and industrial minerals plus reserved deposits of construction minerals) and is not publicly available (only for the needs of state authorities) because it contains individual and confidential statistical data (amount and classification of reserves, production amount and economic data on individual reserved deposits).
4. Maintaining the inventory of reserves of non-reserved mineral deposits (construction minerals). The CGS currently inventories 809 approved (by the MoE) non-reserved mineral deposits, of which 179 are being exploited. In addition, 813 deposits that have not been approved are inventoried as well.
5. Maintaining an inventory of prognostic mineral resources according to Act No. 62/1988, on geological work. The CGS currently inventories 257 approved prognostic resources, of which 131 are reserved minerals and 126 non-reserved (construction minerals). It also inventories an additional 1 065 non-approved prognostic resources.

Tasks carried out on behalf of the Ministry of Industry and Trade

1. Annual compilation of the „Summary of Mineral Reserves in Mining Leases and Other Exploited Deposits of Non-Reserved Minerals“ based on the Hor – MPO statistical report as authorized by the MIT and Act No. 89/1995, on the state statistical service. The “Summary of Reserves“ is published in electronic format only and is not publicly available (only for the needs of state authorities) because it contains individual and confidential statistical data (amount and classification of reserves, production amount and economic data on individual mining leases and non-reserved mineral deposits). The “Inventory of Reserves of Non-Reserved Mineral Deposits“ is also not publicly available due to similar reasons.
2. Research activities and information support (level of exploration and mining impacts, diagrammes and charts on mineral reserves and production, mineral prices, technical documents and publications) for the national mineral policy, regional mineral policies, the use of mineral resources, and the national energy policy. The publication “Mineral Commodity Summaries of the Czech Republic“ serves as an information source for the national mineral policy and is also the only existing and available document that currently informs the wider scientific and professional community in the Czech Republic and abroad on the state of our mineral resources. The publication also serves as a source of information retrieval, in that it is annually exchanged for similar publications and materials from other European and non-European countries, some of which are not purchasable or otherwise available. In addition, the publicly unavailable “Changes in Reserves of Reserved Mineral Deposits“ for the past decade, including annotations regarding the changes in reserves, development in production and foreign trade, is also compiled each year for the national mineral policy and energy concept. Additional data, information, analyses, studies, etc., are compiled upon request.

Mineral Information System

The Mineral Information System (SurIS) collects and provides various comprehensive data on the mineral potential of the Czech Republic. It contains the following databases:

• Mineral deposits database including the following subregisters:
  • Registered reserved deposits (subregister B)
  • Registered non-reserved deposits (subregister D)
  • Other unregistered mineral resources (subregister N)
  • Approved prognostic resources of reserved minerals (subregister P)
  • Approved prognostic resources of non-reserved minerals (subregister R)
  • Other registered prognostic resources (subregister Q)
  • Negative exploration results, non-prospective areas and mineral occurrences (mineral accumulations not defined by the Mining Act) (subregister V)
  • Abandoned and exhausted deposits (subregisters Z, U)
• Protected deposit areas database
• Mining leases database
• Database of preliminary mining lease approvals
• Exploration areas database
• Spatial features database
• Economic data
• Administrative databases
  • Database of organizations
  • Database of approvals and cancellation of reserves

Also, the new Information System of Protected Deposit Areas and Special Interventions into the Earth‘s Crust (ISCHLÚ), registered as a Public Administration Information System (ISVS) at the Ministry of the Interior of the Czech Republic since 2019, is based on SurIS data.

Ministerial statistical surveys

The Czech Geological Survey processes the data and outputs of annual statistical reports by virtue of Act No. 44/1988, on the protection and use of mineral resources (Mining Act).

Geo (MŽP) V3-01 statistical report

In accordance with Act No. 44/1988, on the protection and use of mineral resources (Mining Act), the Ministry of the Environment (MoE) maintains an inventory of reserves of reserved mineral deposits and the Register of Mineral Deposit Reserves of the Czech Republic (hereinafter the “Register”).

Hor – MPO statistical report

Based on a contract with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MIT), the Czech Geological Survey (CGS) processes data from the Hor – MPO reports for the "Summary of Mineral Reserves in Mining Leases and Other Exploited Deposits of Non-Reserved Minerals".

Mineral Commodity Summaries of the Czech Republic

The Mineral Commodity Summaries of the Czech Republic have been published since 1992 with the aim of providing information on minerals in the Czech Republic as well as abroad.

The publication includes data from domestic and foreign journals, expert literature, and the latest editions of various international statistical summaries.

Czech and English editions of the Mineral Commodity Summaries of the Czech Republic can be ordered in print or electronic format from the CGS. Older Czech and English editions are also available in electronic format.

The table Mine production and mineral reserves in the Czech Republic informs public about the mine production and reserves of minerals in the Czech Republic in a given year, immediately after the aggregate data on individual deposits and mines submitted to the Czech Geological Survey by mining organisations are processed, i.e. in April-May of the following year,

Mineral safeguarding

In accordance with section 13 of Act No. 62/1988 Coll., on geological work, as amended (hereinafter the "Geological Act") and with section 15 of Act No. 44/1988 Coll., on the protection and use of mineral resources, as amended (hereinafter the "Mining Act"), the CGS records information on identified reserved mineral deposits, safeguarded according to sections 1619 of the Mining Act, and on probable mineral deposits as defined in section 13 of the Geological Act.

Authorized state, regional and municipal authorities responsible for land-use planning and building codes as well as land-use planning document processors and building authorities are obliged to take the information into account and to propose the most suitable land-use strategies with regard to the protection and use of mineral resources and other legally protected interests (section 15 of the Mining Act).

In the case of reserved mineral deposits, land-use planning authorities must make land-use decisions pursuant to sections 18 and 19 of the Mining Act. In the case of probable mineral deposits (prognostic resources), land-use planning authorities can make land-use decisions pursuant to section 13, paragraph 3 of the Geological Act. Prior consent by the MoE is not required for land-use decisions involving:

• structures in urban or built-up areas according to section 27, paragraph 3 of Act No. 183/2006, on land-use planning and the building code.
• temporary structures, not exceeding an expected lifetime of 20 years.

Data on the objects listed above are stored in the CGS Information System and relevant basic data are freely and publicly available in the Territorial Data map application. Specific data for selected areas may be obtained in the form of thematic outputs.