Rock Environment and Minerals
The primary goal of the project is to study, monitor and evaluate the rock environment, natural resources, geohazards and geological information throughout the Czech Republic and to provide the state administration as well as the professional and lay public with new findings.
Objectives and outputs
Research on strategic mineral resources in the Czech Republic will focus on identifying and evaluating resources, studying processing technologies, and on assessing the potential use of these resources in the Czech Republic.
Research work on natural resources will focus on selected karst areas (Moravian, Hranice, Javoříčko-Mladeč and Chýnov karst), which are important hydrogeological structures with exploited groundwater sources (potable, mineral) as well as highly valuable areas with regard to nature protection. The work aims to define the infiltration area‘s extent and the risk factors for the groundwater quality and quantity in the karst area as well as recharge zone.
In order to protect the landscape and society from damage caused by slope deformations due to climate change, it is necessary to thoroughly know and predict the hazards to which they are exposed. The aim is to acquire and gather comprehensive knowledge regarding slope movements by using modern technologies, which should subsequently reduce the costs involving the strategic planning and development of the area. The implementation of proven approaches in combination with innovative technologies will contribute to increasing the knowledge of the interested professional public and to improving the state‘s efficient management during the preparation of strategic as well as local infrastructure construction projects or to solving stability problems that already exist.
Thematic research fields and their goals
The project will be divided into three thematic fields of research:
Minerals
The primary goal of this thematic field of research focuses on studying existing and identifying new indications of deposits and resources of ores and industrial minerals, which in terms of sustainable development are (or may be) vital for environmental improvement and social development. These minerals must be adequately safeguarded by the state. At the same time, it is necessary to verify the basic parameters of the technology used for their processing (focusing on modern technologies producing minimal waste) and the possibility of their eco-innovation use, including the application of acquired products in relevant industries, particularly in modern technologies.
Groundwater in the system of karst areas
The primary goal of this thematic field of research will be to determine the impacts of anthropogenic activity and climate change on hydrogeological karst structures in the system of karst areas and their recharge zones. This part of the project addresses the issue of potentially endangered water sources bound to the limestone structures of four selected karst areas of the Czech Republic (Moravian karst, Hranice karst, Javoříčko-Mladeč karst and Chýnov karst). The aim is to enhance the appreciation and, primarily, the safeguarding of these sources based on a proposal of new methodological procedures founded on older and newly acquired findings from the entire range of basic and interdisciplinary geoscience disciplines.
Geohazards and undermined areas
The primary goal of the last thematic field of research is to conduct a systematic study, which will provide new knowledge, information and current documentation regarding the natural and anthropogenic conditions and factors that influence the rock environment with regard to climate change, particularly slope instabilities, historical undermined areas, and materials from past mining.