Prace Państwowego Instytutu Geologicznego–Państwowego Instytutu Badawczego w zakresie rozpoznawania i dokumentowania wód termalnych (geotermalnych) w Polsce

The paper presents, in brief, the role of the Polish Geological Institute–National Research Institute (PGI–NRI) in recognizing and documenting thermal (geothermal) waters in Poland. The Polish Geological Institute–National Research Institute (PGI–NRI) has been among the forerunners of those activities in the country. Numerous research works and documentations were performed by the PGI–NRI independently or in cooperation with, among others the Mineral and Energy Economy Research Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (MEERI PAS) and the University of Science and Technology (AGH-UST). The results of those activities contain, among others, documentation for the assessment of available thermal waters exploitation resources and contribution to the atlases of geothermal energy and water resources. In the late 1950’s. Professor Stanislaw Sokołowski (employee of the PGI-NRI in Warsaw) and his team developed a deep well research project located in Antałówka in the Zakopane area. In the early 1960's, thermal water with a temperature at the outlet at 37°C was achieved, for the first time in the Podhale area, at that locality. The PGI–NRI has drilled many exploration wells in which thermal waters were found throughout the country, especially in the area of Polish Lowlands. Some of them, after proper adaptation, started to be exploited or could be developed for geothermal water exploitation purposes. In addition to the design and supervision of research in the geothermal deep wells, the PGI–NRI also complited hydrogeological maps. A contemporary, hydrogeological map is a cartographic representation of the conditions of presence, distribution, dynamics, physical and chemical properties, quality and quantity of the groundwater, including thermal waters.