Metallic Mineral Resources

The Critical Components for a Sustainable Earth

1st Edition - September 27, 2024
Authors: Daniel Müller, David Ian Groves, M. Santosh
Language: English
Paperback ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 2 6 5 6 2 - 4
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 0 - 4 4 3 - 2 6 5 6 3 - 1

Metallic Mineral Resources: The Critical Components for a Sustainable Earth introduces the heterogeneous distribution of metal resources as well as the industrial use of metals… Read more

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Metallic Mineral Resources: The Critical Components for a Sustainable Earth introduces the heterogeneous distribution of metal resources as well as the industrial use of metals. The main chapters then work systematically through abundant metal systems, scarce critical metal systems, rare critical metal systems, trace critical metal systems, and precious metal systems. The book wraps with a close examination of temporal distribution of mineral resources and an insightful discussion of the future of mineral resources. Researchers and engineers in economic geology and mining and exploration industries will find themselves returning to this key reference for years to come.

CHAPTER 1 Introduction

1.1 Scope of book

1.2 Organization of contents
CHAPTER 2 Heterogeneous Distribution of Metal Resources

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Geological factors controlling heterogeneous distribution of metallic mineral deposits

2.3 Heterogeneous global distribution of metallic mineral deposits

2.4 Critical metals and geopolitical risk

2.5 Summary
CHAPTER 3 Industrial Use of Metals

3.1 Abundant metals

3.1.1 Definition

3.1.2 Industrial uses (Table)

3.2 Scarce critical metals

3.2.1 Definition

3.2.2 Industrial uses (Table)

3.3 Rare critical metals

3.3.1 Definition

3.3.2 Industrial uses (Table)

3.4 Trace critical metals

3.4.1 Definition

3.4.2 Industrial uses (Table)

3.5 Precious metals

3.5.1 Definition

3.5.2 Industrial uses (Table)
CHAPTER 4 Abundant Metal Systems

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Enriched low-P BIF iron ores

4.2.1 Nature

4.2.2 Genesis

4.2.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.2.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.3 Kiruna-type iron ores

4.3.1 Nature

4.3.2 Genesis

4.3.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.3.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.4 Bauxites (including Ga-rich bauxites)

4.4.1 Nature

4.4.2 Genesis

4.4.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.4.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.5 Enriched BIF‐hosted Mn systems

4.5.1 Nature

4.5.2 Genesis

4.5.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.5.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.6 Oolitic manganese systems

4.6.1 Nature

4.6.2 Genesis

4.6.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.6.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.7 Manganese nodules

4.7.1 Nature

4.7.2 Genesis

4.7.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.7.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.8 Titanium‐V magnetitic and PGE layers in mafic layered intrusions

4.8.1 Nature

4.8.2 Genesis

4.8.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.8.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.8.5 Other magmatic Ti systems: nature and genesis

4.9 Ilmenite‐rutile‐rich (Ti) beach sands

4.9.1 Nature

4.9.2 Genesis

4.9.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.9.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.10 Chromitite layers in mafic layered intrusions

4.10.1 Nature

4.10.2 Genesis

4.10.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.10.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.11 Podiform chromite systems

4.11.1 Nature

4.11.2 Genesis

4.11.3 Global-province scale exploration

4.11.4 District-deposit scale exploration

4.12 Graphite‐hosted C systems

4.12.1 Nature

4.12.2 Genesis

4.12.3 Global‐province scale exploration

4.12.4 District‐deposit scale exploration
CHAPTER 5 Scarce Critical Metal Systems

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Mafic intrusion-related Ni-Cu- (PGEs) systems

5.2.1 Nature

5.2.2 Genesis

5.2.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.2.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.3 Komatiite-hosted Ni-Cu systems

5.3.1 Nature

5.3.2 Genesis

5.3.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.3.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.4 Nickel (Co) laterite systems

5.4.1 Nature

5.4.2 Genesis

5.4.3 Global‐province scale exploration

5.4.4 District‐deposit scale exploration

5.5 Iron-oxide copper-gold (IOCG) systems

5.5.1 Nature

5.5.2 Genesis

5.5.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.5.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.6 Porphyry Cu-Au (Mo) systems

5.6.1 Nature

5.6.2 Genesis

5.6.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.6.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.7 Iron-Cu-Zn-Pb (Ag, Au skarns)

5.7.1 Nature

5.7.2 Genesis

5.7.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.7.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.8 Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) Cu-Zn-Pb (Ag, Au, Ba) systems

5.8.1 Nature

5.8.2 Genesis

5.8.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.8.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.9 SEDEX Zn-Pb-Cu systems

5.9.1 Nature

5.9.2 Genesis

5.9.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.9.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.10 MVT Pb-Zn (Ba) systems

5.10.1 Nature

5.10.2 Genesis

5.10.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.10.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.11 Broken Hill-type (BHT) Zn-Pb-Ag systems

5.11.1 Nature

5.11.2 Genesis

5.11.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.11.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.12 Zambian‐type Cu‐Co systems

5.12.1 Nature

5.12.2 Genesis

5.12.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.12.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.13 Lithium-(Cs-Ta: <10ppm crustal abundance) pegmatites

5.13.1 Nature

5.13.2 Genesis

5.13.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.13.4 District-deposit scale exploration

5.14 Lithium evaporite systems

5.14.1 Nature

5.14.2 Genesis

5.14.3 Global‐province scale exploration

5.14.4 District‐deposit scale exploration

5.15 Coal-hosted Ga systems (as an alternative source to Ga in bauxites)

5.15.1 Nature

5.15.2 Genesis

5.15.3 Global-province scale exploration

5.15.4 District-deposit scale exploration
CHAPTER 6 Rare Critical Metal Systems

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Molybdenum porphyry and skarn systems

6.2.1 Nature

6.2.2 Genesis

6.2.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.2.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.3 Tin and tungsten veins and greisen systems

6.3.1 Nature

6.3.2 Genesis

6.3.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.3.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.4 Tin and tungsten placer systems

6.4.1 Nature

6.4.2 Genesis

6.4.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.4.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.5 Antimony in carbonate-replacement systems

6.5.1 Nature

6.5.2 Genesis

6.5.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.5.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.6 Thorium in carbonatites and other alkaline rocks

6.6.1 Nature

6.6.2 Genesis

6.6.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.6.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.7 Unconformity-related uranium systems

6.7.1 Nature

6.7.2 Genesis

6.7.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.7.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.8 Sandstone roll-front uranium systems

6.8.1 Nature

6.8.2 Genesis

6.8.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.8.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.9 Granite-hosted uranium systems

6.9.1 Nature

6.9.2 Genesis

6.9.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.9.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.10 Regolith-hosted U systems

6.10.1 Nature

6.10.2 Genesis

6.10.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.10.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.11 LREE (P, Nb) in carbonatites and alkaline rocks

6.11.1 Nature

6.11.2 Genesis

6.11.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.11.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.12 REE (±Th) in beach sands

6.12.1 Nature

6.12.2 Genesis

6.12.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.12.4 District-deposit scale exploration

6.13 REE, particularly HREE, in ionic clays

6.13.1 Nature

6.13.2 Genesis

6.13.3 Global-province scale exploration

6.13.4 District-deposit scale exploration
CHAPTER 7 Trace Critical Metal Systems

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Selenium

7.3 Cadmium

7.4 Indium

7.5 Tellurium

7.6 Problem of depletion of resources of these trace metals
CHAPTER 8 Precious Metal Systems

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Orogenic gold systems

8.2.1 Nature

8.2.2 Genesis

8.2.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.2.4 District-deposit scale exploration

8.3 Intrusion-related gold systems

8.3.1 Nature

8.3.2 Genesis

8.3.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.3.4 District-deposit scale exploration

8.4 Carlin-type gold systems

8.4.1 Nature

8.4.2 Genesis

8.4.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.4.4 District-deposit scale exploration

8.5 Gold-rich submarine porphyry-VMS systems

8.5.1 Nature

8.5.2 Genesis

8.5.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.5.4 District-deposit scale exploration

8.6 High-sulfidation epithermal Au-Ag systems

8.6.1 Nature

8.6.2 Genesis

8.6.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.6.4 District-deposit scale exploration

8.7 Low-sulfidation epithermal Ag-Au systems

8.7.1 Nature

8.7.2 Genesis

8.7.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.7.4 District-deposit scale exploration

8.8 Paleoplacer gold (±U) systems

8.8.1 Nature

8.8.2 Genesis

8.8.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.8.4 District-deposit scale exploration

8.9 Placer gold systems

8.9.1 Nature

8.9.2 Genesis

8.9.3 Global-province scale exploration

8.9.4 District-deposit scale exploration
CHAPTER 9 Temporal Distribution of Mineral Resources

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Evolution of the early Earth and earliest metallic mineral systems

9.3 Supercontinent cycles

9.4 Temporal evolution of metallic mineral systems

9.5. Summary: most productive times in Earth history
CHAPTER 10 The Future of Mineral Resources

10.1 Increasing metal demand

10.2 Declining finite metal resources

10.3 Mineral exploration issues

10.4 Recycling of critical metals

10.5 Adjusting the Net Zero timeline

10.6 Development of a circular economy

10.7 Future trends in mineral exploration

Daniel Müller

Dr Daniel Müller graduated with a MSc in Mineralogy and Geoscience at the Johannes‐Gutenberg‐University Mainz, Germany, after serving for 3 years as First Lieutenant in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). Subsequently, he obtained a PhD at the Key Centre for Strategic Mineral Deposits, University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth, Australia, and a Habilitations Degree at the Institute for Mineralogy, TU Bergakademie Freiberg, Germany. Daniel is an experienced geologist with 30 years exploring for base- and precious-metal mineralization with BHP Billiton, Citadel Resource Group, Coventry Resources, Gold Fields of South Africa Ltd, Ivanhoe Mines, North Limited, Placer Dome, and QPX throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America, and the Middle East. His exploration teams discovered additional gold resources at both Kanowna Belle Gold Mine, Australia, and at Jabal Shayban, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Daniel has published 18 research papers on gold and copper mineralization worldwide and the geophysical exploration of concealed gold deposits as well as a textbook on 'Potassic Igneous Rocks and Associated Gold-Copper Mineralization' in five editions with Springer. He has received the OPRS Scholarship of the Australian Government, the Evelyn and Ernest Havill Shacklock Scholarship of UWA, the Habilitation Scholarship of the German Research Council (DFG) as well as the Hesperian Press (1992) and Western Mining Postgraduate Awards (1993). Daniel is also a member of the Editorial Board of the journal 'Ore Geology Reviews'.

Affiliations and expertise

Consulting Geologist, Santiago de Chile, Chile

David Ian Groves

Professor David I. Groves gained his BSc Hons (1^st class) and PhD from the University of Tasmania and DSc from the University of Western Australia (UWA). He has carried out geological survey mapping and has acted as an exploration consultant but has spent most of his career as a pragmatic academic in which capacity he is now Emeritus Professor at UWA, Honorary Professor at the China University of Geosciences Beijing (CUGB), and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. He has been awarded 13 medals and prizes for his research and has supervised 100 PhD and MSc students in a long career. He has benefitted from his mentors Professors Sam Carey and Mike Solomon who advised him “To disbelief if you can” and “You will never solve a problem by viewing it at too small a scale”, both the foundations of his success and advice that governments should heed! David could never have had such an eventful life without the support of his wife Suzanne and his extended family or been able to contribute to this book without input from geological colleagues, his former students, and association with Academician Jun Deng’s research group, particularly Drs Qingfei Wang and Liang Zhang, at CUGB through which he met Professor Santosh.

Affiliations and expertise

Economic Geologist, Honorary Professor at China University of Geosciences Beijing, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Western Australia.

M. Santosh

Professor M. Santosh is a Talent Professor at the CUGB, China, Honorary Professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia and Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Science, Kochi University, Japan. His degrees are PhD (Cochin University of Science and Technology, India), D.Sc. (Osaka City University, Japan) and D.Sc. (University of Pretoria, South Africa). He is the Founding Editor of Gondwana Research as well as the founding Secretary General of the International Association for Gondwana Research. He is also the Editorial Advisor of Geoscience Frontiers and Geosystems and Geoenvironment. His research fields include global tectonics, metallogeny and life evolution in the Early Earth.

He is co-author of the book ‘Continents and Supercontinents’ (Oxford University Press, 2004). He has been recipient of Thomson Reuters 2012 Research Front Award, and Thomson Reuters/Clarivate High Cited Researcher Award during the past ten years. The collaboration and partnership of Professor David Groves and Santosh have led to a series of publications related to metallogeny in relation to global tectonics as well as the book Mineral Systems, Earth Evolution, and Global Metallogeny (Elsevier, 2023).

Affiliations and expertise

Honorary Professor at the University of Adelaide, Australia, foreign expert and Professor at the China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China, and Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Science, Kochi University, Japan

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Metallic Mineral Resources

The Critical Components for a Sustainable Earth

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Daniel Müller

David Ian Groves

M. Santosh