Evolutionary and Revolutionary Technologies for Mining


Book Description

The Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) of the U. S. Department of Energy commissioned the National Research Council (NRC) to undertake a study on required technologies for the Mining Industries of the Future Program to complement information provided to the program by the National Mining Association. Subsequently, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health also became a sponsor of this study, and the Statement of Task was expanded to include health and safety. The overall objectives of this study are: (a) to review available information on the U.S. mining industry; (b) to identify critical research and development needs related to the exploration, mining, and processing of coal, minerals, and metals; and (c) to examine the federal contribution to research and development in mining processes.




Mineral Deposits of North Africa


Book Description

This volume presents an exhaustive overview of major orebodies and mineral deposits of North Africa. It is intended both for academic researchers and especially for exploration geologists interested in mineral exploration in the northern part of the African continent. Recent changes in the mining laws of most countries in this region have encouraged international mining companies to invest in local mineral industries. Accordingly, this volume will be very useful for these professionals, as well as for researchers in the field of economic geology.




Mineral Deposits of Finland


Book Description

Mineral Deposits of Finland is the only up-to-date and inclusive reference available that fully captures the scope of Finland's mineral deposits and their economic potential. Finland hosts Europe's most mature rocks and large cratonic blocks, analogous to western Australia and Southern Africa, which are the most mineralized terrains on Earth.Authored by the world's premier experts on Finnish mineral exploration and mining, Mineral Deposits of Finland offers a thorough summary of the mineral deposits and their petrogenesis, helping readers to map, explore, and identify Finland's renewed potential for mineral exploration and extraction. - Presents a thoroughly inclusive catalogue of Finland's mineral deposits and their economic potential - Features full-color figures, illustrations, working examples and photographs to aid the reader in retaining key concepts to underscore major advances in the exploration of Finland's mineral resources - Offers concise chapter summaries authored by leaders in geological research, which provide accessible overviews of deposit classes




Highly Siderophile and Strongly Chalcophile Elements in High-Temperature Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry


Book Description

Highly Siderophile and Strongly Chalcophile Elements in High Temperature Geochemistry and Cosmochemistry, Volume 81 This RiMG (Reviews in Mineralogy & Geochemistry) volume investigates the application of highly siderophile (HSE) and strongly chalcophile elements. This volume has its origin in a short course sponsored by the Mineralogical Society of America and the Geochemical Society held in San Diego, California on the 11th and 12th December 2015, ahead of the American Geophysical Union’s Fall Meeting, which featured a session with the same title. Topics in this volume include: analytical methods and data quality experimental constraints applied to understanding HSE partitioning nucleosynthetic variations of siderophile and chalcophile elements HSE in the Earth, Moon, Mars and asteroidal bodies HSE and chalcophile elements in both cratonic and non-cratonic mantle, encompassing both sub-continental and sub-oceanic lithosphere the importance of the HSE for studying volcanic and magmatic processes, and an appraisal of the importance of magmatic HSE ore formation in Earth’s crust. Highly siderophile and strongly chalcophile elements comprise Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Rh, Pd, Au, Te, Se and S and are defined by their strong partitioning into the metallic phase, but will also strongly partition into sulfide phases, in the absence of metal. The chemical properties of the HSE mean that they are excellent tracers of key processes in high temperature geochemistry and cosmochemistry, having applications in virtually all areas of earth science. A key aspect of the HSE is that three long-lived, geologically useful decay systems exist with the HSE as parent (107Pd-107Ag), or parent-daughter isotopes (187Re-187Os and 190Pt-186Os). The material in this book is accessible for graduate students, researchers, and professionals with interests in the geochemistry and cosmochemistry of these elements, geochronology, magmatic ore bodies and the petrogenesis of platinum-group minerals.




Ore Deposits in an Evolving Earth


Book Description

Ore deposits form by a variety of natural processes that concentrate elements into a volume that can be economically mined. Their type, character and abundance reflect the environment in which they formed and thus they preserve key evidence for the evolution of magmatic and tectonic processes, the state of the atmosphere and hydrosphere, and the evolution of life over geological time. This volume presents 13 papers on topical subjects in ore deposit research viewed in the context of Earth evolution. These diverse, yet interlinked, papers cover topics including: controls on the temporal and spatial distribution of ore deposits; the sources of fluid, gold and other components of orogenic gold deposits; the degree of oxygenation in the Neoproterozoic ocean; bacterial immobilization of gold in the semi-arid near-surface environment; and mineral resources for the future, including issues of resource estimation, sustainability of supply and the criticality of certain elements to society.




China's Virtual Monopoly of Rare Earth Elements


Book Description

Rare Earth Elements are a group of 17 metals which have a central role in modern industry, increasingly used in the fields of green technologies, high technological consumer goods, industrial and medical appliances and modern weapons systems. Although deposits of Rare Earths are globally dispersed, over 90% of global demand has been provided by Chinese mines since the late 1990s, leading to a situation where China has a virtual monopoly. This book surveys the Rare Earths mining industry, discusses the extent to which Rare Earths really are scarce elsewhere in the world and assesses the economics of production, considering arguments for the rationing of supply, for higher pricing and for a total export embargo. This actually occurred in 2010, demonstrating the vulnerability of the rest of the world to China’s control of these increasingly vital resources.




Metallic Resources 1


Book Description

Metallic resources play a huge role in many fields: in the energy transition, the development of new technologies and the production and storage of green energy. Metallic Resources 1 presents various studies in notable European metallogenic regions or deposits that enable us to tackle the question of the concentration of metals, especially strategic metals, in various geodynamic settings. An understanding of the geological processes that lead to the formation of deposits and influence their concentrations in the Earth's crust is of the utmost importance when it comes to uncovering new mineral resources. This book puts forward various different methodological approaches necessary in the study of deposits of metallic resources, from field observations to microanalysis. A study of specific geo-politico-economic frameworks is also presented.




Non-Traditional Stable Isotopes


Book Description

The development of multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) makes it possible to precisely measure non-traditional stable isotopes. This volume reviews the current status of non-traditional isotope geochemistry from analytical, theoretical, and experimental approaches to analysis of natural samples. In particular, important applications to cosmochemistry, high-temperature geochemistry, low-temperature geochemistry, and geobiology are discussed. This volume provides the most comprehensive review on non-traditional isotope geochemistry for students and researchers who are interested in both the theory and applications of non-traditional stable isotope geochemistry.




Mineral Resources of Turkey


Book Description

This book furnishes detailed information about Turkey's existing mineral resources, besides providing concepts and ideas which may help the search for potential mineral resources in the future. It is a first book in the English-language international literature on mineral resources of Turkey and it is aimed at economic geologists, mining engineers, and mining investors, as well as graduate and undergraduate students. This work focuses mainly on a range of mineral systems and related geological features throughout Turkey. Taking into account the lack of international literature on these resources, a considerable portion of the book explains the geological context of the region and the settings in which the mineral resources occur. The genetic characteristics of these mineral resources are emphasized and important information is also presented on their economic aspects. All chapter contributions are prepared by researchers and professional geologists.




Geostatistical and Geospatial Approaches for the Characterization of Natural Resources in the Environment


Book Description

These proceedings of the IAMG 2014 conference in New Delhi explore the current state of the art and inform readers about the latest geostatistical and space-based technologies for assessment and management in the contexts of natural resource exploration, environmental pollution, hazards and natural disaster research. The proceedings cover 3D visualization, time-series analysis, environmental geochemistry, numerical solutions in hydrology and hydrogeology, geotechnical engineering, multivariate geostatistics, disaster management, fractal modeling, petroleum exploration, geoinformatics, sedimentary basin analysis, spatiotemporal modeling, digital rock geophysics, advanced mining assessment and glacial studies, and range from the laboratory to integrated field studies. Mathematics plays a key part in the crust, mantle, oceans and atmosphere, creating climates that cause natural disasters, and influencing fundamental aspects of life-supporting systems and many other geological processes affecting Planet Earth. As such, it is essential to understand the synergy between the classical geosciences and mathematics, which can provide the methodological tools needed to tackle complex problems in modern geosciences. The development of science and technology, transforming from a descriptive stage to a more quantitative stage, involves qualitative interpretations such as conceptual models that are complemented by quantification, e.g. numerical models, fast dynamic geologic models, deterministic and stochastic models. Due to the increasing complexity of the problems faced by today’s geoscientists, joint efforts to establish new conceptual and numerical models and develop new paradigms are called for.