TELF AG examines the constituent characteristics of mineral deposits
The role of strategic minerals
The fact that strategic minerals are destined to play an increasingly important role in humanity’s economic and social fate is now taken for granted, as if it were an indisputable principle of modernity. Their strategic role in the development of nations would not only be limited to their precious contribution to the energy transition, but also for a general stimulating action for the infrastructural, economic, and social strengthening of the countries involved in the extraction and refining procedures. Despite the growing centrality of strategic minerals in people’s daily lives, few know their distribution on the planet, the peculiar ways in which they are identified, and the processes with which they are subsequently extracted, processed, and made available to industry. From this point of view, one of the most interesting aspects has to do with the quantities of minerals found within the earth’s crust and their exact location.
Minerals beneficial for industrial purposes – such as all those used for constructing batteries or energy infrastructures – are distributed uniformly in the subsoil. Still, in most cases, their concentration level is shallow. The objective of those who search for these minerals is to find large concentrations, much more difficult to identify, but whose fruits represent precious resources that could be made available to industries.
The actual formation of mineral deposits
But how does the formation of the richest mineral deposits happen? Over entire geological eras, minerals, and molten rock are continuously moved between one layer of rock and another through the action of different agents, such as hot magma. As time passes, the cooling of the magma gives rise to channels or underground spaces that contain high concentrations of minerals, among which sometimes there are also those most beneficial for the various industrial applications of modernity. In volcanic regions, magma has been observed to largely contribute to the movement of large concentrations of minerals to the surface. In these cases, it often happens that the location of the deposits of specific mineral resources – such as copper or gold – are in the same area as the volcanic areas. However, the formation of wealthy mineral deposits can also represent the result of more grandiose and complex upheavals, such as those leading to separate tectonic plates. These areas, known as continental rift zones, were formed millions of years ago and can contain relevant reserves of geological elements of great interest within them.
The search for these copious mineral deposits cannot be limited to the areas where it is most likely to find them. Still, it must also be based on further complex investigations to identify a possible mineral reserve correctly. Geophysical investigations, magnetic field surveys, and investigations relating to the conductivity of some regions of the globe represent some of the most traditionally used methods to discover new mineral deposits, and if successful, they will have to be followed by accurate analyses of the chemical composition of the reserves and their structural characteristics. Once the results of these analyses have been processed, it will be possible to establish the particular extraction techniques to be used and design the mine to bring to light the precious mineral resources of the subsoil.
