confidential

Earth Resources: Sustaining our Society

Reimar Seltmann CERCAMS, Natural History Museum, London, UK

Agenda

• IGCP as Networks of Excellence

• IGCP-373 interdisciplinary approach

• IGCP-473 research & deliverables

• Network experience: Case study impressions

• IGCP-592 proposal

• Vision on the future

IGCP Board

Project

Board

Annual Reports

and Work

Programme C

B

E

F

G A

D

National

IGCP

Groups Sponsors

Core

Partners

“Virtu

al In

stitu

te”

Research

Councils (National, EU)

International Geoscientific Co-operation IGCP = Networks of Excellence (NoE) Societal benefits: Targeted research * Know-how exchange * Training

IGCP-373

“Ore-Bearing Granites of Eurasia”

- a Network Experience

Geochemistry & Petrology

Geodynamics

International Geoscientific Co-operation

IGCP = Networks of Excellence (NoE) Societal benefits: Targeted research * Know-how exchange * Training

GIS database and maps

Mineral Deposits

Basic Research Science-to-User Applied Research

Acro

ss d

iscip

lines

Application for innovation

to solve

key

questions to society

Sustainable

Development of Earth

Resources

Example of IGCP-373 (1997-2001/2002) „Correlation, anatomy and magmatic-hydrothermal

evolution of ore-bearing felsic igneous systems in Eurasia“

Co-ordination

Defining

correlation

criteria and

main study

regions (granite

provinces)

Concerted

co-operation:

bi-/multilaterial

interdisciplinary

research, joint

field work and

lab studies;

annual roundup

Goal-oriented:

peer-reviewed

publications;

output to meet

societal needs

(environment &

sustainable

development)

User-Friendly

Information:

Communicate

via e-mail,

website,

Annual report

& Newsletters,

meetings

Methodical Development (innovation, application)

International Co-operation (network, know-how exchange)

Improving the Human Potential (training, exercising)

Stu

dy t

arg

ets

C

om

pa

riso

n

stu

die

s

Leader: R. Seltmann (formerly Potsdam, Germany / now NHM London, United Kingdom),

Co-Leader: R. Grauch (USGS Denver, USA), A. Kremenetsky (IMGRE Moscow, Russia),

Regional coordinators: B. Lehmann (Germany), Mao Jingwen (China), V. Shatov (Russia)

Work Programme

GIS projects and study regions of IGCP-373/473

shown on the Map of Mineral Resources of Russia

Source map at http://www.sgm.ru/eng/science/gbd/gis/russia_frm.html

Fennoscandia-Kola

Central

Asia

Urals

Transbaikalia

- Mongolia

Anatomy of mineralized subvolcanics:

Fluid saturation textures as exploration tool

GIS product from IGCP-373

• Geological map of the Southern Urals with major ore deposits, highlighting gold mineralization

• Scale 1 : 1 000 000

• Available on the web (GEODE ESF, IGCP-373) as jpeg file, and from IAGOD on CD-Rom (Corel Draw9) and/or as printed hardcopy (A0 format)

• Formed basis for NHM-CERCAMS Urals ArcGIS with database and explanatory notes

Outcome of IGCP-373 (produced by >400 participants from 45 countries)

• About 250 original papers & extended abstracts

• 5 peer-reviewed monographs

• 5 reference guidebooks on target regions

• 3 new geodynamic-metallogenic maps

AND

• Consumption of 1500 kg schaschlyk / kebab

• Digestion of 500 liters vodka

• Great enthusiasm and much inspiration …

Products: Peer-reviewed publications

Acknowledgements

We appreciate received gracious support from

IGCP, IUGS, UNESCO, German Foreign

Ministry, German National Committee for IGCP,

DFG, the Royal Society Earth Resource

Committee, IAGOD, SEG, SGA, major mining

companies, and all project participants for many

years of fruitful network collaboration.

2001 1999

2000

Cooperation between IGCP projects Extension of Kazakh porphyry belts to Mongolia -

Courtesy of Bor-Ming Jahn, IGCP-420

IGCP 540

Gold and fluid inclusions

Composition of hydrothermal fluids of orogenic gold

deposits from state-of-the-art fluid inclusion microanalysis,

and applications to mineral exploration

Plate tectonic setting, location and frequency of major destructive earthquake

types along the northwest Pacific margin.

IGCP 526 (2007-2011):

Risks, Resources, and Record of the Past on the Continental Shelf

IGCP 526 (2007-2011):

Risks, Resources, and Record of the Past on the Continental Shelf

The updated Canadian seismic hazard map leads to resulting revisions and

improvements to building codes and standards.

IGCP-473 (Young Scientist pilot project)

“Metallogeny of Central Asia: a GIS based

synthesis on a modern geodynamic background”

Project purpose

• Strategic review: ore deposits and prospective terrains of

Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikistan, and adjacent regions of Russia, China, Mongolia)

• Research on mineral potential: focus on major discoveries

• Data compilation (GIS format) on existing mineral resources and applied research at selected targets

• To support involvement of young scientists within existing network

Scheme showing

composition of

traditional GIS

with thematic

map layers

IGCP-473

(2002-2007)

GIS metallogeny

of Central Asia

IGCP-473 key product with global distribution

for academic studies and mineral assessment

through government and mining industry

Distribution of gold deposits from Kazakhstan to Mongolia

overlain on aeromagnetic anomaly map (UNESCO, CCGM-CGMW 2007)

View of the open pit of

the Kounrad porphyry Cu

deposit, Kazakhstan.

Photo: NHM

Mongolian post-doctoral

student during field

documentation training.

Photo: NHM

Follow-up proposal IGCP no. 592 “Continental construction in Central Asia”

Project Proposal web: http://www.iagod.org/igcp/

Benefits

Social consequences of orogeny-related geological processes

Formation of metallic and non-metallic mineral deposits

Earthquakes and their triggered landslides and

tsunamis

Gas/ash emission and its related

environmental impact and climate changes

Geohazards/surface impact

Active margin and collisional

magmatism and metamorphism

Oceanic and continental intra-plate

(plume-related) and active margin

volcanism

Subduction and collision related

faulting and shearing

Natural geological processes

Vision on the future

• Key questions in Earth Resources theme:

sustainability, geohazards, global change, …

• Catalysing cross-disciplinary research

• Attractivity to volunteers: prestige >> funding

• Equal opportunity training and collaborative research, YSP, “One-World”

• Utilising new media for communication and publishing output (internet, social networks)

Where are the metals of the future?

Source: "Critical thinking", Chemistry World, January 2011

Strategically important metals

Critical metals (strategic importance)

How secure is mineral supply in general ?

Long term -

• Moving from ‘cheap and easy’ to ‘expensive and difficult’ resources (Prior et al. 2010)

• Some suggestions are that we might run out of some metals soon (Gordon et al. 2006, Bardi & Pagani 2007)

• Others suggest technological innovation will get us round the supply issues – the ‘opportunity-cost paradigm’ (Tilton & Lagos 2007)

• ‘Environmental Limits’ may eventually curtail supply (Turner et al. 2007)

Great Debate – EGU Vienna 5th April 2011

Security of supply issues – are there any ?

• Major commodities are sourced from multiple deposits – there are diverse supply chains currently (e.g. Iron, Aluminium, Copper, Zinc, Nickel, etc.)

• Many minor commodities are secured as by-products of other major commodity production (e.g. Indium)

• However some minor commodities have limited and potentially vulnerable or perhaps politically/ethically undesirable supply chains - Diamonds, Tantalum, Niobium, Rare Earth Elements, (REE) and Platinum Group Elements (PGE)

• Geographical monopolies (REE, Cr, PGE) and ethical issues (“Fairtrade” metals) require to seek non-traditional metal sources and boost recycling and research on substitution

Great Debate – EGU Vienna 5th April 2011

Great Debate – EGU Vienna 5th April 2011

Carbon budget of Australian gold production versus ore grade (Prior et al. 2010)

Carbon issues ?

• E.g. Lithium currently mined from hardrock sources but also playa lake brines

Have we fully characterised and tested

all the potential resource streams?

Great Debate – EGU Vienna 5th April 2011

The good news: - only a small percentage of

metal deposits has been discovered so far

Distribution of Deposits in Central Asia