Minerals, Volume 15, Issue 12

The Jiulongnao W–Sn ore field in the eastern Nanling Range is characterized by large-scale early Yanshanian magmatic activity and W–Sn mineralization. In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the close relationship between Indosinian m...

The exploration of marine minerals, essential for sustainable development, requires advanced techniques for accurate resource delineation. The self-potential (SP) method, sensitive to mineral polarization, has been increasingly deployed using autonom...

Pt-Fe alloys with abundant inclusions are from the Camumbi River placer deposit, Ecuador. They are derived from unknown Alaskan–Uralian-type intrusion(s) within the Late Cretaceous Naranjal accreted terrane. Compositions of our previously docum...

Rock art in the Albarracín Cultural Park represents one of Spain’s most significant concentrations of post-Paleolithic paintings, yet comprehensive chemical characterization across multiple shelters remained lacking. This study analyzes...

Mineralogy has traditionally developed within the context of Earth, the most accessible planetary body and our primary natural laboratory [...]

Sandstone-hosted uranium deposits represent one of the most critical global uranium resources suitable for in situ recovery, with their formation closely associated with organic matter (OM). We conducted a systematic literature review to synthesize o...

The Southwestern Fujian Region is one of the important Fe polymetallic metallogenic belts in China. The Makeng-Yangshan Fe skarn sub-belt within it contains several deposits that share a similar geological setting, mineralization age, and genetic typ...

The shale oil reservoirs of Member 7 of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Longdong Area of the Ordos Basin have attracted widespread attention due to their unique geological characteristics and enormous development potential. As the core factor...

Mid-Neoproterozoic magmatism provides important constraints for revealing the break-up history of the Rodinia supercontinent. Large-sized mid-Neoproterozoic magmatic rocks are distributed within the Dabie Orogen located on the northern Yangtze Block....

This study presents the synthesis and characterization of novel kaolinite niobium and kaolinite titanium niobium nanocomposites and their application as heterogeneous photocatalysts. Utilizing a hydrolytic sol–gel route, we combined kaolinite w...

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study of a cuboid diamond of variety III according to the mineralogical classification of Y.L. Orlov, which was first discovered in Carnian (Upper Triassic) deposits of the Bulkur anticline in the no...

The high global demand for critical elements required for continuously advancing technologies has intensified the research interest in gold deposits that are enriched in elements such as Te, Se, Bi, Sb, W, and Mo [...]

The growing demand for critical elements vital to the energy transition highlights the need for sustainable secondary sources. Sedimentary phosphate mining generates waste rock known as spoil piles (SPs). These SPs retain valuable phosphate and other...

With the rapid development of the photovoltaic (PV) and semiconductor fields, the reserves of traditional high-purity quartz raw materials can no longer meet the demands of various industries, creating an urgent need to develop new types of high-puri...

Coal gangue, a major industrial solid waste from coal mining and processing, requires efficient alumina and silica separation for high-value utilization. This study focused on mineral reaction mechanisms and characteristics of coal gangue during calc...

Tectonic deformation can substantially change the pore characteristics and the resulting methane adsorption capacity of shales; thus, it strongly influences shale gas exploration and development in structurally complex areas of southern China. Two se...

Through this work, an experimental setup and pre-processing method for obtaining fluorescence and quasi-noise-free Raman spectra of minerals for in situ mineral identification in an underground environment is proposed. It uses a combination of method...

The northwestern Hubei region, primarily encompassing Shiyan City and Yunxi County in Hubei Province, constitutes a crucial component of the South Qinling Tectonic Belt. The Neoproterozoic Wudang Group in the study area exhibits Cu element enrichment...

The dolomite of the fourth member of Dengying Formation in Gaoshiti-Moxi area of central Sichuan Basin is rich in hydrocarbon resources. It has experienced superimposition-reformation of multistage karstification, and is the key target for studying d...

Apatite is a key indicator mineral whose chemical signature can reveal the genesis and evolution of ore-forming systems. However, correctly interpreting these signatures requires a robust discrimination between apatite types formed by different geolo...

Although intensified flotation cells have been introduced as fast-kinetic and plug-flow-type flotation machines, there is limited empirical verification and information about their fluid flow patterns and dispersion regimes. The present communication...

The title in the original publication [...]

The performance of conventional bentonite-based drilling fluids is severely compromised in high-salinity and high-hardness brines, creating a need for salt-tolerant viscosifiers. This work provides a comprehensive performance evaluation of an activat...

The extraction of rare earth elements is becoming increasingly essential due to their many applications in current and emerging advanced material technologies. However, in many rare earth deposits, rare earth minerals are associated with radionuclide...

Tennantite (Cu₁₂As₄S₁₃) and enargite (Cu₃AsS₄) are two important minerals that simultaneously contain copper and arsenic. Detailed studies of their structure and properties are crucial for understanding their oxidation, flotation, and leaching. This...

Magmatic zircon trace element compositions and their variation trends provide valuable insights into the nature and evolutionary processes of magmatic rocks. The Himalayan orogen contains widespread leucogranites. Despite extensive studies on these g...

We present an integrated methodology for three-dimensional inversion of large-scale airborne electromagnetic (AEM) and magnetic survey data that simultaneously recovers electrical conductivity, chargeability, and both induced and remanent magnetizati...

The synthesis, crystal structure, phase transformations, and thermal expansion of (Y_1−xEu_x)₂(SO₄)₃*8H₂O (where x = 0, 0.17, 0.33, 0.50, 0.66, 0.83, and 1) are presented. (Y_1−xEu_x)₂(SO₄)₃*8H₂O solid solutions were synthesized via crystalli...

Lava tubes on Earth provide unique hydrogeological niches for life to proliferate. Orbital observations of the Martian surface indicate the presence of lava tubes, which could hold the potential for extant life or the preservation of past life within...

The Muji carbonic springs on the northeastern margin of the Pamir Plateau provide a natural window into tectonically controlled CO₂ degassing within a continental collision zone. Through mineralogical and geochemical analyses, this study constrains t...

Precise segmentation of flotation froths is a critical bottleneck to achieving intelligent perception and optimal control of process operations. Traditional convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are inherently limited by local receptive fields, making...

To address the issues of high cost and poor low-temperature adaptability in cement-based backfill materials, this study developed a high-volume fly ash-based solid waste cementitious backfill material (FAPB) along with a specialized low-temperature a...

This Special Issue (v [...]

In the early Paleoproterozoic, the Earth’s atmosphere–ocean system shifted from a reducing to an oxidizing state, triggering the extensive deposition of banded iron formations (BIFs) in the Siderian period (2.5–2.3 Ga). As a key sed...

Grokhovskyite, CuCrS₂, was observed in small sulfide inclusions (up to 50–80 µm) in Ni-rich iron (kamacite) of the Uakit iron meteorite (IIAB) in the Republic of Buryatia, Russia. The grain sizes of this mineral are usually less than 5 &m...

The cement industry’s significant carbon footprint has driven research into sustainable alternatives like alkali-activated materials (AAMs). This study investigates the synergistic effect of blending copper–nickel slag (CNS) with fly ash...

The conventional production of electronic-grade, high-purity, spherical silicon dioxide (SiO₂) faces challenges of high raw material costs and poor control over particle morphology. This study presents an alternative route using low-cost, powdered qu...

Sb-rich avicennite (first discovery in Russia) was found at the Khokhoy gold deposit, 120 km west of Aldan, Aldan district, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Eastern Siberia, Russia. The mineral of critical metal thallium forms irregularly shaped grains u...

Placer deposits constitute important secondary resources for economically valuable minerals, including rare earth elements (REEs) and heavy minerals such as zircon, rutile, and ilmenite. In this study, representative samples from the Hantepe placer d...

Basement rock samples were collected from the Zhangzhongjing intraplate seamount in the Southeast sub-basin of the South China Sea (SCS). These alkaline basalts are enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE). The Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopic compositions o...

The Wunuer deposit is an important hydrothermal Zn-Pb-Ag-Mo polymetallic deposit in the central Great Xing’an Range, NE China. The zinc–lead polymetal mineralization is closely hosted by the volcanic rocks of the Manketouebo formation (rh...

The Yixingzhai deposit is a giant gold system containing four cryptovolcanic breccia pipes, several of which host significant porphyry-type gold orebodies at depth. A key exploration target is the Tietangdong cryptovolcanic breccia pipe, characterize...

The tight sandstone reservoir of the Fuyu Oil Layer in the Quantou Formation of the Cretaceous in the Bayan Chagan area displays intricate microscopic pore structures and pronounced heterogeneity, limiting hydrocarbon exploration and development effi...

The tectonic evolution of the Paleo-Asian Ocean during the Early to Middle Permian remains a key issue in understanding the geodynamic history of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. To address this, we conducted petrological, whole-rock geochemical, zir...

Samples of flotation tailings generated during the exploitation and processing of Zn–Pb–Cu–Ag ore from the Rudnik mine (Serbia) were investigated for their mineralogical, geochemical, and magnetic susceptibility properties. The flot...

The Cimabanshuo deposit, situated in the western Gangdese Belt, is a recently discovered porphyry Cu deposit formed in a post-collisional setting, approximately 10 km from the giant Zhunuo porphyry Cu deposit. Despite its proximity to Zhunuo, Cimaban...

Calcareous sandstones, acting as sealing layers, play a crucial role in hydrocarbon accumulation of formations with high sand content (sand content > 80%). However, the genetic mechanisms, sealing mechanisms, and effectiveness of calcareous sandst...

Understanding the influence of strike–slip faulting on deep carbonate reservoirs remains challenging. This study integrates core observations, well logging, and seismic interpretation to investigate fracture diagenesis and evaluate the impact o...

Sulfide geochemistry has been widely employed to constrain formation processes in various deposit types; however, its use in porphyry W-Mo metallogenic systems is still relatively scarce. The Sansheng porphyry W-Mo deposit (Mo 24,361 t @ 0.226% and W...

Focusing on the West African Craton (WAC) as a test bed, this protocol-oriented scoping review synthesizes indicators for orogenic gold and translates them into an auditable, map-first checklist that separates Fertility and Preservation, while delibe...