Dear Colleagues,

Graphite is a mineral with a quite simple layered structure composed of carbon atoms. In spite of this, it is a very important industrial mineral that has been used in a wide variety of industries for many years. Recently, with the increasing demand of plug-in electric vehicles, graphite has been considered by the United States and the European Union to be a supply-critical mineral because of its role as the main anode component in Li-ion batteries.

Thus, the geologic exploration of new graphite occurrences has been growing in the last few years, searching for large-tonnage, high-grade graphite deposits. Graphite deposits can result from the conversion of carbonaceous matter through contact or regional metamorphism or by deposition from carbon-bearing fluids (or, less commonly, melts). Deposition from fluids leads to vein-type deposits. Although volumetrically smaller than metamorphic deposits, vein-type deposits provide the chemically purest graphite. Important differences in host–rock lithology, mineral assemblages, origin of carbon, and mineralization processes exist between both types of graphite deposits. In addition, the characteristics of graphite in terms of grain size, crystallinity, and carbon content determine the specific industrial application, and this is dependent upon the type of deposit.

From another point of view, graphite deposits must be considered in relation to the long-term geodynamic carbon cycle, which involves exchanges between surficial reservoirs and the mantle. The mantle provides CO₂ to the surface through degassing and magmatism, whereas carbon can be recycled into the mantle through subduction of sediments and metasediments, as (at least partially graphitized) carbonaceous matter and altered oceanic crust (mostly as calcite veinlets). Thus, carbon can be incorporated into mantle-derived magmas and, in some instances, re-deposited as graphite.

This Special Issue invites authors to submit papers on geological, mineralogical, and geochemical case studies of graphite deposits. Studies combining geological characterization and mineral processing are particularly welcome.

Dr. Francisco Javier Luque del Villar
Guest Editor

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• graphite deposits
• carbon origin
• industrial applications
• hydrothermal graphite
• C–O–H fluids
• graphitization