Mineral deposits are naturally occurring concentrations of minerals in the Earth’s crust that are sufficiently enriched above background levels to be of scientific interest, whether or not they are currently economically exploitable. They form through diverse geological processes, including magmatic differentiation, hydrothermal fluid circulation, sedimentary precipitation, weathering and supergene enrichment, and metamorphic remobilization. Key research topics involve their classification (e.g., porphyry, volcanogenic massive sulfide, banded iron formation, lateritic), the physicochemical controls on metal transport and precipitation, ore-forming fluid sources and pathways, and the temporal and tectonic distribution of deposits within the context of crustal evolution and metallogeny.
There's increasing interest in deep-sea mining, but the impacts that this will have on the animals that live in the depths isn't fully understood. A new review led by our scientists is giving us our first insight into how ...
Plants & Animals
3 hours ago
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New research from Adelaide University has revealed that geological processes dating back billions of years are critical to locating the rare earth elements needed for modern technologies and the global clean energy transition. ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 8, 2026
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Idaho's Silver Valley has produced about 1.2 billion ounces of silver since the late 1800s, enough to cast a solid cube roughly as tall as a five-story building, along with huge amounts of lead and zinc. Now a new study led ...
Earth Sciences
Mar 19, 2026
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Western Australian hydrothermal and magmatic deposits that formed several hundred kilometers apart more than two and half billion years ago share more commonalities than previously thought.
Earth Sciences
Feb 19, 2026
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A new study led by Prof. Xiao Wenjiao from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences sheds light on the ore-forming process and key mechanisms of the gold deposit in the South Tianshan ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 6, 2026
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The Trump administration, with the support of many congressional Republicans, is looking to boost deep-sea mining as a way to counter Chinese dominance of critical minerals supply chains.
Environment
Jan 28, 2026
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Gold is generally associated with pyrite (iron disulfide, FeS2), and pyrite-induced gold precipitation is critical to the formation of high-grade gold deposits. However, the role of pyrite in precipitating gold from fluids ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 26, 2026
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Greenland, the largest island on Earth, possesses some of the richest stores of natural resources anywhere in the world.
Earth Sciences
Jan 8, 2026
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Sophisticated new chemical analysis of gases trapped in rocks for millions of years has cast new light on the origin of the gold deposits beneath Scotland and Ireland. The finding, made by team of scientists led by Professor ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 11, 2025
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Cradled in the nose of a high-altitude research airplane, a new NASA sensor has taken to the skies to help geoscientists map rocks hosting lithium and other critical minerals on Earth's surface some 60,000 feet below. In ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 9, 2025
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