Proterozoic Deep Carbon—Characterisation, Origin and the Role of Fluids during High-Grade Metamorphism of Graphite (Lofoten–Vesterålen Complex, Norway)

Graphite formation in the deep crust during granulite facies metamorphism is documented in the Proterozoic gneisses of the Lofoten–Vesterålen Complex, northern Norway. Graphite schist is hosted in banded gneisses dominated by orthopyroxene-bearing quartzofeldspathic gneiss, including marble, calcsilicate rocks and amphibolite. The schist has major graphite (<modality 39%), quartz, plagioclase, pyroxenes, biotite (Mg# = 0.67–0.91; Ti < 0.66 a.p.f.u.) and K-feldspar/perthite. Pyroxene is orthopyroxene (En69–74) and/or clinopyroxene (En33–53Fs1–14Wo44–53); graphite occurs in assemblage with metamorphic orthopyroxene. Phase diagram modelling (plagioclase + orthopyroxene (Mg#-ratio = 0.74) + biotite + quartz + rutile + ilmenite + graphite-assemblage) constrains pressure-temperature conditions of 810–835 °C and 0.73–0.77 GPa; Zr-in-rutile thermometry 726–854 °C. COH fluids stabilise graphite and orthopyroxene; the high Mg#-ratio of biotite and pyroxenes, and apatite Cl < 2 a.p.f.u., indicate the importance of fluids during metamorphism. Stable isotopic δ13Cgraphite in the graphite schist is −38 to −17‰; δ13Ccalcite of marbles +3‰ to +10‰. Samples with both graphite and calcite present give lighter values for δ13Ccalcite = −8.7‰ to −9.5‰ and heavier values for δ13Cgraphite = −11.5‰ to −8.9‰. δ18Ocalcite for marble shows lighter values, ranging from −15.4‰ to −7.5‰. We interpret the graphite origin as organic carbon accumulated in sediments, while isotopic exchange between graphite and calcite reflects metamorphic and hydrothermal re-equilibration.publishedVersio

GeoERA Raw Materials Monograph : the past and the future

ABSTRACT: GeoERA Minerals projects have produced data aimed at supporting Europe’s minerals sector and to assist the European Commission to realise its goals for raw materials. Data has been compiled on mineral occurrences and mineral provinces across Europe, in particular, areas with potential to host Critical Raw Materials. Anecdotal evidence from the minerals sector provides an indication of the likelihood of exploration leading to mine development. For every 1,000 mineral showings examined, only 100 may receive further exploration work and of those 100, only 10 may warrant more detailed sampling either through trenching, drilling or other means and of those 10 only 1 may proceed to an evaluation through a full feasibility study which itself has only 50% chance of being positive. Following this, any project for which a mine proposal is made must undergo a full evaluation and permitting by authorities including full public consultation. The proposal may or may not pass this scrutiny. In terms of a schedule, the generally accepted minimum time frame from discovery to production is 10 years and usually much more, up to 20 years.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Provide INSPIRE-compliant harmonised data on deposits and prospects of natural graphite, lithium and cobalt : DELIVERABLE D5.6

ABSTRACT: D.5.6 is the last deliverable of the work package 5 of the FRAME project. The two previous deliverables D5.4 and the D5.5 report the deliverable of the final work package data and products. All these three deliverables are related to products and data where the main results are presented on the web only. D5.6 with the title: Provide INSPIRE-compliant harmonised data on deposits and prospects of natural graphite, lithium and cobalt aims to deliver the data collected by the work package, to the GeoEra consortium and to upload the raw data, as comma separated file (CSV) format, to the European Geological Data Infrastructure (EGDI). The CSV file can then be integrated and downloaded to be used individually or with other data sets and web applications. Data is harmonised according to INSPIRE data specifications as far as it is possible. Since the main product of this deliverable is the release of the raw data and its availability on the net, this deliverable will be very concise.N/

Relevant metallogenetic maps : DELIVERABLE D5.5

ABSTRACT: The deliverable D.5.5 “Relevant metallogenetic maps”, is a technical report for a product where the actual deliverable is a web map and accompanying data. A description of the data collection, interpretation description of the geology, metallogeny and resource potential is done in the deliverable D5.3 and references therein.N/

Map of Cobalt, graphite, lithium deposits (including deposits where cobalt is a significant by product : DELIVERABLE D5.4

ABSTRACT: The deliverable D5.4 “Map of Cobalt, graphite, lithium deposits (including deposits where cobalt is a significant by product”, is a technical report for a product where the actual deliverable is a web map and associated data. A description of the data collection, interpretation, description of the geology, metallogeny and resource potential is reported and described in the deliverable D5.3.N/

Occurrences of energy critical elements; Lithium – Cobalt and Graphite in Europe, a preliminary overview.

International audienceThere are, based on extracts from the national mineral resource databases of the EuroGeoSurvey members, 1195 occurrences of Li, Co and graphite in Europe, 17of these are active mines This compilation is part of work package 5 of the FRAME project (Forecasting and Assessing Europe's Strategic Raw Materials needs) a section within the framework of the GeoERA project. The data collected classify the occurrences according to their genetic type, their occurrence type and production status. We regard in this compilation all Co locations with a mean Co >100ppm as occurrences for Co. For the other commodities, Li bearing minerals or graphite must be positively identified or explored for to be included. Methodology We collected from European Geological Surveys basic geographical information, status (active/closed/not exploited), occurrence type (occurrence/prospect/deposit) and genetic type for each occurrence. We show the distribution of Li, Co and graphite occurrences in different EU countries (Fig. 1) and their locations and classification according to their genetic types, in Fig 2, 3 and 4.. Results: Lithium Spatial distribution The distribution of lithium in Europe shows a strong clustering (Fig. 2) highlighting the Li potential of the Variscan belt of south and central Europe. Deposit types High-grade Li deposits (Gourcerol et al., 2019; Gloaguen et al., 2018) are represented by: • Li-rich LCT pegmatites • Rare metal granites (Melleton et al., 2015) • Atypical stratiform deposits such as Jadar, encountered in intramontane lacustrine evaporate basins Medium-grade Li deposits (Gourcerol et al., 2019) are represented by: • hydrothermal deposits such as greisens • Li-bearing quartz veins associated with some peraluminous rare metal granites. Other types (Gloaguen et al., 2018) Li-rich (tosudite) hydrothermal alteration aureole around gold quartz veins; Cookeite/lithiophorite in black shales (Dauphiné: ave. 441 ppm Li 2 O, up to 1 847 ppm) or in bauxite deposits and Mn-(Fe) deposits. Li-rich clays (hectorite) are presently unknown in the EU. Lithium carrier Lithium is hosted by various minerals such as phosphates (amblygonite, montebrasite, triphylite), inosilicate (spodumene), phyllosilicates (lepidolite series, zinnwaldite, petalite) and scarce borosilicate (jadarite). Co-products are generally Ta, Nb, Sn, Be. Examples, grades & tonnages Jadar-type Li deposits occur in Serbia and Bosnia. In 2017, the total mineral resources report 135.7 Mt of ore at a grade of 1.86 % Li 2 O and 15.4 % B 2 O 3 (Rio Tinto, 2017) that represents a giant deposit of 2.524 Mt of Li 2 O. / Wolfsberg pegmatites, Austria (236 366.46t Li 2 O-grade 1.0%) / Sepeda pegmatites, Portugal (221 728.1t Li 2 O-grade 1.0%). / Beauvoir rare-metal granite, France (375 000t Li2O-grade 0.78%) / Cinovec greisen (Czech Republic, 5 652 990.2t Li 2 O-grade 0.4 Li 2 O). / Argemela quartz-amblygonite veins mine (Portugal, 80 400t Li 2 O-grade 0.4%)

Mineral Prospectivity Mapping at European scale of energy critical elements (lithium, cobalt, graphite)

Lithium, cobalt and natural graphite are essential for energy storage technologies. Lithium and cobalt are used in rechargeable batteries. Natural graphite is used as refractory for steel production, but its consumption for batteries is growing significantly. Demand for these elements is expected to surge with the increasing electrification in the transport sector. Both natural graphite and cobalt are critical raw materials (CRM) for the EU, while lithium is above the supply risk threshold. As these elements are produced outside Europe, their supply for the European industry is potentially a threat. To address this issue, the FRAME project has been designed to research CRM in Europe that are essential for "green" energy supply technologies. An objective of FRAME is to produce predictive assessments of CRM based on GIS exploration tools at continental scale, in order to identify high potential mineral provinces and mining districts. In this contribution, we present mineral prospectivity maps of Europe for primary lithium, cobalt and graphite. They are based on CBA ("Cell Based Association") that is an alternative to GIS supported prospectivity methods, developed by BRGM to better manage uncertainties related to cartographic data (e.g., lithological contours or point locations). We present the approach, benefits for continental scale MPM and results. We have also applied a classical Weight of Evidence (WofE) method and hybrid fuzzy WofE model for mineral potential mapping that generates fuzzy predictor patterns based on (a) knowledge-based fuzzy membership values and (b) data-based conditional probabilities applied to a comparison of the results

Europe’s Raw Materials Supply Chain: Front-End Considerations

Supply chains are linked for specific purpose and by something. Hence, the respective links of the chain must be hooked in the right place, sufficiently strong, and have to start somewhere. This chapter looks at the raw materials supply chain as the first link in a commodity supply, from the European Union (EU) perspective. Aspects of the raw material potential of critical or strategic mineral resources in Europe, its further exploration, and the concept of modifying factors are considered, and reporting systems of resources and reserves are described, underpinned by examples of mineral potentials in different regions of the EU. Thus, targeted exploration of raw materials, especially within the framework of national geological research, serves to support a sustainable and resilience supply chain. EU projects, such as GeoERA and Geological Service for EU, assist in shaping the tailor-made exploration programs fit for providing mineral data publicly available through EuroGeoSurveys’ European Geological Data Infrastructure. In the future, raw materials may be seen as global public goods required to address many challenges, from the climate crisis to geopolitical instability; therefore, the society could conceptualize them in a new way, from a dominant investment returns-oriented viewpoint to one linked to delivering global objectives

Prospectivity maps of critical raw materials in Europe : DELIVERABLE D3.5

ABSTRACT: The present report describes the mineral prospectivity maps that were produced by the work package (WP) 3 of the FRAME project. These prospectivity maps assess the favourability in Europe, at continental scale, for lithium, cobalt, natural graphite, phosphate, niobium, tantalum and rare earth elements. They are based on datasets produced by the FRAME project (WP4 for phosphate, WP5 for lithium, cobalt and graphite, and WP6 for niobium and tantalum) and by the former EURARE project for rare earth elements.N/

The graphite occurrences of Northern Norway, a review of geology, geophysics, and resources

There are three provinces in Northern Norway in which occurrences of graphite are abundant; the Island of Senja, the Vesterålen archipelago, and the Holandsfjorden area. From these provinces, we report graphite resources from 28 occurrences. We use a combination of airborne and ground geophysics to estimate the dimensions of the mineralized areas, and, combined with sampling and analysis of the graphite contents, this gives us inferred resources for almost all the occurrences. The average TC (total carbon) content is 11.6%, and the average size is 9.3 Mt or 0.8 Mt of contained graphite. We demonstrate that the Norwegian graphite occurrences have grades and tonnages of the same order of magnitude as reported elsewhere. The graphite-bearing rocks occur in a sequence that encompasses carbonates, meta-arenites, acid to intermediate pyroxene gneisses, and banded iron formations metamorphosed into the granulite facies. Available radiometric dating shows that the graphite-bearing rocks are predated by Archean gneisses and postdated by Proterozoic intrusions of granitic to intermediate compositions