Copper Basins Exploration Science (CuBES) - A Mineral Systems Approach

铜盆地勘探科学 (CuBES) - 矿物系统方法

• 批准号: NE/T003758/1
• 负责人: Alison Rust
• 金额: $ 16.34万
• 依托单位: University of Bristol
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2020 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FT003758%2F1
• 关键词: Copper; Basins; Exploration; Science; CuBES

The criticality of Cu, Co (+/- V) in battery technology and electricity transmission has established them as key components of the carbon-free energy transition. A major proportion of these elements are sourced from sedimentary basin-hosted deposits, formed from large-scale fluid flow systems. Recent work has shown that diverse basin architectures and processes were responsible for their genesis, yet we still do not understand why so few basins become highly endowed with metals. Given their paucity, the geological evolution of such basins demands the juxtaposition of unique conditions that: (1) generated large volumes of metal-bearing fluid; (2) provided sufficient sulfur; (3) created reducing trap sites; and (4) focused fluid flow into these sites [5]. Understanding large deposits is particularly significant because they are efficient to mine and offer the greatest societal benefits.Our particular focus is to develop and integrate mineral and petroleum systems approaches to provide a disruptive innovation opportunity in the science and industrial applications in this field. Our objectives are to identify the processes, operating over a range of scales, that lead to the formation of large Cu-Co-(V) deposits and derive new and practical exploration tools. The opportunity is timely, given the current wave of academic interest in these ore systems, and the increased collaboration between industry and academia to develop sophisticated methods that can reduce exploration costs, risk and environmental impact. To tackle these challenges, we have assembled a multi-institute academic consortium with internationally-recognised expertise across the geosciences. We have also built strategic research alliances with: (1) the UK's major mining houses, Rio Tinto and Anglo American, and with BHP and First Quantum Minerals, all with global interests in sediment-hosted copper mineralisation; (2) the energy sector (Scheupbach Energy); and (3) international academic partners (CSIRO, Univ. Houston, GFZ Potsdam, Universidad Nacional, Buenos Aires. The collaboration between PIs, PDRAs, affiliated PhD students funded outside the grant, industry and international partners will deliver high impact scientific publications, new data and tools to support the development of lower risk mineral exploration strategies, and highlight the UK as a world-leading community for research in basin-hosted mineral systems.

铜、钴 (+/- V) 在电池技术和电力传输中的重要性使其成为无碳能源转型的关键组成部分。这些元素的大部分来自沉积盆地沉积物，由大规模流体流动系统形成。最近的研究表明，不同的盆地结构和过程是其成因的原因，但我们仍然不明白为什么如此少的盆地富含金属。鉴于其数量稀少，此类盆地的地质演化需要同时具备以下独特条件：（1）产生大量含金属流体； (2)提供充足的硫； (3)建立减少陷阱位点； (4) 集中流体流入这些部位 [5]。了解大型矿床尤为重要，因为它们可以有效开采并提供最大的社会效益。我们特别关注的是开发和整合矿物和石油系统方法，以在该领域的科学和工业应用中提供颠覆性创新机会。我们的目标是确定在一定范围内形成大型铜钴（五）矿床的过程，并开发新的实用勘探工具。鉴于当前学术界对这些矿石系统的兴趣浪潮，以及工业界和学术界之间不断加强的合作，以开发可以降低勘探成本、风险和环境影响的复杂方法，这个机会是及时的。为了应对这些挑战，我们组建了一个多机构学术联盟，拥有国际公认的地球科学专业知识。我们还与以下机构建立了战略研究联盟：(1) 英国主要矿业公司力拓 (Rio Tinto) 和英美资源集团 (Anglo American)，以及必和必拓 (BHP) 和第一量子矿业 (First Quantum Minerals)，这些公司均在沉积物铜矿化方面拥有全球利益； (2) 能源部门（Scheupbach Energy）； (3) 国际学术合作伙伴（CSIRO、休斯顿大学、波茨坦 GFZ、布宜诺斯艾利斯国立大学）。 PI、PDRA、在资助之外资助的附属博士生、行业和国际合作伙伴之间的合作将提供高影响力的科学出版物、新的数据和工具来支持低风险矿产勘探战略的制定，并强调英国作为盆地矿产系统研究的世界领先社区。