Mineral Resources

The recently-discovered nickel mineralization in Dangoma, Kaduna State, along the southern margin of the Jos Plateau is rare and unique because it contains high grade native nickel that occurs as metallic pellets or "balls" about 0.1 to 5 mm in size, and dispersed within a deeply weathered regolith overlying a serpentinized ultramafic host rock. The deposit is described as "world class and highly unusual"-a type that has not been previously reported. Field investigation shows that the nickel mineralization is localized within a serpentinite body that occurs within the Precambrian basement complex of north-central Nigeria. The basement rocks comprise of Archean migmatites and gneisses, and Proterozoic metasediments and meta-ultramafites that were intruded by Pan-African granitoids and pegmatites around 500 my ago. The Dangoma serpentine, like other similar rocks within the Proterozoic schist belts are slivers emplaced along transcurrent and associated fault systems. The native nickel occurs as a residual deposit within a thick and deeply weathered regolith in which the native Ni occurs probably as awaruite (Ni3Fe) containing an average of 94%% Ni with Fe, and traces of Cu, Zn, Pb and Co. The origin of this unique deposit is attributed to a combination of initial serpentinization of an ultramafic intrusive rock that produced a hydrated, highly reducing and low sulfur fugacity environment in which Ni in primary olivine was remobilized to form blebs of Ni-Fe alloy that grew in size with increased temperature during progressive low-grade metamorphism. The unique roundness of the Ni pellets as "balls" is intriguing, and probably occurred during lateritic weathering and supergene remobilization within an area undergoing regional tectonic uplift.

The recently-discovered nickel mineralization in Dangoma, Kaduna State, along the southern margin of the Jos Plateau is rare and unique because it contains high grade native nickel that occurs as metallic pellets or "balls" about 0.1 to 5 mm in size, and dispersed within a deeply weathered regolith overlying a serpentinized ultramafic host rock. The deposit is described as "world class and highly unusual"-a type that has not been previously reported. Field investigation shows that the nickel mineralization is localized within a serpentinite body that occurs within the Precambrian basement complex of north-central Nigeria. The basement rocks comprise of Archean migmatites and gneisses, and Proterozoic metasediments and meta-ultramafites that were intruded by Pan-African granitoids and pegmatites around 500 my ago. The Dangoma serpentine, like other similar rocks within the Proterozoic schist belts are slivers emplaced along transcurrent and associated fault systems. The native nickel occurs as a residual deposit within a thick and deeply weathered regolith in which the native Ni occurs probably as awaruite (Ni3Fe) containing an average of 94%% Ni with Fe, and traces of Cu, Zn, Pb and Co. The origin of this unique deposit is attributed to a combination of initial serpentinization of an ultramafic intrusive rock that produced a hydrated, highly reducing and low sulfur fugacity environment in which Ni in primary olivine was remobilized to form blebs of Ni-Fe alloy that grew in size with increased temperature during progressive low-grade metamorphism. The unique roundness of the Ni pellets as "balls" is intriguing, and probably occurred during lateritic weathering and supergene remobilization within an area undergoing regional tectonic uplift.

The work concentrates on extraction of precious metals (Au, Ag, Pd, Pt) and As, Sb, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Fe which are bound to sulfide-ore minerals in sedimentary rocks, using a two-step sequential extraction experiment with two chemical reagents (hydrogen peroxide and aqua regia) on three rock specimens from the black shale formation in Bakyrchik gold-sulfide deposit in North-East Kazakhstan. The experiment allows to determine the speciation of hardly accessible precious metals and to identify the most productive ore-forming stage from the three identified ones. Analytical methods are used for determining polysulfide mineral textures (optical microscopy), mineralogical (XRPD) and chemical compositions (XRF), and for measuring extracted metals concentrations (ICP-OES) in experimental procedures. The analytical results show that the first stage is more productive in gold (total extraction 2.8 ppm) than others and the second stage is more productive in Ag (total 1.6 ppm) and Pd (total 0.01 ppm), while the last stage is more productive in Pt (0.019 ppm) in the deposit.

In this article, I argue for a critical recognition of the law of the sea, as it developed from the post-War period, as fostering a ‘grab’ of the ocean floor, via national jurisdiction and international administration. I discuss why we should view what might be discussed otherwise as an ‘enclosure’ or ‘incorporation’ of the ocean floor within the state system at its grab. I then trace the grounds on which the ocean was brought within national and international regimes: the ocean floor’s geography and economic value. Both were asserted as givens, that is, as purely factual, but they were, in fact, reified through law. The article thus calls attention to the law’s constitutive effects. I examine the making of this law, showing that law-making by governments was influenced by acts of representation and narrative-creation by many non-state actors. It was informed by both economic and non-economic influences, including political solidarity and suspicion, and parochial as well as cosmopolitan urges. Moreover, the law did not develop gradually or consistently. In exploring its development, I bring into focus the role played by one influential group of actors—international lawyers themselves.

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Existen minerales dinamizadores de crecimiento económico, fundamentales para el desarrollo de tecnologías sostenibles. Estas materias primas críticas (MPC) son determinadas por modelos creados para economías complejas. El objetivo de este artículo es examinar las políticas minerales de materias primas críticas en las principales economías de América Latina, y el papel de sus respectivos sistemas nacionales de innovación (SNI), en búsqueda de mayor complejidad económica, mediante un método de evaluación comparativo aplicado a la política mineral de las principales naciones de esta zona —Brasil, México, Argentina, Colombia y Chile—. Descubrimos que debido a la simplicidad de estas economías y de políticas minerales que desestiman sus respectivos sistemas nacionales de innovación, se compromete el aumento de la complejidad económica de los Estados en cuestión, la cual se caracteriza por la precaria adición de valor mediante la interacción de conocimiento y capacidades en relación con sus recursos minerales e industria.

The numerical multilayered mapping at 1/50 000 of the area of activity of the Cap-Vert to the west of the
16°40’W meridian, provides Senegal with her first geological maps at this scale. The multilayered mapping
fully developed on the Geographical Information System (GIS) presents layers of topography, substratum
geology, geology of cover formations, aquifers hydrogeology, aquifer potential, piezometry,
hydrogeochemistry, aquifer vulnerability, underground invasion by brackish waters, listing of mines and
quarries, mineral resources’ potential and ground occupation.
The numerical multilayered mapping at 1/20 000 of the Cap-Vert peninsula, to the west of the 17°10’W
meridian, updates the geological maps by Elouard, Hébrard et al. (1976). However, the new dispensation
proposes different maps for the solid geology and for the soft cover. Additional layers concern: aquifer
contamination by nitrates and pesticides, susceptibility to the phenomena of swelling and shrinking soils, and
geotechnical ability.
Observation points from archives, boreholes and field operations have been stored in the GIS, where they
can easily be consulted along with the relevant information, documentation, sketches and pictures. The GIS
is a dynamic, interactive tool with its layers ready for continuous updating.
Geometrical modelling of the volcanic and sedimentary formations reveals an unsuspected dense faulting
system on the eastern side of the peninsula.
Present building above potentially risky areas, on the western coast of the peninsula, is bound to draw a
renewed attention to geotechnics in the foreseeable future.

Mineralogy of phosphatized and zeolitized hydrogenous cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts from Dirck Hartog Ridge (DHR), the Perth Abyssal Plain (PAP), formed on an altered basaltic substrate, is described. Detail studies of crusts were conducted using optical transmitted light microscopy, X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF), Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) and Electron Probe Microanalysis (EPMA). The major Fe-Mn mineral phases that form DHR crusts are low-crystalline vernadite, asbolane and a feroxyhyte-ferrihydrite mixture. Accessory minerals are Ca-hydroxyapatite, zeolites (Na-phillipsite, chabazite, heulandite-clinoptilolite), glauconite and several clay minerals (Fe-smectite, nontronite, celadonite) are identified in the basalt-crust border zone. The highest Ni, Cu and Co contents are observed in asbolane and Mn-(Fe) vernadite. There is significant enrichment of Ti in feroxyhyte−ferrihydrite and vernadite. The highest rare earth element (REE) content is measured in the phosphate minerals, less in phyllosilicates and Na-phillipsite. The geochemical composition of minerals in the DHR crusts supports the formation of crusts by initial alteration, phosphatization and zeolitization of the substrate basalts followed by oscillatory Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides precipitation of hydrogenous vernadite (oxic conditions) and diagenous asbolane (suboxic conditions).

The urge to make wealth, reduce unemployment, and improve the
living conditions of its people pushes the Ethiopian Government to regulate the mining legislation to favour investment in the sector. The external perception is that some aspects of doing business in Ethiopia are too difficult, and they increase stakeholders’ investment’s risk and undermine potential benefits.
Changes allow for business incentives that include security of tenure, the right to sell minerals, equipment and machinery’s preferential duty and tax provisions, a 2%–8% production royalty, a 25% mining corporate tax, custom/duties exemptions, carry forward of losses up to ten years, and profits repatriation’s structuring. Ethiopia’s resource intensity trajectory is expected to take off in the coming years. However, without adequate mineral discoveries and a competitive extractive industry, it may land up in a ‘Catch-22’ situation.
This hinders the overall progress of the country’s development without realising the development of the natural resources. This paper highlights the Ethiopian, mining industry status, strategy, and challenges, including
‘wirehousing and hotelling’, in relation to withdrawal of international
companies without completing the mining projects at all stages of projects development (mine to mill), such as exiting during the initial stages of mining industry (i.e., exploration/finding the ore-body), without proceeding to the next stages (mining/extraction/ and transformation/concentration of minerals).
Classic contribution of Australia’s mining industry to regional development via innovation, advancement, new discovery, capacity, and economy is presented to formulate, scale up/replicate, and appreciate the gap with the defies facing at regional state level (Tigray) and federal level (Ethiopia) and draw a lesson to other developing nations in relation to what a robust sustainable mining sector can bring to nation’s economy through different themes. This article has heaps of takeaway messages and has brought up untold embedded issues, which can be an inordinate input to diverse background of miners, mining companies, financiers, stakeholders, and governments’ decision makers, and will be well received by global readers.

Portugal is one of the world's leading producers of ornamental stones and, in the last 50 years, this economic
sector registered an annual national average growth of 4%. However, the lack of land-use policies that effectively
safeguard the access of extractive industry to the places where these resources occur, current and foreseen
production is at risk, compromising the contribution of this sector to the national economy and to the supply of
forthcoming generations.
The multi-dimensional methodology reported in Mateus et al. (2017) was applied to describe the present-day
situation, allowing to objectively identify the tracts hosting ornamental stone resources whose access should be
safeguarded, therefore avoiding their sterilisation when confronted to other land-use options. A database on the
available geological information concerning 65 ornamental stone tracts, covering 0.43% of mainland Portugal,
was built. Among the 54 active exploitation centres and 11 potential areas (for which there is no production
data), only 21 tracts (0.07% of mainland Portugal) were classified as of “public importance”, meaning they have
an intrinsic value that should by itself support a safeguarding decision on their current and future access.
According to the weighed criteria used, several promising tracts were not included in this short group. However,
these promising tracts do not overcame the threshold due to the shortage of data about regional exploration
surveys or on the resource itself, which reflects difficulties in gathering harmonised geological information for all
the listed tracts. Thus, two simulation scenarios were completed, corresponding to an increase in knowledge
resulting from regional exploration or local, comprehensive geological studies. As a result of these simulated
scenarios, the total number of tracts qualified as of “public importance” increased to 41 (0.24% of mainland
Portugal). These results highlight the urgent need to supplement the available geological information, contributing
to the establishment of a credible and stable mining plan for the Portuguese ornamental stones sector,
thus strengthening its sustainability in the short and long term.

International institutions and agencies from the Global North are no longer the sole initiators of development norms and best practices. The proliferation of exports and imports of social, economic and policy management models have called for a rethinking of South–South relations. To date, most studies have focused on the drivers and strategies of international initiatives made by emerging powers; none have analysed the impact of these initiatives on the receiving country’s institutions, and on the structures of international organisations. In this book, Carolina Milhorance examines the content, process and consequences of the internationalisation of Brazil’s rural public policy instruments. Brazil earned wide international recognition in the early 2000s for its agricultural modernisation and social policies; its increasing influence illustrated the specific political interests of coalitions that are embedded in domestic and international struggles. Drawing on extensive field research – including more than 280 interviews – conducted in Brazil, Mozambique, South Africa, Malawi, France and Italy, Milhorance analyses the effects of the internationalisation of Brazilian policy solutions on national and local political systems in recipient countries, highlighting specifically the case of Mozambique. Relying on a new theoretical approach to International Relations – one based on public policy analysis and international political sociology – she moves beyond a debate about conventional notions of international power.

New Geographies of Global Policy-Making will be of interest to scholars and researchers of international relations, public policy analysis, political sociology, comparative politics, and Latin American studies.　

Introduction The magnetite and hematite mines are located in the Eastern Desert in Abu Subera area, of about 35 km far from Aswan city and is known as volcano-tectonic area. It is one of the biggest arc sedimentary rock units in the Precambrian sequence. It was strongly influenced by multiple stage of deformation resulting in folding and faulting. The ironstone deposits of the area are of bedded oolitic type and occur in the form of two bands inter-bedded with ferruginous sandstone and clay capping Precambrian rocks. The thickness of the bands varies from 0.5 to 3.5 m. The magnetic measurements are condensing along the Six mines where the iron ore bodies are concentered. Seven geoelectrical profiles were measurements by using dipole-dipole configuration of electrode spacing 5, 10 and 15 m of lengths ranging from 160-240 m. The results indicate that the ore deposits refer to low resistive zones, high chargeability with moderate to high magnetic anomalies.

(43rd INHIGEO Meeting, Mexico City (Mexico), November 12-21, 2018 - Symposium Early Modern Geological Agency

Throughout the early modern period, the study of mineral genesis and growth remained a central and recurrent issue for natural philosophers, technicians, and practitioners all over Europe. A long-standing debate was fueled by many concurrent economic, political, cultural and social factors, and involved a number of philosophical, religious and practical traditions: across the centuries, natural inquirers from different backgrounds confronted and influenced each other, often engaging in discussions about the existence in minerals and rocks of organic features such as seeds (or “matrices”) and nourishment. Not surprisingly, the thoughts of those who joined the debate were often subject to significant ambiguities and fluctuations; especially when mining technologies, empiricism, experimentalism, and other theoretical frameworks began to meet more and more frequently on the fertile ground of field research. This contribution attempts an analysis of the theoretical and practical effects that the many streams of knowledge involved in the early modern understanding of mineral generation (philosophy, alchemy, religion, field research, material practices, geographical discoveries, experimentalism, and the resulting natural-philosophical debates) had on the perception of natural exploitability and renewability – and, therefore, on the emerging awareness of the exhaustibility of natural resources. By focusing on selected case studies from the XVI, XVII, and early XVIII centuries, and relying on documentary sources, this paper tries to ascertain if – and if so, how and when – such awareness influenced the behavior of humans as geological agents. The aim is to explore the concept of early modern geological agency from a peculiar, yet (hopefully) useful point of view, shedding new light on our understanding of the intertwined human-environment system.