Minerals, Volume 15, Issue 5

This study investigates the provenance of the Permian Shihezi Formation (Fm) siliciclastic sediments in the Luonan area, southern margin of the North China Block, which constrain the sediment sources and tectonic evolution of the basin. Our research...

Determining carbon sources and sinks is crucial for understanding the global carbon cycle; however, the enigma of the ‘missing’ sinks remains unresolved. Recent studies have proposed carbonate weathering as a potential carbon sink, unders...

Today, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are widespread and play a vital role in advancing portable electronics (laptops and mobile phones), green energy technology (electrical vehicles), and renewable energy systems. There is about 30% off-spec scrap LIB...

Although Mercury Intrusion Porosimetry (MIP) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) are widely used for pore characterization, their effectiveness is fundamentally constrained by theoretical limitations. This study investigated the pore structure chara...

The Aït Abdellah copper deposit in the Bou Azzer-El Graara inlier of the Moroccan Anti-Atlas provides key insights into structurally and lithologically controlled mineralization in Precambrian terranes. The deposit is hosted in feldspathic sands...

Studies of hydrocarbon migration and enhanced oil recovery focus on the effects of reservoir heterogeneity on subsurface fluid flow and distribution. Differential diagenesis in clastic rock reservoirs is an important factor of internal-reservoir hete...

The growing scarcity of freshwater has accelerated the global deployment of desalination technologies, especially reverse osmosis (RO), as an alternative to meet increasing water demands. However, this process generates substantial quantities of brin...

This study presents the first detailed investigation of the petrography, mineralogy, and depositional environment of Messinian gypsum lithofacies outcropping on the western side of the Crati Basin (Calabria, Southern Italy), focusing on three section...

This study employs density functional theory (DFT) simulations to systematically investigate the structural and optoelectronic modifications induced by the substitution of metal ions (Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Fe²⁺/³⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺) in kaolinite. First-pri...

The Silvermines Pb-Zn-Ag-Ba orebodies comprise vein, replacement, cross-cutting and stratiform mineralization mostly hosted in Lower Carboniferous limestones in the vicinity of a major ENE and E-W trending normal fault array and represent a classic e...

The most organic-rich shales are defined in the Dobele Fm. of the Aeronian Stage of about 10 m thick in west Lithuania. This particular layer is documented in the whole Baltic Basin. Compatible shales are widely distributed in other basins referred t...

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is known for its outstanding strength and durability but is often limited by the high cost of traditional materials, like cement, fine aggregates, and silica fume. This review examines the use of industrial by-p...

The Shionomisaki Igneous Complex is part of the Mid Miocene igneous province developed within the Shimanto Accretionary Complex in front of the volcanic front in SW Japan. The igneous rocks in this province mostly have silicic compositions. New U-Pb...

The Axi gold deposit, which is located in the Tulasu Basin of the West Tianshan orogenic belt in Northwest China, features vein-type ore bodies hosted in radial structural fractures formed due to volcanic activity. The deposit experienced three disti...

The Cuyu gold deposit in central Jilin Province in Northeast China is located in the eastern segment of the northern margin of the North China Craton (NCC), as well as the eastern segment of the Xing’an–Mongolian Orogenic Belt (XMOB). Gol...

Mineral exploration methods are expensive and time-consuming, especially in recent times, where many near-surface deposits have been found and exploited. To overcome these challenges, new strategies must be developed. Here, we test whether the trace...

The granitic rocks and the Dokhan Volcanics at the transect between Safaga and Qena, the Egyptian Northern Eastern Desert represent the northern termination of the Arabian–Nubian Shield (ANS), which, in turn, represents the northern part of the...

The growing demand for rare earth elements (REEs) in high-tech and green energy sectors has prompted renewed exploration of unconventional sources. Drill cuttings, which are commonly discarded during subsurface drilling, are increasingly recognized a...

Cenozoic alkali-rich porphyries are widely distributed in the junction zone between the Sanjiang Orogenic belt and the Yangtze Plate. They are of great significance for understanding the regional geodynamics, tectonic evolution, and metallogenesis. H...

Regolith-hosted rare-earth element (REE) deposits are some of the most important types of REE deposits. The relationship between Late Paleozoic and Early Mesozoic granite and regolith-hosted REE deposits is still poorly studied. Detailed geochronolog...

This study employs response surface methodology (RSM) with a custom optimal design to develop and optimize iron (Fe) grade and recovery through magnetization roasting followed by induced dry-roll magnetic separation. The relationships between the ind...

The Kesikköprü iron deposit, located in the Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex, occurs in the triple contact of Kesikköprü granitoid, mafic–ultramafic rocks, and marble. The causative Kesikköprü granitoid, consi...

This study investigates the mineralogical, chemical, and fusibility characteristics of feldspar samples collected from eight pegmatitic bodies in central Portugal. The primary aim was to evaluate their suitability for use in ceramic applications, dri...

The uranium tailings mineral body is large and loose, and this could lead to radioactive contamination. Nuclides and heavy metals released from uranium tailings can be reduced through reinforcement treatment. The current study investigated the effect...

The ammonium bicarbonate precipitation method has become one of the main ways to extract rare earths from rare earth leaching solutions due to its advantages of simple operation, mature technology, and low cost. Therefore, the objective of this study...

This Special Issue consists of five articles published in the period of 2022–2025, with a special focus on the metastable calcium carbonate mineral ikaite (CaCO₃·6H₂O) and the pseudomorph type known as glendonite [...]

The recovery of gold in metallurgical processes is significantly influenced by the presence of refractory minerals. This study investigates the mineralogical characteristics of refractory gold in the Pituca II ore deposit, with a focus on identifying...

Serpentinites are metamorphic rocks constituted primarily by serpentine-group minerals (antigorite, chrysotile, lizardite) resulting from the transformation and low-temperature hydration of previous olivine-rich ultramafic rocks, such as dunite, lher...

The leaching process is essential in the mining industry, because it efficiently extracts valuable minerals, such as copper. However, monitoring and controlling the leaching process presents significant challenges due to material variability, uneven...

In Chile, copper concentrate production through mineral flotation is increasing while production through hydrometallurgical processes is decreasing due to the depletion of oxidized ores. Using the idle capacity of hydrometallurgy plants for acid pret...

This study analyzes the ore potential of the tectono-stratigraphic zones in the Shyngys-Tarbagatai folded system using metallogenic diagrams. These diagrams condense extensive geological and metallogenic data, illustrating stratified and intrusive fo...

The Huanggang iron-tin deposit, located in the southern Greater Khingan Range, is one of the largest Fe-Sn deposits in Northern China (NE China). Iron-tin mineralization occurs mainly in the contact zone between granitoid intrusions and the marble of...

The Heilongjiang Complex provides a crucial geological record of the evolutionary history of the Mudanjiang Ocean, making it significant for understanding the accretion process between the Jiamusi Block and the Songliao Block. In this study, we analy...

Black cotton soil (BCS) is unsuitable for construction due to its high plasticity, low shear strength, and significant volume changes upon wetting and drying. The present study investigates the effectiveness of an alkali-activated coconut husk ash (C...

The process of anthropogenic pedogenesis has necessarily become an important aspect of the study of today’s soils. The sustainable reclamation or remediation of soils degraded by industrial or mining activities is currently of great interest wo...

The pore structure of shale is a critical factor influencing the occurrence and flow of shale gas. Characterizing the pore structure and studying its heterogeneity are of paramount importance for a deeper understanding of the laws governing hydrocarb...

A thorough understanding of the chemistry involved in reinjecting heat-depleted geothermal water into poorly consolidated sandstone is vital for the effective design of treatments targeting subsurface rock formations. The intricate chemical interacti...

Wall rock alteration is an important geological marker in prospecting, which can indicate the existence and location of ore bodies. Extracting mineralization and alteration information through remote sensing data and obtaining the spatial distributio...

Regionally metamorphosed, Neoproterozoic stratiform baryte deposits near Aberfeldy in the Grampian Highlands of Scotland, UK, contain barium-poor and barium-rich micas in the host rocks and mineralized strata, respectively. The barium-rich micas incl...

Traditional lithium extraction methods are time-consuming and energy-intensive, often leaving a large environmental footprint due to significant freshwater consumption. However, direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies offer a more efficient and...

The southwestern Tarim Basin, shaped by the far-field effects of the India-Eurasia collision, serves as a critical archive for reconstructing source-to-sink dynamics and tectonic evolution in a Cenozoic intracontinental foreland setting. This study p...

Calcite in hydrocarbon reservoirs records abundant information about diagenetic fluids and environments. Understanding the formation mechanisms of calcite is crucial for predicting reservoir characteristics and hydrocarbon migration. This study ident...

Although various magnetic inversion techniques have been developed in geophysics, traditional methods are often constrained by inherent limitations such as low computational efficiency and pronounced non-uniqueness. In 3D magnetic inversion, multi-di...

The urgent need for efficient CO₂ capture technologies has driven research into amine-functionalized adsorbents, though existing methods face trade-offs between adsorption capacity and cycling stability. This study addresses these limitations by deve...

This study identifies the following three key factors controlling shale gas reservoirs in the lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation, northern Guizhou, China: sedimentary features, diagenetic modification, and stable tectonic conditions. This research ad...

Numerous mineral microinclusions discovered in the Triassic Ildeus mafic–ultramafic intrusion are dominated by base metal sulfides, gold, silver, and their alloys, as well as rare earth element (REE) minerals. These mineral microinclusions were...

Clays are fundamental raw materials in the ceramics industry due to their plasticity, mineralogical composition, and thermal behavior. This study characterizes four clay samples from Bustos (Portugal), aiming to assess their suitability for ceramic a...

Concretions represent an exceptional mode of fossil preservation. This is attributed to their mineralized outer mantle, which exhibits low permeability and porosity, thereby limiting diagenetic alteration. The present research employs microscopic Ram...

The Carajás Mineral Province hosts one of the world’s most extensive sulfide-bearing copper belts. These deposits are typically covered by thick regolith, including gossans, laterites, colluviums, and soil, which can be used as important...

The Wufeng–Longmaxi formations in the Sichuan Basin have emerged as China’s principal shale gas exploration target, with drilling results confirming substantial resource potential. Although the Neijiang–Rongchang Block demonstrates...