CuBES - Copper Basin Exploration Science

CuBES - 铜盆地勘探科学

• 批准号: NE/T003766/1
• 负责人: Richard England
• 金额: $ 43.11万
• 依托单位: University of Leicester
• 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%2FT003766%2F1
• 关键词: CuBES; Copper; Basin; Exploration; Science

SummaryThe 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过渡的关键组成部分。这些元素中的大部分来自沉积盆地赋存的沉积，形成于大规模的流体流动系统。最近的研究表明，不同的盆地结构和过程对它们的成因负责，但我们仍然不明白为什么很少有盆地成为高度赋存的金属。考虑到它们的稀缺性，这些盆地的地质演化需要将以下独特条件并列在一起：(1)产生大量含金属流体；(2)提供足够的硫；(3)形成还原圈闭；以及(4)集中流体流入这些地点[5]。了解大型矿藏尤其重要，因为它们可以高效开采并提供最大的社会效益。我们的重点是开发和整合矿物和石油系统方法，在该领域的科学和工业应用方面提供颠覆性的创新机会。我们的目标是确定在一系列规模上运行的过程，这些过程导致大型铜钴(V)矿床的形成，并获得新的实用勘探工具。考虑到目前学术界对这些矿石系统感兴趣的浪潮，以及产业界和学术界加强合作，开发能够降低勘探成本、风险和环境影响的复杂方法，机会来得正是时候。为了应对这些挑战，我们组建了一个拥有国际公认的地球科学专业知识的多研究所学术联盟。我们还与：(1)英国主要矿业公司力拓(Rio Tinto)和英美资源集团(Anglo American)，以及与必和必拓(BHP)和第一量子矿业公司(First Quantum Minerals)建立了战略研究联盟，这些公司都对沉积物赋存的铜矿有全球兴趣；(2)能源行业(Scheupbach Energy)；以及(3)国际学术合作伙伴(CSIRO，Univ)。休斯顿，GFZ波茨坦，国立大学，布宜诺斯艾利斯。PIS、PDRA、资助以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影响深远的科学出版物、新数据和工具，以支持低风险矿产勘探战略的发展，并突出英国作为盆地赋存矿产系统研究的世界领先社区。