New research from Macquarie University has pinpointed likely locations of essential metals crucial for advancing a green economy.
Transitioning to a green economy demands significantly more critical metals—such as copper, rare earth elements, and cobalt—than current supplies can meet. To address this shortage, it is essential to discover new metal resources formed through different geological processes in previously unexplored regions.
New research published on January 8, 2025, in Nature, led by Dr. Chunfei Chen during his postdoctoral work with the Earth Evolution research group at Macquarie University, sheds light on where and how critical metals likely accumulate. The study identifies the margins of ancient continental cores as promising locations for these metal deposits and explains the geological mechanisms behind their formation.
“These cores are the thickest, bowl-shaped, parts of tectonic plates. Melts that form below their centers will flow upwards and outwards towards the edges, so that volcanic activity is common around their edges,” says Chen.
The Role of Carbonate-Rich Melts in Metal Concentration
Previous high-pressure experiments in the Earth Evolution group have shown that initial melts at around 200 kilometers depth are rich in carbonate but contain much less silica than most rock melts.
The new experiments by Dr Chen and colleagues show that these melts will lose silica and become almost pure carbonate as they flow upwards and outwards beneath the continental cores.
Distinguished Professor Stephen Foley from Macquarie’s School of Natural Sciences explains the link to critical metals lies in this change in melt composition.
“The initial melts can carry lots of critical metals and sulfur, but our new results show that these are dropped by the melt as it loses silica. This causes concentrations of critical metals and sulfur in linear arrangements around the edges of thick continental cores,” says Professor Foley.
The research also confirms that mantle samples brought to the surface in volcanoes in these areas do indeed contain more sulfur and copper than elsewhere on the continents.
This new work explains recent observations by researchers at the Australian National University and Geoscience Australia that found critical metals are accumulated around the edges of continent cores, and brings these areas into sharp focus for future exploration activities.
Reference: “Sulfide-rich continental roots at cratonic margins formed by carbonated melts” by Chunfei Chen, Michael W. Förster, Svyatoslav S. Shcheka, Isra S. Ezad, Joshua J. Shea, Yongsheng Liu, Dorrit E. Jacob and Stephen F. Foley, 8 January 2025, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08316-w
Funding: Australian Research Council, Key R&D Program of China, Key Program of NSFC-Tongyong Union Foundation, Macquarie University, NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility
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16 Comments
It’s amazing to me that everybody keeps looking to dig holes and limited resources from the Earth so they can call it “green” energy… Doesn’t anybody see the irony in this?
Yes, I absolutely do! I often wonder why others don’t especially as it has become so blatant. You are not alone
I would agree wholeheartedly, the irony was not lost on this “uneducated simpleton”.
What also jumps out at me is this wave over the last year of calling certain places and physical land masses around the world, “ancient”.
I mean, I get it when we say, “ancient people”, “ancient civilization”, “ancient culture”, and so on, but it’s my understanding that the entire earth is exactly the same age, ancient or not! So what’s the message when they keep pounding into our brain that certain areas of the earth are ancient? Here we see “ancient continents”, as if! Give me a break! So we must ask ourselves why this message and how likely is it that everywhere from academia to celebrities , media to moguls, and A to Z, just simultaneously came to the exact same ideas all over the world? Key words give it away, pay attention.
Let’s assume they say, well this and that studies were published and we’re hearing the world’s individual interpretations and news coverage of these discoveries and blah blah…
And I suppose it’s just a coincidence that the annual meeting of the cabal-like and highly secretive Bilderburg group last year was centered around “monetizing nature”? Fyi, they are an invitation only group of world leaders and Rochester-level wealth hoarders that build and shape world events and trends toward their shared long- term goals, more power for them, less for us
They meet to discuss, not what is going on in the world, so much as what they will all dedicate themselves to move the world toward over the coming year, each in their own circles of ungodly influence.
“Monetize nature”, when I heard that was the topic during last year’s Bilderburg Group, I was kind of confused as to how it would play out in real time because I figured you can’t make us pay for a picnic in the park or a swim in a lake, right? But literally a couple months later I started hearing stories from all over the world with the same theme and keywords in them that were eerily similar and obviously trying to change lingo and thinking norms toward that very topic, “monetizing nature”! It was then that i realized this is actually possible, and had i not heard about the group and the secret leak from one of the invitees, it wouldn’t have caused much alarm in me at all. But i AM ALARMED!
Don’t take my word for it, look into it for yourself.
If you have a Bible you have the future and a safety net for what’s coming soon, and for the hereafter…
READ ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM!
IIUC, the temporal qualification is based on the time which a particular rock (or substrate) was Laid Down, or, when said rock structure ceased being Mantle and changed to Crust (component).
And saying that, recognizing that Sedimentary Rocks are (w/small exception) “newer” than Cratons or Continental Plates. Depending on exactly where one draws the line, those lithographic components which were “recieved” up to & including the Late Heavy Bombardment can all be considered “concurrent”. After the LHB, any additions to the Mass of the Earth (extremely) fractional, at best.
Karen, not all continents are the same age. Thus, the oldest are called ancient and others are called young. It’s not a difficult concept. It’s no different than people being called old or young even though they all have subatomic particles in their body that have been around since the universe was born.
Your anger issues really need to find a better excuse to exist other than continents being properly labelled with terms describing relative age.
Karen, regarding your Bilderburg worries, just because a group wishes to profit from a societal transformation doesn’t mean the transformation is bad. If the Bilderberg group chose to focus on bottling and selling watet, would you claim water is bad for you? Stop believing in lies and made-up conspiracies. Their is enough to fear from people doing bad things out in the open. The Trump family had taken literally billions from foreign parties. He’s putting their interests first, not US citizens. He’s taken hundreds of millions in bribes via his new crypto coin. Worry about that. Better yet, don’t worry. Do something to regain control of the truth from the likes of the Murdochs, Fanjuls, and SCOTUS justices who take lavish gifts from billionaires.
It’s all a bunch of bul***it! You are very observant. Keep watching for that term “Green Energy”, and other cliches around this topic. Once you start connecting the dots it’s disgusting! I would love to know wtf they think green energy is! I challenge them to tell me even one damn energy source that doesn’t come from this earth and as far as renewable resources? Well, if metals drop in the earth’s crusty are green, renewable, and acceptable, what’s different about coal? Duh. Electric cars keep us from burning fuel or “fossil fuels” (b.s. term meant to cause us to think of a limited resource cuz there are no more dinosaur fossils over billions of years but wouldn’t any organic matter that is deposited in the soil become fossils too? As far as i know organic, aka living matter has not ceased to be born die and become buried and fossilized, or an I missing something? ), but do electric cars really?
So where do they think their power comes from when they plug it into their garage or the energy stations? Electricity comes from all kinds of places including coals and all kinds of non-green sources. What about lithium batteries to make their car go putt-putt? Not very “Green”, it’s it?
They’re so full of sh*t!
But honestly, good eye on this one!
Karen,
I believe that the point of “Green” is assigned to whether a given power source’s Waste or Decay Products contribute directly to (or, at least mostly directly) the level of Greenhouse Gasses w/in the atmosphere. The level of – other- pollutants released to the environment are kind of a crap-shoot as to whether they are included in the “Green” equation or not. (Just depends on who is doing the counting…)
Take Electric Vehicles for example; if you take the Carbon Load on the atmosphere resulting from the Manufacture, Transportation, Distribution & even Advertising — total that up, then take the total amount of Greenhouse Gasses introduced to the environment from the Generation of the (electrical) energy used by said vehicle, that will result in some quantity “G” of Atmospheric Carbon Loading (ACL).
Thennnnn, compare that to:
The ACL derived from the Manufacture, Transportation, Distribution & even Advertising of a Gasoline/Diesel vehicle, plus the ACL of all the hydrocarbons used to Produce the gas which will itself be burned making that car go that will results a given quantity “H” of Atmospheric Carbon Loading (ACL) …
If the G item makes less than the H type, then it’s Green. If C>H, then it’s just Corporate Double Speak.
So… Yeah. [Thump]
End Rant/Preach Mode…
Why don’t you learn to read and use multiple sources, including those that challenge your beliefs.
First, fossil fuels ARE limited. Humans consume them at a MUCH faster rate than their formation. Try wrapping your tiny, easily-manipulated brain around that.
Second, metals might be extracted with environmental damage, but they get reused. Once you use goal or oil as fuel, it is gone. How you can’t recognize that is beyond belief.
Third, solar and wind power are already incredibly developed. THEY are powering many of the “green” batteries that you are whining about. And the share of the energy market coming from solar and wind is increasing. So, relative to fossil fuels (which ALSO need metal engines to run), solar and wind will continue to grow in use. That’s good. Get used to good things. Stop being the loser who would complain about the cheese dip at an orgy.
It’s all a bunch of bul***it! You are very observant. Keep watching for that term “Green Energy”, and other cliches around this topic. Once you start connecting the dots it’s disgusting! I would love to know wtf they think green energy is!
But honestly, good eye on this one!
That is quite fascinating!
Frankly, you are full of it! You lunatic fringe people write about secret societies, cabals and societies all the time. That is nothing but a crock of crap. All of y’all operate on the standard right wing falicy. Limited resources which lead to zero sum economic exchange.
But, the earth is not some zero sum game. The resources at humanity’s disposal are unlimited. We are not limited by anything except short sighted people with no imagination.
There was a time, not very long ago, when people believed in progress. Diseases that plagued humanity for centuries have been wiped out. Life expectancy has increased. Humanity’s understanding of the world and the universe continues to grow unabated.
And yet, you right wing nut jobs, want to put blinders on everyone and turn back the clock to a time you know nothing about. Well, I lived in that time and I can tell you right now, I surely don’t want to go back to it.
So climb up out the Internet and take a good look at the real world, buddy.
Democrats are always fear mongering about resource depletion, so you might want to inform them of your “infinite resources” discovery. These are the same people that made plastic the major industry it is today to “save the planet” back in the 90s. Now they tell us plastic is slowly poisoning everything lol And there are still people today that can’t seem to see the lies right in front of them.
Progress is not perfectly continuous and without flaws. Why don’t you show us how Dems are to blame for plastic pollution despite Republican businesses leaders wanting deregulation and freedom to pollute. And where were all the Republicans who you imply were trying to save the world from plastics? Please, you’re an irrational joke. Go to Fox News where you can find a better audience for your blindly foolish rants about made-up issues.
Green energy via more strip mining. Arnt these the same people that constantly complain about how horrible mining is to the environment?
The elements to be extracted are reusable, so that is why it is called green. How many times can you reuse gasoline or coal after they are burned?
Try thinking.