Conference Agenda

Finding new mineral resources is essential to meet the growing demand for raw materials driven by the green transition. Addressing this challenge requires advanced exploration technologies that improve the efficiency of mineral discovery. One such technology is hyperspectral remote sensing, which enables detailed mapping of surface mineralogy. The EnMAP provides high-quality hyperspectral data of Earth’s surface with 30 m spatial resolution, fine spectral sampling (6.5 nm in the VNIR and 10 nm in the SWIR), and a high signal-to-noise ratio. To highlight its applications in resource exploration, we present case studies spanning different deposit types and exploration stages, from greenfield to brownfield exploration and from regional to deposit-scale investigations. These include porphyry copper systems, high-sulfidation epithermal gold deposits, sediment-hosted deposits (MVT and SEDEX types), REE-rich carbonatites, and volcano-sedimentary lithium deposits. EnMAP Level-2A surface reflectance data were used to map key minerals, including white mica (muscovite–illite), kaolinite, alunite, pyrophyllite, dickite, topaz, diaspore, opal, chlorite, epidote, hectorite, calcite, dolomite, ankerite, hematite, goethite, jarosite, and ferrous iron-bearing minerals. Our results show that EnMAP provides consistent/reliable mineralogical and compositional information unprecedented among current multispectral and hyperspectral satellite sensors, owing to its calibration and radiometric stability. The resulting mineral maps provide insights into ore-forming processes and alteration zoning, and, in REE and Li deposits, direct indications of ore localization. These findings demonstrate that spaceborne hyperspectral systems such as EnMAP can play a crucial role in mineral exploration across exposed terrains, significantly enhancing the efficiency of exploration programs from grassroots reconnaissance to detailed deposit-scale studies.

The formation of regolith-hosted rare earth element (REE) deposits requires the mobilization of REEs from enriched protoliths under intense tropical weathering conditions. During this process, primary magmatic REE minerals break down, and the liberated REEs are subsequently adsorbed onto secondary clay minerals. While this general mechanism is well understood, the specific medium by which REEs are transported has remained largely elusive. We identify, for the first time, REE-enriched veinlets within a weathering profile in southern China that allow for the reconstruction of the transport medium from primary magmatic lithologies to regolith-hosted ion-adsorption deposits. These veinlets, analyzed via FIB-TEM and Raman spectroscopy, consist of amorphous and crystalline REE phases hosted within viscous, nanovoid-rich H2O±CO2 suspensions. The TEM imagery enables the reconstruction of the P-T-t-pH conditions of formation: 1 atm pressure, < 100° C below the boiling point of water, ages subrecent, and a hydrogen potential (pH) of around 9.5 to 10. Our data provide a compelling, high-resolution look at a critical missing link in economic geology: the physical and chemical nature of the transport medium for REEs.

Various types of REE mineralization in carbonatites are known, commonly classified into magmatic, hydrothermal and supergene systems. The Teufelskuppe carbonatite (Namibia) exhibits heterogeneous, locally extreme LREE enrichment (up to 22 wt.%), displaying a complex variety of colloform, veined, and banded textures. REE enrichment at Teufelskuppe can be divided into four stages: The first stage involves primary incorporation of REEs into alkali-REE-carbonates, likely favored by low silica activity. Inclusions of carbocernaite in calcite are documented. The second stage is characterized by deuteric fluid activity, dissolving primary carbonates and producing a pseudomorphic replacement assemblage of burbankite/carbocernaite dominated by synchysite, baryte, (Sr-)calcite, and strontianite. A post-magmatic hydrothermal stage (3) introduced reducing fluids, forming a cordylite-bearing sulfide parageneses that crosscuts earlier mineral assemblages. Subsequent oxidation of sulfides (pyrrhotite→pyrite→baryte) marks the final stage (4) of REE redistribution, generating sulfate-rich fluids capable of transporting REEs as sulfate complexes, which is interpreted as a key mechanism for REE remobilization [1]. Precipitation of the dominant bastnäsite-assemblage (±phlogopite±tainiolite±pyrochlore±apatite±monazite±fluorite±calcite±dolomite±quartz) is closely intertwined with baryte, likely triggered by mixing of fluids with contrasting composition, temperature, or pH. Stage 4 represents an oxidizing supergene environment due to the 36.7±2.5 Ma U-Pb age of the bastnäsite-assemblage during a hot, humid climatic period. Contrary, influx of external fluids (3) and the clearly high-temperature characteristics of the bastnäsite-assemblage (e.g. phlogopite, pyrochlore) point to a major hydrothermal component, indicating a synthesis of the classical perspectives on REE enrichment in carbonatites, a hydrothermally enhanced laterite, here termed pseudolaterite.

[1] Raza, Giebel, Walter, Kolb, & Steele-MacInnis (2025), Goldschmidt2025

Iron oxide–apatite (IOA) deposits are important sources of Fe, P, and rare earth elements (REE), yet the relative roles of magmatic ore formation and hydrothermal modification remain debated. The late Miocene Abovyan deposit in central Armenia is one of the youngest known IOA systems worldwide and the only documented example in the Lesser Caucasus. Its exceptionally fresh textures provide a rare opportunity to link ore-forming processes with their temporal evolution.

We combine petrographic, geochemical, isotopic, mineral-chemical, Raman-spectroscopic, and U–Pb geochronological constraints from the ore-hosting andesite and a continuous drill core. Magnetite–carbonate blobs in the andesite groundmass preserve crystallization sequences from magnetite–clinopyroxene to dolomite–hematite–calcite, consistent with crystallized Fe-rich carbonate melt droplets. Whole-rock geochemistry and Sr–Nd isotope data indicate interaction of the andesitic magma with K-rich evaporite of the Yerevan salt basin, suggesting that evaporite assimilation promoted liquid immiscibility and separation of Fe-rich carbonate–sulfate melts.

Apatite–monazite geochronology constrains the evolution of the same system. Pristine F-rich apatite from the top and base of the drill core yields the oldest ages of ~5.6–5.4 Ma, whereas Cl-rich, inclusion-rich apatite in the upper–middle interval records younger apparent mixed ages, interpreted to reflect incomplete replacement, down to 4.98 ± 0.07 Ma. Monazite confined to Cl-bearing apatite domains yields an age of 5.26 ± 0.06 Ma, marking hydrothermal crystallization. Together, these data support a model in which the Abovyan IOA deposit formed as a consequence of evaporite assimilation by an andesitic magma followed by roof-focused hydrothermal evolution and REE redistribution over at least several hundred thousand years.

Cobalt is a critical battery metal that is of great significance for the European transition to a greener economy. Currently, Europe is heavily reliant on non-European Co suppliers, which is the driving force behind the present study to reinvestigate the historical Co–Cu Skuterud deposit in Modum, southern Norway.

Using 11 drill core samples provided by Kuniko Ltd. from their 2020 drilling campaign revealed an As-rich and As-poor Co mineralized interval in two different drill holes. By applying Mineral Liberation Analysis (MLA), whole rock geochemistry, as well as EPMA and LA-ICP-MS, the mineralogy, mineral proportions, textures, paragenetic relationships and element distribution of the deposit were inspected. Cobalt minerals like cobaltite, glaucodot and pyrite dominate in the As-rich Co interval, whereas pyrite and Co-pentlandite occur in the As-poor Co interval as the main Co carriers. The complex mineralogy and diverse style of mineralization are interpreted as the result of a multistage metamorphic and hydrothermal overprint of stratabound sediment-hosted stratiform copper (SSC)-type mineralization. Several notable features of the mineralization include glaucodot growth controlled by Fe budget, similar trace element fingerprints of pyrite to greenschist-facies deposits, as well as copper mobility in the different mineralization styles.

The metamorphic and metasomatic overprint resulted in a complex ore mineralogy that must be considered when evaluating the geometallurgic and economic feasibility. This includes Co being bound in various minerals in different concentrations, as well as a strongly heterogeneous distribution of Co minerals within the mineralised zones (natural 'nugget effect'), requiring adjusted and flexible processing flowsheets.

Over the past century, around 370 exploratory boreholes targeting copper-bearing shale were drilled to depths of up to 1,423.5 m in the Sangerhausen mining district. Historical reports and drill cores from the Kupferschiefer and adjacent lithologies were re-evaluated using more than 60 drill cores from the northern and central Sangerhausen Basin. New geochemical analyses with portable and laboratory XRF instruments were conducted to investigate the vertical and regional distribution of metals within the mineralization. Four aspects were examined: (1) correlations between metal contents and macroscopic core features, (2) inter-element relationships linked to mineralization processes, (3) vertical metal distribution across lithologies, and (4) basin-scale lateral patterns.

The compiled geochemical data reveal established patterns, such as the vertical Cu–Pb–Zn zonation within the Kupferschiefer, and basin-wide variations of this zonation. Vertical overlaps between metal zones, the local absence of individual metal zones and the predominance of one specific metal, most frequently Cu, is observed. These regionally variable mineralization types commonly occur in clusters; however, unlike the vertical zonation, they do not display clearly defined regional trends. Distinct geochemical clusters within the basin, such as high-grade ore zones and areas affected by “Rote Fäule” alteration, were confirmed and geochemically characterized in detail. Further integration of archive and new datasets will improve spatial resolution of the basin-wide mineralization, enhancing the scientific understanding of the mineralization process and provide a basis for future exploration strategies in regions with comparable mineralization.