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Contenuto archiviato il 2019-03-12

DEVELOPMENT OF GEOCHEMICAL EXPLORATION TECHNIQUES FOR LOCATING SUBMARINE MINERAL DEPOSITS.

Obiettivo

TO DEVELOP AND USE GEOCHEMICAL DISPERSION PHENOMENA TO HELP TO LOCATE POTENTIALLY ECONOMIC MINERAL DEPOSITS IN SHALLOW WATER AREAS IN EEC TERRITORIAL WATERS.

DISPERSION HALOES OF CERTAIN METALS HAVE POTENTIAL TO OCCUR ON THE SEA FLOOR AROUND SUBMARINE HYDROTHERMAL DEPOSITS, PHOSPHORITES, PLACERS AND LODE DEPOSITS. SO FAR, BECAUSE OF ANALYTICAL LIMITATIONS, THIS PHENOMEON HAS BEEN FOUND TO OCCUR IN THE CASE OF ONLY A LIMITED NUMBER OF ELEMETS. HOWEVER, THE RECENT DEVELOPMENT OF INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SPECTROMETRY AND VOLATILE HYDRIDE TECHNIQUES OPENS UP THE POSSIBILITY OF INVESTIGATING THE DISPERSION OF A MUCH LARGER NUMBER OF ELEMENTS, AND OF DEVELOPING METHODS FOR LOCATING PLACERS, LODES AND HYDROTHERMAL DEPOSITS ON THE SEA FLOOR.

PRIME STUDY AREAS WILL INCLUDE OFF NORTH CORNWALL (U.K.) WHERE TIN MINERALISATION OCCURS; OFF MACEDONIA (GREECE) WHERE HEAVY MINERALS OCCUR; OFF SOUNION (GREECE) WHERE PB MINERALISATION OCCURS; AND OFF SANTORINI (GREECE) WHERE SUBMARINE HYDROTHERMAL MINERALISATION OCCURS.

VARIOUS GROUPS OF ELEMENTS WILL BE USED FOLLOWING THE TYPE OF MINERALISATION:

(I) TI, CR, ZR, SN, W AND FE FOR SEA FLOOR PLACERS.

(II) AS, SB, BI, TE AND SE FOR HYDROTHERMAL AND BASE METAL SULPHIDE MINERALISATION.

(III) MOST OF THE ELEMENTS LISTED ABOVE FOR SEA FLOOR LODES AND MINERALISED COASTAL AREAS.

DETAILED CHEMICAL PARTITION ANALYSES WILL HELP TO DETERMINE HOW THE ELEMENTS ARE DISPERSED AND THE MAXIMUN LATERAL EXTENT OF THE DISPERSION HALO ON THE SEA FLOOR THAT MIGHT BE EXPECTED. THIS, IN TURN, WILL HELP TO DETERMINE THE DENSITY OF SAMPLING REQUIRED IN FUTURE SEA FLOOR MINERAL EXPLORATION PROGRAMMES.

INDUCTIVELY COUPLED PLASMA SPECTROMETRY, INCLUDING A RECENTLY DEVELOPED METHOD UTILISING VOLATILE HYDRIDES WILL BE USED FOR BULK GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSES. DATA HANDLING WILL INCLUDE THE USE OF STATISTICAL CONTOURING SUCH AS A TREND SURFACE ANALYSIS TO THE DATA. GEOCHEMICAL GRADIENTS FOR EACH OF THE METALS STUDIED WILL BE DETERMINED WHICH, COMBINED WITH DETAILED CHEMICAL PARTITION ANALYSES, WILL HELP TO IDENTIFY THE SOURCE AND MECHANISM OF DISPERSION OF EACH OF THE ELEMENTS. IN THIS WAY, THOSE ELEMENT DISPERSION PATTERNS INDICATIVE OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SEA FLOOR MINERALISATION WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND CAN BE USED IN FUTURE EXPLORATION FOR SUCH MINERALISATION WILL BE IDENTIFIED AND CAN BE USED IN FUTURE ECPLORATION FOR SUCH MINERALISATION IN AS YET UNEXPLORED AREAS.

THE WORK IN GREECE WILL BE DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH IGME AND WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS.

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Coordinatore

Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
Contributo UE
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Indirizzo
Prince Consort Road
SW7 2BP London
Regno Unito

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