Critical Minerals / In Situ Mining
Critical minerals occur in a variety of ore deposits formed through magmatic, magmatic-hydrothermal, and hydrothermal processes. Understanding and characterizing these systems is key to revealing the geological mechanisms and geochemical conditions that drive metal enrichment. At ERL, we investigate how minerals serve as natural archives, capturing the physicochemical signatures of ore-forming processes. By decoding these records, we develop geochemical proxies that both guide mineral exploration and evaluate the ore-forming potential of prospective regions, with a current emphasis on porphyry copper systems.
The discovery rate of major critical mineral resources is steadily declining, underscoring the need for innovative approaches to locate deep and hidden deposits. At ERL, researchers from computational sciences and geosciences collaborate to develop AI and machine learning tools to advance mineral exploration by integrating datasets such as geophysics, geochemical assays, and geology. Through statistical analysis of these multi-source data, we aim to identify patterns and relationships that improve the efficiency of evaluating exploration targets and provide greater confidence in early decision-making.
A large portion of critical mineral resources exists near the surface, yet their low grade or depth within the crust often makes extraction uneconomical. At ERL, we focus on exploring these untapped resources through innovative in-situ mining approaches. By combining geosciences research with cutting-edge biotechnology, we aim to unlock resources that are currently out of reach. Our research team investigates how in-situ biomining could provide a sustainable and efficient method to access these resources, offering new opportunities for the future of mineral extraction.
Current ERL projects in this area:
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Critical Minerals of the Laramide Porphyry Belt, Southwest USA
The U.S.–Mexico borderlands, spanning Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Sonora, Chihuahua, and Sinaloa, make up one of the world’s most important copper regions. Alongside copper, these porphyry systems also contain a wide range of critical minerals such as gallium, indium, cobalt, tellurium, tungsten, and platinum-group elements—materials… more info
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Modeling Supershear Earthquakes to Forecast Induced Seismicity Hazard
While the potential for subsurface fluid injection and extraction to trigger earthquakes has long been recognized, the sharp increase in the extent and vigor of injection-induced seismicity calls for much deeper understanding than is currently available. One of the features of some highly destructive earthquakes… more info
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Seismic Imaging, Inversion and Uncertainty Quantification
The algorithmic workhorse for creating a map of the subsurface from seismic surveys is full waveform inversion. Many fundamental questions remain wide open about it, including how to deal with the lack of convexity in optimization, how to make use of AI to speed it… more info
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The Origin and Timing of Silver Enrichment at the world-class Filo Del Sol Cu-Au-Ag deposit
As the world transitions to renewable energy, the demand for metals like silver is soaring. Silver is essential for technologies like solar panels and batteries, securing its place among critical minerals. High-sulfidation epithermal deposits are key sources of silver, gold, and copper, but understanding where… more info
