-
Reading Minerals: Rare Element Enrichment, the Magmatic-Hydrothermal Transition, and Geochemical Exploration of Lithium Pegmatites in Ireland
-
The battery market for electric vehicles and renewable energy storage is dominated by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, making lithium supply essential to climate action through decarbonization. In 2019, more than half of the world's lithium was sourced from lithium pegmatites of the Li-Cs-Ta (LCT) family, predominantly from Australia. Current global lithium supply involves long diesel-fueled maritime transport routes, which counteracts lithium's role in climate action. Responsible consumption and production require shorter supply chains from deposit to battery. Reading the mineralogical record of LCT pegmatite deposits can help address the challenge of reducing the climate impact of lithium production, by informing deposit models, mineral exploration, and geometallurgy, therefore promoting local supply. Our research focuses on a belt of LCT pegmatites, which is located along the eastern margin of the late-Caledonian S-type Leinster Batholith, southeast Ireland. The LCT pegmatites are hosted by a major regional shear zone and are part of a tin-lithium province that stretches subparallel to the Iapetus suture from Europe through Nova Scotia to North and South Carolina. We investigated crystal chemical zoning in muscovite, cassiterite, and columbite-tantalite using petrography, scanning electron microscopy, and LA-ICP-MS chemical mapping. The zoning patterns record that pegmatite rare element mineralization resulted from an interplay of magmatic crystallization, metasomatism, and hydrothermal processes. Late-stage metasomatic alteration led to partial resorption of early minerals including the lithium ore-mineral spodumene, followed by dispersion of lithium and other rare elements into country rocks, mostly within dark mica. Dispersion led to formation of geochemical halos around the LCT pegmatites with the potential to use country-rock lithogeochemistry and mica composition as geochemical vectoring tools. Geochemistry of mica in the granite host analyzed by handheld LIBS has been found to exhibit coherent spatial patterns occurring adjacent to and above LCT pegmatites known at depth from drilling. These channels of mineral-specific geochemical information are distinct from soil geochemical patterns and are not influenced by the same secondary, surface processes such as dilution. As outcrop is virtually absent in the study area, regional stream sediment geochemistry data (Geological Survey Ireland) was assessed as an LCT pegmatite exploration tool. After correcting for geologic background using a linear regression approach, catchments containing LCT pegmatites show high residuals for concentrations of both tantalum and tin. The mineralogy of stream sediment samples from a subsample of these catchments was subsequently analyzed to characterize the host minerals of tin and tantalum. Cassiterite and columbite-tantalite were identified, and both show geochemical and textural signatures that correspond to the zoning patterns mentioned above, which indicates that these minerals were derived from the local LCT pegmatites. These results suggest that, when regional geology and tectonic setting are prospective, lithium pegmatite prospectivity can be further assessed for tin-tantalum associations in (often publicly available) regional stream sediment data. Following geospatial analysis, stream sediment samples could be obtained from individual prospective catchments and their mineralogy analyzed. Local-scale geochemical surveys could follow where stream sediments of prospective catchments contain tin and tantalum oxides with chemistries and textures indicative of a lithium pegmatite source.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2021
-
Recent data on the enigmatic family Raoellidae: how aquatic…how cetacean?
-
At the beginning of the 21st century, the discovery of an involucrum on the auditory bulla of Indohyus, a small raoellid artiodactyl from the Indian subcontinent, triggered the phylogenetic gathering of Raoellidae with the Cetacea clade, making them pivotal in addressing questions surrounding the land-to-water transition in Artiodactyla. Micro CT scan investigations and newly collected material from the Kalakot area (Jammu and Kashmir, India), recently greatly increased our knowledge of the cranial and dental features of this group. Here we present new data on cranial morphology of Raoellidae deriving from micro CT scan investigations of Indohyus indirae and Khirtharia inflata. This new body of data comprises investigations of the endocast of the braincase, the complete middle ear including the ossicles and auditory bulla, the petrosal bone, and the cast of the bony labyrinth. It also includes the reconstruction of the complete anterior dentition. This study gives us a comprehensive picture of the features of the Raoellidae head and improves our understanding of their semiaquatic habits. This increased knowledge of raoellids further extends the list of features they share with the first archeocetes, calling into question the definition of the clade Cetacea.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025 OA
-
Reconstructing the Palaeo-Environment of the Ancient City of Charax Spasinou
-
From its foundation to its heydays as trading hub and to its final abandonment, the history of Charax Spasinou was intimately connected with the evolution of the river systems of the southernmost part of the Mesopotamian plain and the shoreline of the Persian Gulf. This ongoing research, which is part of the Charax Spasinou Project of the Universities of Konstanz and Manchester supported by the German Research Foundation and the Culture Protection Fund of the British Council, aims to reconstruct the evolution of the landscape and palaeoenvironment around the capital of Mesene, by combining evidence from remote sensing data and geological coring. Here, results from the analysis of satellite imagery and a preliminary field campaign carried out in 2018 will be presented. It will be demonstrated that a combined geological and archaeological survey in the wider hinterland of Charax allows an accurate reconstruction of the ancient watercourses and the landscape of Mesene, in which the capital was the nodal point for nearly a millennium.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2021
-
Regional heritage stone diversity in stone-poor landscapes, the example of northern Belgium.
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2023
-
RESPONSE project: Reactive transport of point source contamination in soils and groundwater
-
The RESPONSE project aims at improving the use of coupled reactive transport models to simulate the fate of inorganic and organic contaminants within environments, characterised by a fluctuating shallow groundwater table – inducing strong hydraulic, physico-chemical and redox gradients. Three case studies were selected based on the presence of inorganic and/or organic contamination. Two sites are cemeteries where groundwater pollution by herbicides (2,6-dichlorobenzamide (BAM) – a persistent metabolite of herbicide dichlobenil) was detected. Top soil and groundwater samples were collected and the BAM degradation and mineralization potential of soil microbiota is tested in the laboratory. It is hypothesized that BAM degradation is strongly affected by DOC quality (measured through specific UV absorbance) and quantity. RESPONSE will investigate whether predictions of dichlobenil and BAM migration in soils and groundwater can be improved by taking into account DOC quality/quantity.The third site is a former municipal landfill, where redox zonation and contamination by As is observed. This site is primarily used to study the level of hydrogeological and geochemical detail needed to predict the migration of pollutants in a satisfactory way. This hypothesis is tested by comparing predictions using site specific measured parameters (soil and subsoil hydraulic parameters, in-situ groundwater flow characterization, etc.) with predictions using parameters inferred from existing hydrological/ geochemical data available in data bases. Moreover, an integrated tool is developed to simulate water flow and reactive solute transport in the subsurface focusing on the water table interface. This is achieved by loosely coupling the existing HYDRUS, MODFLOW, MT3D-USGS and PHREEQC codes at the lowest level and adding functionalities for the transfer of solute concentrations. The HYDRUS package for MODFLOW (Seo et al., 2007) has been updated and PHREEQC functionalities are coupled to both the unsaturated zone (based on HPx software; Jacques et al., 2018) and the saturated zone.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2019
-
Revision of the longirostrine crocodilian Thoracosaurus isorhynchus from the Maastrichtian–Danian of northwestern Europe
-
“Thoracosaurs” are a group of longirostrine eusuchians known from Upper Cretaceous–lower Paleogene coastal deposits of Europe and North America. Their phylogenetic position is highly debated and varies from one study to the next, ranging from inclusion within Gavialoidea—implying ghost lineages of up to 100 million years—to exclusion from Crocodylia altogether. Despite these issues, many “thoracosaur” taxa have been understudied, suffering from incomplete or outdated descriptions and questionable taxonomic assignment. We present a comprehensive revision of Thoracosaurus isorhynchus, the most common European “thoracosaur.” Here, we redescribe the lectotype and paralectotypes of the species from the Maastrichtian of Mont-Aimé, France, and a skull from the Maastricht type area, The Netherlands. We also add new, previously undescribed cranial and extensive postcranial material from Mont-Aimé. Moreover, comparison with the type material of Thoracosaurus “scanicus” of the Danian of southern Sweden indicates that the latter is a junior synonym of T. isorhynchus, confirming the persistence of this species across the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. An array of phylogenetic analyses points to a close relationship between T. isorhynchus and the Cenomanian Portugalosuchus azenhae. This implicates an early emergence of “thoracosaurs” within Gavialoidea, highlighting the stratigraphic inconsistency of this group and a need for up to date descriptions of species belonging to this group.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025 OA
-
ROBOMINERS: changing the ground rules
-
Nowadays we are faced with several challenges regarding mineral exploration and exploitation in Europe. The biggest accessible deposits have already been discovered and exploited, with some of those mines dating back of thousands of years. What remains now are the small and difficult to access deposits, leading to the needs of new and more sustainable mining methods. In the last years several projects like ROBOMINERS were started with the expectation to have relevant impact in social, technological, environmental and economical areas and aiming to help in (i) reducing EU dependency on import of raw materials, (ii) pushing the EU to the forefront in sustainable minerals surveying and exploration technologies and to (iii) improve resource efficiency and responsible sourcing. The main objective of the ROBOMINERS project is to develop a Bio-Inspired, Modular and Reconfigurable Robot Miner, equipped with selective mining perception and mining tools for small and difficult to access deposits. A consortium that includes geoscientists, roboticists and engineers is working to build a modular robot prototype (Technology Readiness Level 4 to 5), design a new mining system via simulation and modelling and to use the prototype to study and advance future research on different areas of robotics and raw materials alike (Lopez and al. 2020). ROBOMINERS will not reach its end-state by the end of the project. Therefore, it already prepares future development with visions for 2030 and 2050, coinciding with important EU targets (2030: reduce GHG emissions, more renewable energy; 2050: climate neutrality). These visions will impact the developments of robotics, selective mining and mining ecosystem. The considered methods and tools, although innovative at this point, will be continuously assessed, and compared to new technology developments in the relevant fields. The ROBOMINERS project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 820971. References. L. Lopes, B. Bodo, C. Rossi, S. Henley, G. Žibret, A. Kot-Niewiadomska, V. Correia, ROBOMINERS – Developing a bio-inspired modular robot-miner for difficult to access mineral deposits, Advances in Geosciences, Volume 54, 2020, 99–108
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2021
-
Sand sourcing from dredge disposal grounds for nature-based solutions
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2023
-
SEADETECT: Multi-sensor Cetacean Collision Prevention in the Pelagos Area of the Mediterranean Sea
-
The Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals is a designated marine protected area in the north-western Mediterranean, encompassing waters between the Côte d’Azur (France), the Ligurian and Tuscan coasts (Italy), and Monaco, extending southward to the northern coastline of Sardinia. This area hosts a diversity of cetacean species. Due to high levels of maritime traffic, the Mediterranean Sea is a global hotspot for whale-vessel collisions. The frequency of both lethal and sub-lethal collisions in the region is considerable, with a general consensus that both direct mortality and long-term population-level effects significantly hinder the recovery and persistence of whale populations. We present SEADETECT, a LIFE programme project aimed at the development of innovative technological solutions to help prevent lethal incidents between cetaceans and ships. Two complementary technical approaches with a combination of different sensors are developed to bring automatic whale awareness onboard vessels in order to avoid collisions.
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2025
-
Second derivative water reflectance spectra for phytoplankton species detection – origin, impact and removal of spectral wiggles
-
Located in
Library
/
RBINS Staff Publications 2024
