9:50 AM - 10:15 AM
[T1-03] Critical metal potentiality of Mongolia
「招待講演」
Keywords:Metal potentiality, Mongolia
Critical metals such as copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earth elements are essential components in many of today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies – from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles. Lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite are crucial to battery performance. rare earth elements are essential for permanent magnets used in wind turbines and EV motors.
Mongolia has wide potential on mineral resources in variety of types.
Regarding to critical metal tendency, there is no clear classification in Mongolia, partly identify as high technology minerals and some government official documents use as important minerals. Even though some small projects are carried out to identify how potential is critical metals including REE, Li, Ni, Co as well as graphite in recent years.
Therefore, we carried out geological reconnaissance study to make clear genetic type, regional distribution characteristics and ore mineral identification. As result we have quite good potentiality on REE mineralization, including carbonatite and alkaline metasomatite types. Lithium is not so studied in Mongolia, but recently, we have several discoveries of Li bearing pegmatites in the central-eastern part. Nickel and cobalt are almost not studied instead of small occurrences found during geological mapping at scale 1:200000 and 1:50000, so no clear potentiality is recognized. There are several deposits and occurrence in Mongolia which are closely relate with marbles metamorphic rocks and has possible potentiality. Copper is the most potential resource making in all, almost 1 billion tons of reserves and resources. Annual production is expected to more than double from 300,000 tons of copper concentrate per year to over 600,000 tons per year from 2028 to 2036 once the Oyu Tolgoi mine is fully operational in 2023.
This time we would like to make general introduction of how potential is in critical metal tendency in Mongolia.
Mongolia has wide potential on mineral resources in variety of types.
Regarding to critical metal tendency, there is no clear classification in Mongolia, partly identify as high technology minerals and some government official documents use as important minerals. Even though some small projects are carried out to identify how potential is critical metals including REE, Li, Ni, Co as well as graphite in recent years.
Therefore, we carried out geological reconnaissance study to make clear genetic type, regional distribution characteristics and ore mineral identification. As result we have quite good potentiality on REE mineralization, including carbonatite and alkaline metasomatite types. Lithium is not so studied in Mongolia, but recently, we have several discoveries of Li bearing pegmatites in the central-eastern part. Nickel and cobalt are almost not studied instead of small occurrences found during geological mapping at scale 1:200000 and 1:50000, so no clear potentiality is recognized. There are several deposits and occurrence in Mongolia which are closely relate with marbles metamorphic rocks and has possible potentiality. Copper is the most potential resource making in all, almost 1 billion tons of reserves and resources. Annual production is expected to more than double from 300,000 tons of copper concentrate per year to over 600,000 tons per year from 2028 to 2036 once the Oyu Tolgoi mine is fully operational in 2023.
This time we would like to make general introduction of how potential is in critical metal tendency in Mongolia.