Mineral Resources: Genetic Understanding for Practical Applications

摘要

Because of the increasing scarcity of a growing number of essential metals and the current national effort to strive for a greater resource self-sufficiency, improved efforts in the location, identification, and evaluation of our mineral resources are needed. This report stresses that these efforts should begin with a fundamental understanding of the processes and environments of ore formation. The report draws attention to the long-lead times involved in developing the required knowledge base, applying the results toward locating mineral resources and, finally, the time between identification of a deposit and initiation of production. Prompt steps to improve this basic understanding must be considered to be an important element in developing the nation's mineral policy.