Strategic Minerals Research Articles

Modernização no Planalto Central do Brasil: mineração e logística no Roteiro da Missão Cruls

A mineração tem sido um agente de intensa transformação do território brasileiro desde o período colonial. A região central do Brasil, graças à sua localização e às constantes disputas das elites regionais, ganha destaque como zona logística onde grandes projetos estatais vêm se materializando e atendendo às lógicas do mercado presentes em cada período. Minerais estratégicos, a exemplo do ouro, do cobre, do nióbio e do níquel, por meio das novas tecnologias globais ganham destaque no cenário contemporâneo para a fabricação de materiais indispensáveis usados na sociedade moderna. Este trabalho apresenta a importância da mineração e da logística na região denominada por Souza; Pedrosa (2016) de Roteiro da Missão Cruls para o Brasil. O levantamento de fontes secundárias encontradas nos trabalhos científicos especializados, bem como os dados secundários extraídos dos órgãos como IBGE, SAED, ANTT e ANM foram utilizados na sistematização para a cartografação das informações geográficas. Trata-se de um estudo diagnóstico da realidade da mineração dessa região do Brasil no contexto contemporâneo.
 Palavras-Chave: Mineração; Logística; Território; Roteiro da Missão Cruls.

Minerals as an object of accounting and economic security of the oil and gas company implementing the production sharing agreement

Subject. This article discusses the practice of ensuring the economic security of oil and gas companies operating under the terms of production sharing agreements, where minerals are the object of security. Objectives. The article aims to justify the need to apply professional judgment in the organization of reliable accounting of minerals, explored and extracted under the terms of the production sharing agreement implementation, to avoid various risks to the entity's economic security. Methods. For the study, I used the methods of deduction and modeling. Results. The article presents proposals to arrange accounting of intangible exploration assets (geological information on mineral reserves) and finished products (the part of the extracted minerals owned by the investor and the part owned by the State). Conclusions. As strategic minerals, oil and gas are the targets of various economic risks. Professionals familiar with the specifics of accounting operations in the implementation of the production sharing agreement should be prepared to prevent these risks. The results obtained can be used to design accounting policies and develop local regulations on the tasks and functions of the economic security service of the organization implementing the production sharing agreement.

Synthesized indicator for evaluating security of strategic minerals in China: A case study of lithium

The transition of the economic growth in China from high-speed to high-quality development provides new challenges to strategic minerals (SMs) security. Under the transition, combined with its development status, but also to maintain global coexistence from the entire industrial chain, we in this paper first expound the security connotation of SMs and take lithium resources as an example to evaluate its security in China. Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) is used for sensitivity analysis. Results show that the security level of China's lithium resources is rising but fluctuating, and it is closely related to changes in the sub-object of coexistence. Our results illustrate that the proposed synthesized security indicator can effectively evaluate the security status of China's lithium resources. Therefore, it should be possible to be adapted for evaluating the security status of other SMs.

An evaluation of the supply risk for China's strategic metallic mineral resources

An important issue for ensuring a nation's economic security involves evaluating the supply risk of its strategic mineral resources. Considering the impact of strategic emerging industries on the supply risk of China's strategic minerals, this study establishes an indicator system for evaluating such risks. Specifically, using stochastic multi-criteria acceptability analysis for the ELimination Et Choix Traduisant la REalité TRI method, this study systematically evaluates the supply risk of 14 strategic metallic mineral resources in China from 2008 to 2017 and through 2025. The results indicate that: 1) From 2008 to 2017, the supply risk level of molybdenum and rare earth elements were low or low-to-medium, and those of 12 other minerals were high or medium-to-high; 2) For copper, gold, tungsten, molybdenum, antimony, and lithium, the supply risk level increased, and that for nickel decreased, while for iron, tin, chromium, and rare earth elements it irregularly fluctuated; and 3) The supply risk of chromium, molybdenum, lithium, and rare earth elements was influenced by potentially higher risk factors caused by poor substitutability and low recycling rate.

Recovery of chromium by calcium-roasting, sodium-roasting, acidic leaching, alkaline leaching and sub-molten technology: a review

Chromium is a major strategic mineral widely used in industrial processes, yet mineral resources are decreasing, calling for advanced recycling techniques to recover chromium from ores, waste and contaminated media. Here, we review chromium resources and methods to leach out Cr, such as calcium-roasting, sodium-roasting, acidic leaching, alkaline leaching and sub-molten technology.

Approach to identification and classification of the key, strategic and critical minerals important for the mineral security of Poland

The paper presents a proposal to designate the minerals of key, strategic and critical importance for the mineral security of Poland. Based on a review of the foreign and Polish literature, differences in defining the terms in question were pointed out. Taking into account existing solutions, the authors proposed a comprehensive methodology of designating key, strategic and critical minerals for Poland. 148 individual minerals were selected for analysis. When determining the key minerals, a criterion of average value of their annual consumption in Poland in the last decade was adopted. This approach had also regard to the general tendency of consumption of a given mineral and the net import reliance index. In the case of strategic minerals, a two-stage analysis was performed. In the first stage, the identification of potentially strategic minerals that are indispensable for the sectors defined as crucial for the country's economic security (based on an expert assessment) was performed. In the second stage, for selected potentially strategic raw materials, criteria of the average consumption value in recent years and the net imports reliance were applied. This was the basis for establishing the list of strategic minerals. To identify critical minerals, the methodology developed for the European Union with some significant modifications was adopted. Primarily, all the minerals previously classified as key and/or strategic were granted the status of high economic importance in Poland, while EU’s evaluation of the value of economic importance (EI) indicator was disregarded. Additionally, the value of the supply risk index (SR), above which minerals were identified as critical, was slightly reduced in relation to that adopted for the European Union, i.e. from 1.0 to 0.9. On the basis of the analysis conducted, three lists comprising 42 key, 24 strategic and 17 critical minerals indispensable for the Polish economy development were proposed. Identification of these minerals is of fundamental importance for further works on the Mineral Policy of Poland.

A DPSIR-TODIM Model Security Evaluation of China’s Rare Earth Resources

Rare earth is an important strategic mineral resource for national economy and national security. As the largest producer and exporter of rare earth, China’s rare earth industry has problems associated with excessive production, mismatched pricing power and environmental pollution. Therefore, an in-depth study of the rare earth industry security is necessary. Based on proposed definition for mineral resource security, this paper established a rare earth resource security evaluation model based on the “driver-pressure-state-impact-response” conceptual model using an extended TODIM (an acronym in Portuguese for interactive and multi-criteria decision-making) method combined with the E-DEMATEL (entropy and decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory) method. The model was then applied to Chinese rare earth data from 2006–2015 to assess the security, from which it was found that while the security level was not high, the overall trend was improving. Moreover, some critical response factors affecting REEs (rare earth elements) security are identified, including tariffs, research investment, etc. This paper not only introduces a new evaluation of REEs security but also explores the crucial indicators and the response mechanism.

Occurrence and environmental constraints of gray monazite in red soils from the Campo de Montiel area (SW Ciudad Real province, south central Spain).

Monazite ((Ce, La, Nd, Th) PO4) is a rare and strategic mineral that occurs naturally as an accessory and minor mineral in diverse igneous and metamorphic rocks. This mineral does not frequently form mineable ore deposits and it has different typologies, including those formed by endogenous processes (generally "yellow monazite" mineralizations) and those formed by exogenous processes ("gray monazite" mineralizations). The mineral is an important ore of Rare Earth Elements (REEs), which have been identified by the European Union as critical raw materials. Monazite can be considered a weathering-resistant mineral, and the mobility of the REE and associated elements is low. The study reported here concerns a mineralogical and geochemical assessment of the occurrence and risks associated with the presence of concentrations of monazite in a typical, well-developed, and representative red Mediterranean soil, in order to establish the associated risk with their future mining. The results confirmed that monazite ore is particularly poor in radioactive elements, and it is concentrated in the most surficial soil horizons. The chemical mobility of REEs present in the soil, as assessed by selective extraction with ammonium acetate in acidic media, follows the order Y > Dy > U > Tb > Gd > Eu > Sm > La > Th > Ce. The mobility of REEs contained in monazite proved to be higher than that of the REE compounds in the upper horizons of the soil profile suggesting the immobilization in other REE-containing minerals, while light REEs show lower mobility rates than heavy REEs, due to an immobilization of LREE by sorption with iron oxy-hydroxides. Further studies are required in order to obtain better speciation data for REEs in soilsaimed to identify soluble and insoluble compounds.

Strategic mineral resource competition: Strategies of the dominator and nondominator

In the global situation of increasingly severe resource competition, to study the strategies of the dominator and the nondominator, this paper builds two different levels of networks based on the theory of two-mode complex networks: an overall network and a classification network. Through the analysis of the topological structure of the overall network, the “dominator” of international trade and the minerals with the highest comprehensive importance to the countries involved in global trade are identified, and the dominant mode of the dominator and the classification of the competition mineral are studied by analyzing the classification network. The results show the following: (1) The United States, China, and the EU were the dominators in the international trade of 24 strategic minerals from 2009 to 2018, and their dominant modes differed for different types of minerals. (2) Petroleum and coal are the minerals with the highest comprehensive importance for the countries involved in global trade, and each of the 24 minerals has a different degree of supply risk. (3) Ten minerals, namely, tungsten (Tu), uranium (Ur), phosphorus (Ap), coal (Coal), copper (Cu), zirconium (Zr), aluminum (Al), lithium carbonate (LiC), oil (Oil), and rare earth (RE), are competitive minerals; geographically, the resource competition in western and southern Africa, southern South America, western Asia, Australia and Russia is the most intense. Finally, the study provides suggestions on how countries with different resource endowments can reduce trade risks and maintain a dynamic balance of the “order” of peaceful development among the dominators.

The concept of critical minerals as a mean of stimulate the development of subsoil use in Ukraine

Developed countries use a list of critical minerals to identify and stimulate priority areas for the mineral resource base development. The article provides an overview and main features of the terms “critical minerals”, “critical elements”, “critical commodities”, “critical materials”, “critical elements”. The criticality parameters (indicators) are supply risk and economic importance, production concentration, changing the size of the market and geological resources, market dynamics (changing prices). Various methods for assessment the criticality of minerals are analyzed in the article. Lists of critical minerals USA, Australia, EU, Canada are compared. The amount and names of critical minerals vary from region to region and may change over time. An analogue of “critical minerals” was “strategic minerals”, which existed in Ukrainian law until 2016. This term was inherited from the USSR and implies minerals, which are mainly used in the military industry. Following the example of developed countries, the legitimization and application of the concept and list of critical minerals can be a mechanism to stimulate the development of certain areas of geological exploration and mining. For this, it is necessary to determine the list of critical minerals, adapting the existing world advanced methods. Obviously, this requires special research, including marketing studies, but we can preliminarily assume which minerals will make the list and which are candidate minerals. Most likely, the list of critical minerals for Ukraine will differ significantly from the list of strategic minerals. Providing of such list in law would give certain advantages and preferences (in particular tax) to companies that perform geological exploration and mining of listed minerals in Ukraine.

Possibilities of Uranium Deposit Kuriskova Mining and Its Influence on the Energy Potential of Slovakia from Own Resources

Uranium is one of the strategic minerals used mainly in energetics. The main purpose of uranium mining is to achieve maximum production to meet the rapidly growing demand for energies. It needs to become aware that technological progress in mining processes could significantly reduce the negative impacts associated with environmental, economic, and social risks. Uranium mining is one of the most controversial topics. It is dealt with by many experts and scientists around the world. Various methods and technologies of uranium mining are encountered in professional journals, as well as political or socio-economic decisions based on the impact and importance of the energy potential of uranium deposits, or the environmental impacts of uranium mining. The deposit of Kuriskova is one of the most perspective deposits not only in Slovakia but also in the world. The deposit is located near the town of Kosice (with near 240,000 inhabitants) and near the recreational area of Jahodna in the east of the Slovak Republic. The analysis and determination of the energy potential of the deposit of Kuriskova shows that uranium reserves from this deposit would be able to fully cover the needs for nuclear power plants for the production of nuclear fuel, in the Slovak Republic, even in the longer term. With the above-mentioned energy potential of the deposit of Kuriskova at the level of 600 TWh, nuclear power plants in the Slovak Republic are able to be supplied with raw materials from the deposit of Kuriskova for about 40 years with the current amount of electricity produced (approx. 15 TWh). Therefore, for the purposes of this research, a proposal for the extraction of uranium reserves at the deposit of Kuriskova was made. Based on it, it is possible to determine the amount of recoverable uranium reserves from the deposit. A methodology has been determined with mining this proposal, which takes into account the basic criteria of uranium deposit mining, which was used for the selection of a suitable mining technology for the uranium deposit of Kuriskova.

Quantitative Risk Assessment and Evolution Trajectory of China’s Iron Ore Resource

The resource security system is a complex system. Strategic mineral resource is of great importance to national security and economic development. Iron ore is one of the 24 strategic mineral resource determined by the Chinese government. Based on the broad connotation of resource security, we put forward the risk assessment model of resource security named 3E (Enduring, Economic, Environmental) model and establish a complete risk assessment index system for iron ore. In this paper, the entropy method is used to determine the weight of each index, we evaluate the comprehensive risk of iron ore from 2000 to 2016, and analyse the results of risk assessment in detail. The results show that the supply risk is on the rise, which has the greatest impact on the comprehensive risk. Moreover, the fluctuation of economic risk is more stable, and the environmental risk is decreasing. The comprehensive risk index of China’s iron ore increased firstly and then declined. From 2000 to 2007, it was a relatively low-risk period; from 2008 to 2010, the risk was increased; 2011-2013 was a high-risk period; and 2014 to 2016, there was a reduction in risk. In order to effectively control the risk of iron ore, this paper puts forward some suggestions from several aspects.

Geochemistry of the Heavy Mineral Sands from the Garampeta to the Markandi beach, southern coast of Odisha, India: Implications of high contents of REE and Radioelements attributed to Placer Monazite

This study presents major element, radioactive element and rare earth element (REE) concentrations of the Garampeta to Markandi beach along the southern coast of Odisha, India to delineate the source signature and resource potential of the beach placer deposits. Average ∑REE concentration of the beach sand samples is about four times higher than the average crustal concentration. The LREE concentration is higher than HREE, with a pronounced negative europium anomaly. The study also discusses about the radioelement 238U, 232Th and 40K concentrations in the study area, and their relationship with REE. Weathering condition of the source rock, based on the major elements and Th/U ratio indicated a reasonably high degree of weathering. Major element and the REE composition along with the europium anomaly, relate the beach placers to mainly charnockite and khondalite source. An elevated level of thorium (> 60 times than the average UCC values) as exhibited by the samples could be attributed due to the presence of monazites. The high concentration of REEs like Nd and Dy along with La and Ce indicates significant REE resource potential in the beach placers which is important for the resource potential in terms of the strategic mineral reserves of the country.

The use of different types of geographic information systems for the construction of geoservices to support management of the Arctic territories

The Arctic territories of the Russian Federation are characterized by a wide variety of valuable and strategic mineral resources needed for the sustainable socio-economic development of the state. Therefore, the development of the Arctic territories is one of the priorities for the development of Russia in the coming decades. On the other hand, the ecosystems of the Arctic and regions of the Far North are very fragile and sensitive to various types of anthropogenic impact. The Arctic is home to unique species of animals and plants. In order to ensure their continued safe existence, a number of measures must be taken to protect them. One of the effective measures is the creation of specially protected natural areas. Various geographic information systems are actively used to monitor and manage such areas. This work is aimed at the creation of information technology for the joint use of geographic information systems of different types to solve the problems of monitoring and territorial management support. This paper considers different types of geographic information systems from the point of view of their effectiveness in solving problems of collection, processing, storage, analysis and presentation of spatial data. For practical approbation of the proposed information technology a web-geoservice “Khibiny National Park” was developed. For information support of the web-geoservice the data on industrial activity in the area of the national park, existing and alternative transport infrastructure in this area, as well as data on the ecosystem state and biodiversity of flora and fauna were used.

Competitive Globalization and Quest for Strategic Minerals: DRCs Cobalt at the Heart of New Global Stakes, towards the Resource,s Trap ?

Competitive Globalization and Quest for Strategic Minerals: DRCs Cobalt at the Heart of New Global Stakes, towards the Resource,s Trap ?

Fluid Inclusion Characteristics of Tungsten Mineralization in the Agargaon Area of Sakoli Fold Belt, Central India

The Lower to Middle Proterozoic Sakoli fold belt in Central India forms a triangular belt with significant mineralization of strategic minerals. The Sakoli fold belt comprises metasediments, felsic and mafic volcanics with metabasalts bounded by the gneissic-migmatitic terrain. The last pulses of granitic activity in the form of quartz lenses intrude the metasediments and are associated with tungsten mineralization. The metasediments are intruded by the quartz veins and tourmaline breccias trending 60°N to 65°E and 60°S to 65°W and are parallel to the regional structural foliations. The tungsten mineralization in this area is restricted to tourmaline-quartz mica greisens and quartz veins. The NE-SW trending foliated contact zones of chlorite mica schist and porphyritic granite/gneisses have served as easy channels for the mineralizing vapours and solutions to percolate, which formed ore bearing greisens and quartz veins. This mineralization is erratic and manifested by sparse and sporadic disseminations of wolframite and scheelite associated with minor amount of molybdenite and chalcopyrite. The fluid inclusion microthermometry on mineralized quartz veins and quartz-tourmaline veins reveals the existence of a metamorphogenic aqueous- gaseous (H2O-CO2+NaCl) fluid that underwent phase separation and gave rise to gaseous (CO2) inclusion. The salinity of tungsten mineralizations varies from low to high (1.32 wt.% to 40.44 wt.% NaCl eq.). The estimated P-T range of tungsten mineralization varies from 1.2 to 2.2 kbar at 280 to 390 °C. Raman spectroscopy reveals that the fluid inclusions mainly contain H2O and CO2 with rarely H2S and CH4. Stable isotopic data reveal that the sulfur isotope fractions from the deposits δ34S ranging from +3.1‰ to +3.35‰, suggesting the deep crustal source for the sulfur, which can be further interpreted as a single (magmatic) supply of sulfur during magmatic-hydrothermal mineralization. The studies reveal the presence of chlorides such as FeCl2/MgCl2 and CaCl2, indicating the involvement of chloride complexes in transportation of tungsten to the fluid system and the evolution of the ore-forming fluids by mixing or immiscibility of high-temperature, high-salinity magmatic fluids and low-temperature, low-salinity fluids in hydrothermal system, and also representing magmatic-hydrothermal interactions contributed wolframite and scheelite with minor amount of molybdenite and chalcopyrite.

Satellite-based spectral mapping (ASTER and landsat data) of mineralogical signatures of beach sediments: a precursor insight

Detailed investigation on texture and mineralogy of beach sediments helps to understand their nature of deposition and potential targets of strategic mineral deposits. The beach sediments from the coast of Thiruvananthapuram, the southernmost district of Kerala, India, have been studied to understand the variation in grain size by using the spectral indices as derived from the visible-NIR-TIR bands of Landsat and ASTER remote sensing data. Further, an attempt has been made to map the distribution of strategic minerals present in beach sands using standardized hyperspectral analysis techniques. The grain size shows a remarkable variation from medium sand to fine sand. The THM (Total Heavy Minerals) content was estimated to about 80.04% and 52.33% along the coast of Kovalam and Varkala, respectively. The ilmenite mineral predominantly exists in these areas, followed by monazite, sillimanite, rutile, zircon, garnet, leucoxene, and Kyanite. The hyperspectral analysis extracts two endmembers of ilmenite and light minerals from the Landsat and ASTER imagery, which could be successfully, mapped using the SAM classification algorithm. The satellite-derived map showing texture and mineralogy has been validated with the results of laboratory analysis and shows strong correlation almost in all locations. This study illustrates the potential use of satellite remote sensing techniques for the mapping of natural resources, especially mineral resources.

Monazite chemistry and its distribution along the coast of Neendakara–Kayamkulam belt, Kerala, India

The beach sands along the coasts of India contain large reserves of strategic minerals like ilmenite, monazite, zircon, etc. Monazite mineral is primarily used as an ore for extracting rare earths particularly cerium and lanthanum. In the present study, the chemistry and distribution of monazite found in the beach sands of Neendakara–Kayamkulam belt in Kerala, south India, is studied using advanced techniques and standardized methods. Beach sediments were collected and analyzed for the texture, and mineralogy reveals that the study area contains characteristically fine sand with maximum 98.9% total heavy minerals (THM) content with ilmenite as predominant mineral species. The content of monazite ranges from 0.1 to 1.4%. A combination of unit operations like gravity separation, magnetic separation and electrostatic separation techniques were applied to the beach sand to recover monazite mineral. The data indicate that samples show a maximum yield of about 81% for THM and 0.5% for monazite. The ED-XRF, XRD and SEM–EDS analysis gives reliable results on the chemistry of monazite. The major chemical constituents of monazite mineral like Ce2O3, La2O3, P2O5 corresponds to 26.658, 13.421 and 23.649%, respectively. The SEM reveals the weathering mechanism, both mechanical and chemical, occurred in monazite mineral. Advanced characterization of monazite mineral will influence positively the efficiency of determining their potential applications.

Spatiotemporal distribution, geological characteristics and metallogenic mechanism of tungsten and tin deposits in China: An overview

Tungsten and tin are important strategic and critical mineral resources, as well as one of China’s most abundant mineral resources. Their distribution is mainly concentrated in the South China block, followed by the Kunlun-Qilian-Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt, the Tianshan-Xingmeng orogenic belt, and the Tibet-Sanjiang orogenic belt. The tungsten and tin resources in South China are mainly concentrated in the Nanling tungsten-tin metallogenic belt, the northern Jiangxi-southern Anhui tungsten metallogenic belt, the Youjiang-Guibei tin metallogenic belt, and the southeast coastal tungsten-tin metallogenic belt. The formation of tungsten and tin deposits in China spans a large period of time, from Proterozoic to Cenozoic, but the Mesozoic Yanshanian mineralization is the most important. There are five main types of primary tungsten-tin deposits in China, namely, porphyry, greisen, skarn, quartz vein, and cassiterite-sulfide. In addition, there are also other types such as altered granite, hydrothermal breccia, and low-temperature hydrothermal vein. Many tungsten-tin deposits are often not of a single genetic type, and multiple mineralization types commonly co-exist in a deposit. Most of the granitoids associated with tungsten mineralization are thought to be S-type granite derived from partial melting of continental crustal materials, while the granitoids associated with tin deposits include I-type and A-type in addition to the S-type granite. Crust-mantle interaction plays an important role in generation of the Sn-bearing granites. Nd-Hf isotope studies show that beside the Sn-bearing granites, some W-bearing granites also have mantle-derived contributions. Whether it is W-bearing or Sn-bearing granite, a highly evolved feature is often more favorable for mineralization. The composite granitoids in South China are closely related to multiple tungsten-tin mineralization. Many tungsten and tin deposits in China are often co-produced with mineralization of other rare metals. According to the combination of ore elements, they mainly include the following three types: W-(Sn)-Be (including Sn-Be), W-(Sn)-Nb-a (including Sn-Nb-Ta), and Sn-Li-Rb-Nb-Ta. All of them are closely related to highly evolved peraluminous granites. The source of ore-forming fluids in most tungsten-tin deposits is closely related to magmatic hydrothermal activity, and some deposits also have characteristics of multi-source fluids. The temperature and salinity of ore-forming fluids vary widely, and the composition of the fluid system is also complex in many cases. Oxygen fugacity plays an important role in the transportation and precipitation of tin, but such an effect on tungsten is still in debate. The formation of many tungsten-tin deposits is generally controlled by a number of factors, such as temperature dropping, fluid mixing, fluid immiscibility, fluid boiling, and water-rock interaction.

Ресурсы стратегического минерального сырья Республики Бурятия: состояние и перспективы развития

The study is aimed at determining the current state and prospects of strategic mineral resources development in the Republic of Buryatia for use in knowledge-based high-tech industries of the Russian Federation. Comprehensive geological, geophysical and forecast metallogenic studies have been carried out based on the previously conducted geological survey, prospecting, exploration, and research work. To analyze the ores’ material composition and to establish the genetic types of the strategic mineral deposits, advanced mineralogical, petrological, geochemical, and isotope geochronological methods have been used. It has been established that the geological structure of the region is determined by its position in the folded frame of the Siberian platform south. The formation of the strategic mineral deposits of various genetic types is associated with the favorable tectonic-magmatic and ore-bearing structures distinguished in the region. Of primary commercial importance are the deposits and occurrences discovered in the region: beryllium, tungsten, molybdenum, uranium, gold, lead, silver, nickel, platinum, titanium, as well as aluminum, pure quartz raw materials, cadmium, indium, thallium, scandium, strontium, barium, rare and trace metals. The Republic of Buryatia has significant reserves of strategic metals capable to meet the needs of certain high-tech industries in the country. Over 700 mineral deposits are concentrated here, of which about 600 have been inventoried in the state balance. The study has identified over 20 types of mineral raw materials as demanded strategic resources.