Mineral Resources, Mining and Environment

Mineral Resources, Mining and Environment

Our society is evolving according to a development model that includes a demand for natural resources, including minerals. The aim of this publication is to provide tools for understanding the framework for their exploitation in relation to the environment, the preservation of which is the new paradigm to which mining must conform.

This document presents basic information on mineral deposits in their natural environment, the processes that lead to their formation, their distribution in the earth's crust and the geological principles that guide their exploration. It then discusses the need for and supply of minerals, taking into account aspects such as the depletion of reserves, alternative sources of minerals and the controversies surrounding mining.

This booklet was originally written in Spanish by Argentine metallogenists Carlos J. Herrmann and Eduardo O. Zappettini of SEGEMAR (Geological and Mining Survey of Argentina). The translation into English and its release on the occasion of the 35th International Geological Congress (35 IGC) in Cape Town (27 August - 2 September 2016) was made possible by the support of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) in its effort to contribute to the dissemination of geological knowledge.