Mineralogy & Economic Geology

The accelerating growth of the world’s population, combined with an improving standard of living throughout the world, is greatly increasing demand for mineral products of all types. As a result, prices for metals and other mineral products reached new heights from 2005 to-date. A primary driver of high prices was a slowdown in the addition of new supplies via discovery and unability to expand production from known deposits. Increasing demand also highlighted vulnerability in the chain supply of mineral critical for industrial production and national security. Despite these economic and political drivers, the number of mineral resource “economic geologists” being trained in Pakistan has decreased significantly over the past two decades. At the same time, the search for ore is becoming more complex; more and more, ore is being sought under cover and at greater and greater depths. In order to obtain sufficient supplies in the future, new geologic, geochemical, and geophysical exploration ideas and techniques must be devised to supplement the old. Therefore, one of the objectives of this course is to redress the balance between theory and practice. We do not wish to designate theoretical studies of ore deposits but rather to increase the emphasis on the practical implications which arise from changes in genetic theory. In particular we would like to examine the importance of models in determining the strategy for mineral exploration. 

Focus Areas

Focus Areas

• Oceanic lithosphere and mineralization
• Mineralization in intracratonic basins
• Batholith-associated mineralization
• Magmatic hydrothermal deposits
• Surficial deposits of continental areas
• Ores formed by metamorphism
• The design and implementation of exploration programmes      
• Fuels