Economic geology. Principles and practice. Metals, minerals, coal and hydrocarbons – introduction to formation and sustainable exploitation of mineral deposits / Экономическая геология. Принципы и практика. Металлы, полезные ископаемые, уголь и углеводор

Wisely used, mineral resources create wealth, employment, a vital social and natural environment and peace. If the reverse of these conditions occurs only too often, illustrating the so-called “resource curse”, this should be attributed to the true perpetrators, namely irresponsible, weak or selfish leaders. This book, however, does not intend to provide rules for good governance. I wrote it as a broad overview on geoscientific aspects of mineral deposits, including their origin and geological characteristics, the principles of the search for ores and minerals, and the investigation of newly found deposits. In addition, practical and environmental aspects are addressed that arise during the life-cycle of a mine and after its closure. Iamconvinced that in our time, economic geology cannot be taught, studied or practised without an understanding of environmental issues. The scientific core of the book is the attempt to present the extraordinary genetic variability of mineral deposits in the frame of fundamental geological process systems. The comprehensive approach – covering materials from metal ores to minerals and hydrocarbons – is both an advantage and a loss. The second concerns the sacrifice of much detail but I chose the first for its benefit of a panoramic view over the whole field of economic geology. Being aware that the specialist level of subjects presented in this book fills whole libraries, I do hope that even experienced practitioners, academic teachers and advanced students of particular subjects will find the synopsis useful. <...>