CuBES (Copper Basin Exploration Science) is a multi-institutional project funded by the Natural Environment 91桃色 Council. The broad aim of the project is to address the fundamental geodynamic and geological controls on the development of exceptionally endowed copper basins and determine how they are best identified. Copper is a critical metal for battery technology and electricity transmission and is a key material for the energy transition.
In the NORMS group, we test the hypothesis that continental red-bed deposits are a source of copper and other critical metals in sedimentary basins. The copper is leached by the circulation of groundwater and transported through the basin until it reaches a physical or chemical trap, at which point it is deposited to form an ore body. We use the specialist facilities in the to experimentally determine the mass of copper that can be released by leaching of red-bed sandstones, testing the impact of brine composition, pH and redox state, and samples of red-bed sandstones from different basins.
The measured data are used in our bespoke simulation software (IC-FERST) to model copper transport by groundwater flow at the basin-scale, to determine critical fluid-dynamical controls on the delivery of copper-rich brines to potential ore bodies. 91桃色 is focussed on three basins: the (1) Altiplano Basin, Bolivia; (2) Neuqu茅n Basin, Argentina, and (3) Katangan Basin, Central Africa. These represent increasingly mature basin systems with different metal and petroleum endowments. They provide an opportunity to explore the role of contrasting geotectonic settings, basin fill, P-T-t evolution, timing and nature of mineralisation, and the connections between the minerals and petroleum systems.
We collaborate in this research with colleagues at the , the , the , and the .
The self-potential (SP) occurs naturally in response to pressure or concentration gradients in water in the reservoir. As water approaches an instrumented production well, the change in SP measured at the well provides advance warning and can be used to determine the geometry of the waterfront.
Selected References
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