Our Metallic Earth
Our Metallic Earth
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Magmatic Sulphide Deposits
Mafic magmatic intrusions are very important sources for the world’s nickel, chromium, and platinum group elements, and many also yield significant amounts of copper, cobalt and other important industrial and precious metals. Dr Taija Torvela investigates magmatic sulphide deposits, a key deposit type for nickel. We will also visit Aberdeen Minerals in Ellon, NE Scotland, to look at rocks and find out about exploration approaches for this deposit type.
Part of Taija's UA-cam channel @ourmetallicearth
#nickel #mining #steel #minerals #geology #energytransition #exploration #metals #criticalminerals #netzero #batterymetals #decarbonisation #earthscience #education #oredeposits
Переглядів: 1 448

Відео

Surprising uses of salt
Переглядів 1,2 тис.6 місяців тому
Salt is so much more than seasoning for food: it is hugely important for industry and even has applications in the energy transition that are perhaps quite surprising. In this video, Dr Taija Torvela discovers salt - what it is used for and where it comes from. We will also visit the Loule salt mine in Southern Portugal! Part of Taija's UA-cam channel @ourmetallicearth #salt #mining #minerals #...
Placer ore deposits
Переглядів 7 тис.7 місяців тому
Placer deposits are an important source for gold, tin, titanium, platinum group elements, and many others. Placer deposits form via sedimentary processes in various types of environments, due to the differences in the density of different minerals. But apart from density, the minerals need some other, quite specific properties, too. In this video, Dr Taija Torvela has a look at how placer depos...
Manganese, the hidden giant
Переглядів 34 тис.9 місяців тому
Manganese is the most consumed metal in the world after iron and aluminium, but most of its uses are hidden from view so its importance for our society is not necessarily very obvious. Over 90% of the manganese used annually goes into metallurgical applications, primarily steelmaking - in fact, you can’t make steel without manganese. But manganese is set to become even more important as we move...
Zinc: the quiet protector
Переглядів 4,6 тис.10 місяців тому
Zinc is one of the most used and important metals in the world but most of its uses are kind of hidden from view. Zinc coating is essential in protecting steel and other metal alloys from rusting, and most zinc today is used for this so-called galvanizing process. And the demand for zinc is increasing due to the energy transition as zinc-coated steel is needed for wind turbines and other low-ca...
Deep Sea Mining: do we really need it?
Переглядів 1,1 тис.11 місяців тому
Norway this morning announced plans to approve deep sea mining. Mining for metals deep in the oceans is technically difficult but also controversial because we do not really know how mining activities would affect deep oceanic ecosystems. Dr Taija Torvela has a brief look at deep sea mining and whether we really need it. Part of Taija's UA-cam channel @ourmetallicearth #mining #deepseamining #d...
Copper, the red metal
Переглядів 6 тис.Рік тому
Copper is essential for our modern lives. All industry and technology we use on a daily basis rely heavily on the availability of copper, and our need for copper is growing. Energy production, transmission and distribution, as well as wiring of our homes and cars already takes up more than half of the copper use we today, but as we transition away from fossil fuels, we are going to have to acce...
COP28 - where are the metals?
Переглядів 2,3 тис.Рік тому
The World's attention has been on COP28 that finished this week. For the first time this summit has made a clear commitment to transition away from fossil fuels, and the ambition remains to limit the global warming to 1.5 degrees. This means that we have to significantly accelerate the rate of building non-hydrocarbon based energy production and other relevant infrastructure. But there is still...
What metals are needed for green energy transition?
Переглядів 1,1 тис.Рік тому
A wide array of metals and elements are needed in the infrastructure and technologies that are used to produce low-carbon energy, particularly in wind turbines and solar panels. In this video, Dr Taija Torvela investigates what metals and elements go into low-carbon energy production and infrastructure. This video is part of Taija’s UA-cam channel @ourmetallicearth with videos on various metals...
Volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits
Переглядів 52 тис.Рік тому
Volcanogenic massive sulphide deposits, also known as VMS deposits, are a significant source for world’s base metals, and they are also important ores for gold, silver, and trace elements such as tellurium. Dr Taija Torvela investigates in this video where, and how, VMS ores form, and we will also visit the Rio Tinto mining district in Spain, to have a look at some examples of VMS mineralisatio...
Cobalt, the superhero of metals
Переглядів 10 тис.Рік тому
Cobalt is a crucial metal in lithium batteries because it stabilises the extremely flammable lithium. Cobalt is also essential for industries that require extremely hard-wearing metal alloys - or so-called superalloys - because cobalt provides strength to other metals. So cobalt is a sort of a superhero of the metal world, providing strength and stability to metal alloys. Let's have a look at w...
Lithium, a key metal for the energy transition
Переглядів 1,3 тис.Рік тому
Lithium is one of the really crucial metals for the energy transition because it is needed in batteries, and batteries in turn are a key component in electric vehicles. Let's explore with Dr Taija Torvela where lithium actually comes from! This video is part of the UA-cam channel "Our Metallic Earth". #lithium #energytransition #batterymetals #geology #mining #minerals #criticalminerals #explor...
History of gold exploration in Scotland part 2: 20th century and beyond
Переглядів 1,7 тис.Рік тому
Robert Burns's lyrical descriptions about Scotland's gold-bubbling fountains may have been an exaggeration, but gold was mined in Scotland since the middle ages. Scotland even experienced its own gold rush in 1869. This two-part video gives an overview of the history of gold exploration and mining in Scotland. The two videos are a summary of a longer talk I gave at the Scottish Geology Festival...
History of gold exploration in Scotland Part 1: Medieval times to the 19th century.
Переглядів 3,5 тис.Рік тому
Robert Burns's lyrical descriptions about Scotland's gold-bubbling fountains may have been an exaggeration, but gold was mined in Scotland since the middle ages. Scotland even experienced its own gold rush in 1869. This two-part video gives an overview of the history of gold exploration and mining in Scotland. The two videos are a summary of a longer talk I gave at the Scottish Geology Festival...
Porphyry copper deposits
Переглядів 22 тис.Рік тому
Porphyry is a specific type of magmatic rock that forms chiefly within mountain belts. Some porphyry intrusions carry metals and porphyry deposits are the single most important deposit type for copper. Many porphyry deposits are also very important resources for particularly gold and molybdenum. This video by Dr Taija Torvela summarises how, and where, porphyry deposits form, and describes the ...
Tin, the unsung hero of the energy transition
Переглядів 2 тис.Рік тому
Tin, the unsung hero of the energy transition
Silver, the precious industrial metal
Переглядів 2,4 тис.Рік тому
Silver, the precious industrial metal
What metals go into batteries?
Переглядів 525Рік тому
What metals go into batteries?

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @martinchrist4483
    @martinchrist4483 8 днів тому

    I echo the request for an episode on rare earth elements. I would also like to hear about the geological set-up of uranium deposits.

  • @chrisgomez984
    @chrisgomez984 11 днів тому

    Hey! I'm a fourth year geology student and I'm really interested in rare earth elements, maybe you could make a video talking about them, thanks for the videos ! :)

  • @absolute___zero
    @absolute___zero 17 днів тому

    Your conclusions look amateurish. 1) we don't need that much metals, there are other materials, like silicon nitride for example, close to diamond hardness. Nitrogen is the most abundant gas, silicon is the most abundant element. 2) aluminium is the most abundant metal on earth, will be enough for our civilization for the next 1000 years. 3) there is an unlimited energy source of energy, called, geothermal, when AI is ready we are going to put it into the robots and they will build geothermal energy plants. 4)governments are already doing work related to carbon emissions, they give tax discounts for those who use solar panels. 5)etc. ,etc. etc.... read some more physics, chemistry, mechatronics, machining, industrial engineering

  • @absolute___zero
    @absolute___zero 17 днів тому

    Solar panel metal layers are made from aluminium, not copper

  • @DimasFajar-ns4vb
    @DimasFajar-ns4vb 17 днів тому

    zamzam water

  • @StellaVinum
    @StellaVinum 24 дні тому

    I very recently learned about the relationship between pegmatite and lithium. I find a lot of pegmatite and porphyry on my hikes around Las Vegas. We’re getting a new lithium mine in the state soon.

  • @StellaVinum
    @StellaVinum 25 днів тому

    I didn’t understand the relationship between all the ocean fossils in Arizona and the copper mines, but I do now. Morenci and Bisbee are two places that always spring to mind when I think copper.

  • @StellaVinum
    @StellaVinum 25 днів тому

    I watched something on the Clarion-Clipperton Zone and the controversy around mining claims there and the environmental impacts of those mining methods. Potato-sized nodules of manganese litter the seafloor and from what I remember, there isn’t a way to scoop those up and bring them up to the surface without also scooping up sea life.

  • @StellaVinum
    @StellaVinum 25 днів тому

    There is a three tower CSP system not too far south of Las Vegas along the I-15 called the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility. You can see the first tower from quite a distance as you approach along the freeway.

  • @StellaVinum
    @StellaVinum 25 днів тому

    I have been running across porphyry in a wide range of colors on most of my hiking trips and was seeking more info on it, which lead me to this video. Towards the end of the video you show a cross section of a porphyry copper deposit. It took me a moment to notice you were showing Nevada. Guess where I live? Nevada.

  • @godwinlakube1765
    @godwinlakube1765 29 днів тому

    Very informative

  • @RustyAtwood-s1p
    @RustyAtwood-s1p Місяць тому

    Thanks for the info in this video. Owner of Alaska Rare Earth LLC

  • @RustyAtwood-s1p
    @RustyAtwood-s1p Місяць тому

    Thanks for the info in this video! Owner of Alaska Rare Earth LLC

  • @basil6276
    @basil6276 Місяць тому

    Love your style of teaching ❤

  • @padkirsch
    @padkirsch Місяць тому

    GREAT VIDEO! #subscribed

  • @terkelinpurba7579
    @terkelinpurba7579 Місяць тому

    Super...

  • @terkelinpurba7579
    @terkelinpurba7579 Місяць тому

    Outstanding...need more videp like this ...thanks

  • @Gaming99-e5k
    @Gaming99-e5k Місяць тому

    Respected Mam What Geological conditions can form multicolored layers of clay at a depth of 20 to 40 foot (1 foot =12 inches) mostly yellow to brown colours over vast areas. Please give the answer ,if you can.

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth Місяць тому

      sounds like a superficial oxidation profile, not uncommon at all

  • @imanderdumme8706
    @imanderdumme8706 Місяць тому

    hi please read the quran verses about the geology and how the precious metals are formed for us and become a shiaa

  • @alanmelvillesbicycleriding1085
    @alanmelvillesbicycleriding1085 Місяць тому

    Well done. The voice overs have improved tremendously. :) The audio for the intro on the bench was very clean given the conditions, it make a positive difference to the production. Nearly all the lav mic was clean but a couple of scenes suffered from wind noise. If you're using Resolve as your editor, there is a superb voice isolation tool that will totally eliminate unwanted background noise. I really liked the outdoor setting used in the intro. I'm really curious as to how you did your audio in the intro. I saw some good cuts and fades used throughout the video. Loved the walkaway from the intro, it was well scripted and executed. There is certainly a positive difference compared to the first one I commented on about a year ago. As always, very informative and well presented and btw, I know and appreciate the huge amount of work the pair of you go to to present these videos.

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth Місяць тому

      Thanks! I hid the lapel mic inside my top for the intro... the fabric of my top kept the wind away, worked pretty well. I shot the intro after the visit to the mine and drill sites, I hadn't thought about hiding the mic during the field visit so those bits still had some wind noise as consequence. I use Audacity to clean up the noise from the voiceovers too, sometimes I use it to clean the video audio but it's a bit of a faff because I have to first separate the audio track so I tend to only do it when I really have to. I'm considering editing the audio of some of my early videos and republishing. It does make a difference... I just have to find the time.

    • @alanmelvillesbicycleriding1085
      @alanmelvillesbicycleriding1085 Місяць тому

      Re the mic under your shirt, well done. I did wonder because I thought I could see it. Re; redoing the audio of some of your earlier vids, that's an absolute truckload of work ! Maybe consider inserting at the beginning of each video which you consider to have bad audio, a short apology and also state that it improves vastly in later episodes as you gain more experience. You could do a little talking head clip saying " Hello, this is the future me from 18 videos on, apologising for the audio of this video, but trust me, it does improve as I gain audio experience....... enjoy" end with a big smile, smiling people always make friends.... 😁 Remember, experience is gained through past mistakes and triumphs, nobody is immune to mistakes, so the reality of it is, you could simply leave those videos as they are and improve the future ones. Your call though. 😁

  • @RustyAtwood-s1p
    @RustyAtwood-s1p Місяць тому

    Thanks for good info! Alaska Rare Earth LLC

  • @farhahkhachaturian2761
    @farhahkhachaturian2761 Місяць тому

    Very good. You rise my experience greatly. Thanks

  • @TotalFreedomTTT-pk9st
    @TotalFreedomTTT-pk9st Місяць тому

    Looking at the Pie chart I thought Sweden produced Nickle - and on the core samples - I suppose they have to use a diamond hole cutter to drill the core - but 1000 feet ? (300 meters) - amazing amount of work just looking for economic deposits - you wonder how much is below what we can not 'see' especially in cold areas and Oceans

  • @gaia-australis
    @gaia-australis Місяць тому

    Interesting. I assume that Pentlandite was named after the Pentland Hills southwest of Edinburgh.

  • @muzikhed
    @muzikhed Місяць тому

    Very interesting, thanks for explaining the role the sulphur bodies play in the formation of deposits.

  • @mitakeet
    @mitakeet Місяць тому

    Are there practical ways to do solution mining for such minerals?

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth Місяць тому

      Not mining in terms of physically getting the minerals out of the ground, processing techniques are constantly developing however but I'm not the best person to give insights as to what's happening in that space currently

  • @davec9244
    @davec9244 2 місяці тому

    That would be a massive undertaking, a compromise between the Environment and capital investment. Underground mining is not very safe and open pit is very destructive to the environment. Thank you for the info

  • @paulcooper8818
    @paulcooper8818 2 місяці тому

    Interesting and informative as usual

  • @Desertphile
    @Desertphile 2 місяці тому

    Thank you.

  • @johnm2879
    @johnm2879 2 місяці тому

    What do you think of Prof Simon Michaux's research indicating there are severe limitations in material availability for a full transition to renewable energy?

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth Місяць тому

      Yes there will be severe limitations. The problem is the timeline, we need a full transition in the next 30-40 years to limit global warming to manageable levels, but at the current and realistically predicted rate of production of metals in the foreseeable future, a full transition will take more like 100 years by which stage the global warming will be probably around 7-8 degrees. So it's a serious issue and production of metals need to be ramped up significantly very quickly, but this is difficult for all sorts of technical, financing and societal reasons, so the upshot is that it takes usually at least 15 years from discovery to mine opening.

  • @karhukivi
    @karhukivi 2 місяці тому

    Very interesting! We looked at the ultramafics in the Newry Igneous Complex many years ago, but at a time when fieldwork was made difficult by political problems, perhaps time to look again. I would be interested to see that poster in the field office - do you know the author of it?

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth 2 місяці тому

      Not sure, don't think anyone's worked on that for decades!

  • @YahyaKhan-y6m
    @YahyaKhan-y6m 2 місяці тому

    This technique is very good to show the rocks to the observer ❤❤

  • @karhukivi
    @karhukivi 3 місяці тому

    I don't know why some viewers complain about the audio - you have a perfectly clear voice and I'm slightly deaf! Nothing worse than an AI generated voiceover with incorrect pronunciation. Great series - I worked in the Spanish Pyrite belt for 5 years and loved the place, especially the faint smell of sulphur on any hot day. We discovered the Aguas Teñidas mine which is still in operation.

  • @karhukivi
    @karhukivi 3 місяці тому

    Cobalt was found in the silver mines of the Erzgebirge ("Ore Mountains") in Saxony, Germany. It was used for making blue pigments as well as colouring glass. However, the ore was also a problem for the miners given its association with arsenic and hence named after the mythical and malicious elf "Kobald" who was supposed to haunt the mines.

  • @karhukivi
    @karhukivi 3 місяці тому

    Many geologists have walked over spodumene thinking it was just a feldspar phenocryst in a pegmatite. Well worth having a closer look at all pegmatites!

  • @karhukivi
    @karhukivi 3 місяці тому

    The Lecht Mine in N. Scotland produced manganese in the 18th and 19th centuries and the mine building is now a visitor attraction. The manganese dioxide ore was used to make chlorine and bleach in those days. Probably a supergene deposit of Fe and Mn oxides in a breccia. These same deposits were used by locals to smelt iron to make agricultural implements and weapons.

  • @karhukivi
    @karhukivi 3 місяці тому

    The biggest zinc mine in Europe is the Tara Mines at Navan in Ireland. It was discovered in 1970 and is still producing 50 years later. The deposit is a variant of a MVT and is hosted in flat-lying Lower Carboniferous limestones. Silve and germanium are the two trace elements commonly associated with these Zn-Pb deposits, but other elements can be found in small quantities too, like the nickel in the Lisheen deposit, (Ireland).

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth 3 місяці тому

      Navan is great, I've visited there many times with students! A really well run operation and very interesting geology.

    • @karhukivi
      @karhukivi 3 місяці тому

      @@ourmetallicearth What interests me is where the metal came from, hydrothermal fluids rising yes, but are they leaching metals from sediments - the current theory? Perhaps there are VMS deposits or granites in the Lr. Palaeozoic or crystalline basement.

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth 3 місяці тому

      I think the metals are believed to originate from the Red Beds that overlie the basement, but for sure if there are any deposits in the basement they could also contribute.

    • @karhukivi
      @karhukivi 3 місяці тому

      Yes, that is the current sedimentary-origin proposed. However, the Red Beds thin northwards yet Navan is the largest and furthest north. Bouguer gravity data shows the basement underlying the Midlands to be quite heterogenous, and not all the variations can be explained in the current horst & graben model.

  • @georgeriddell9356
    @georgeriddell9356 3 місяці тому

    Have ye no stolen enough

  • @Kiltoonie
    @Kiltoonie 3 місяці тому

    I've gained a bit of gold myself at Leadhills, and it is a fun day out.

  • @Hossak
    @Hossak 3 місяці тому

    Great video. I had the pleasure of visiting the exploration ship for Nautilus back in 2011 whilst they were drilling the copper/gold ore types in the Bismarck sea off Niugini.

  • @icantseethis
    @icantseethis 3 місяці тому

    yeah I'm into heavy metals

  • @RobIngram-e7h
    @RobIngram-e7h 4 місяці тому

    Hi there, as a professional geologist, I found both part1 and 2 of great interest. Well done! But please get to work on your audio, the constant changes of tone and level do distract from the appreciation of your work. More or the same please.

    • @ourmetallicearth
      @ourmetallicearth 4 місяці тому

      Thanks! These were some of my earliest videos, I've used a lapel mic in my later ones so the audio should be a lot better! I might republish these and some other older ones with reworked audio at some point. But glad you like them 😊

  • @nigelbowe6688
    @nigelbowe6688 4 місяці тому

    Thank you for your video, here in Far North Queensland ,Australia there's still plenty of tin in the creeks.

  • @Ian-vv6tf
    @Ian-vv6tf 4 місяці тому

    Enjoyable video. I've had many enjoyable days at Baile an Or. Thank you.

  • @AnandKumar-bk6td
    @AnandKumar-bk6td 5 місяців тому

    Great Presentation with a right combination of actual footage and schematic diagrams.

  • @paulkurilecz4209
    @paulkurilecz4209 5 місяців тому

    An excellent presentation of the process for how these deposits form. I was able to fully understand and appreciate this geological process. Up until now, I did not understand why certain mineral deposits form in certain locales and what the process is for their deposition. It makes the source, trapping and accumulation of petroleum deposits seem to be much simpler, though related.

  • @rhysharrop5008
    @rhysharrop5008 5 місяців тому

    Fantastic! Really well structured

  • @TheKARMMARK
    @TheKARMMARK 5 місяців тому

    BRILLIANT video. Very useful and informative.

  • @av_i_kk2328
    @av_i_kk2328 5 місяців тому

    Very knowledgeable video

  • @dannedifyoudo
    @dannedifyoudo 5 місяців тому

    Wow amazing video. Gonna watch all of yours now.