Geological Journal最新文献

The twenty-first century's energy–resources–climate nexus is reshaping how societies produce power, manage natural assets, and respond to escalating environmental risks. Meeting Paris Agreement and SDG ambitions demands innovations that are technical (from digitalization to novel energy systems), institutional (finance and governance), and methodological (advanced decision-support and integrated assessments). This special issue gathers 16 contributions spanning these fronts, empirically grounded studies, and new frameworks that together illuminate practical pathways toward lower emissions, fairer energy access, and more resilient resource systems. The 16 papers are grouped under the following five headings: (1) renewable energy, resource efficiency, and climate action; (2) digitalization, finance, and innovation; (3) resource characterisation and environmental management; (4) Geohazards, drought, and climate resilience; and (5) novel energy technologies and climate dynamics.

Effective mitigation planning has become essential considering the complexity and ambiguity of the drought. The Fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (Fuzzy-AHP) and a comparison matrix method are the key elements of this research's framework for planning drought mitigation for the Tharparkar desert region in Pakistan. Fuzzy-AHP, an efficient decision-making tool, offers systematic evaluation based on survey questionnaire criteria. It was created through a literature review and has received feedback from 40 various stakeholders. The identification of the criteria, the fuzzy-AHP model, consistency analysis, weight aggregation, assessment of the alternatives, ranking, and selection are the crucial steps in the technique suggested by this study. This approach, which offers a reliable and flexible framework for planning drought mitigation, incorporates the Fuzzy-AHP model and a comparison matrix. As it can handle confusing and subjective inputs, decision-makers can use it to identify drought situations, evaluate them, and select the best drought mitigation strategies. This research serves to improve the efficacy of drought mitigation planning processes across a range of sectors by offering a thorough and flexible decision-support tool.

This research delves into the complex relationships among carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, resource use, and energy consumption, showing how renewable energy adoption and reliance on fossil fuels shape greenhouse gas emissions. Leveraging panel data from 120 countries over a 10-year span, the analysis combines econometric approaches, including Weighted Least Squares (WLS), Generalised Linear Models (GLM) and Generalised Additive Models (GAM), with machine learning techniques such as Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) to capture nonlinear dynamics. Robustness checks are conducted using bagging, boosting, and Support Vector Machines (SVM) algorithms. Our analysis reveals strong associations between CO₂ emissions and key factors such as fossil fuel energy consumption, methane emissions, and renewable energy use. These results underscore the critical need for a global shift toward renewable energy systems, enhanced resource management, and well-targeted policy interventions. By employing cutting-edge methodologies, this study suggests harmonising economic growth with sustainability objectives and advancing climate change mitigation efforts.

The Central Asia Orogenic Belt (CAOB), the largest accretionary orogenic belt in the world, has a complex history. Carboniferous–Permian magmatism in the Zhangfangshan area of China is the key to understanding the accretion orogeny and reconstructing the orogenic belt structure in the southern Beishan Orogenic Belt, which is a part of the southern margin of the CAOB. The Zhangfangshan complex is exposed in the southeast of the Beishan area and includes plagiogranite, quartz diorite, siliceous rocks, limestone, and metamorphic sandstones. We obtained weighted mean zircon ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 351 ± 2 Ma and 338 ± 3 Ma from plagiogranite and quartz diorite in the complex, respectively. The plagiogranite yields clear negative Nb–Ta anomalies on a trace element spider diagram and ε_Hf(t) values of +14.8 to +20.1, characteristic of depleted mantle. These results indicate that the Zhangfangshan ophiolite was formed during the early Mississippian. The quartz diorites have similar trace element and Hf isotopic compositions to O-type adakites and high-Mg diorites, implying the partial melting of subducted oceanic crust. The undeformed granodiorite porphyrite and diabase that intrude the Zhangfangshan complex yield mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 270 ± 1 Ma and 250 ± 1 Ma, respectively, suggesting that the ocean basin represented by the Zhangfangshan ophiolite was closed before ~ 270 Ma. The diorite–granodiorite porphyrites have low Mg# (42.8–46.1) and positive ε_Hf(t) values (+4.7 to +10.0), suggesting that they were generated from juvenile crust. The diabases have geochemical characteristics similar to the diorite porphyrite and have evolved ε_Hf(t) values (−0.5 to +11.7) that may be related to crust–mantle mixing in their source. Based on our results and previous findings, we reveal the Late Palaeozoic evolutionary process in the southern Beishan orogenic belt.

Volcanic carbonatitic breccia is the most voluminous carbonatite formation found in the Amba Dongar Complex (ADC). These breccias are present in both the inner ring dyke as well as the northwestern region of Mongra-Padvani, referred to as the outer breccia. This study presents the mineral chemistry of apatite along with whole-rock geochemistry of the matrix from volcanic carbonatitic breccia of the Padvani region from ADC. The breccias are matrix-supported with few carbonatitic clasts of ADC. Apatites are found in the groundmass and display a morphology and chemistry that are distinct compared to apatites from the coherent carbonatites of the ADC, and have significantly larger concentrations of rare earth elements. The trace element concentration of the carbonatitic matrix closely resembles that of ADC, with anomalously high Nb (290–960 ppm) linked to a significant presence of pyrochlore supergroup minerals. REE-bearing phases include monazite and pyrochlore group of minerals with minor parisite-Ce. The samples also exhibit high (La/Yb)_CN values (~42), and moderate (La/Sm)_CN values (~7), with similar REE patterns compared to the ADC carbonatites. The integrated study of petrography, whole-rock geochemistry, and mineral chemistry suggests that the Mongra-Padvani region is a secondary eruption centre in the northwestern region of ADC. An emplacement model is presented for the origin of the outer breccia. In addition, the present study highlights the economic relevance of carbonatitic breccia in the ADC, emphasising their potential as hosts for REE mineralisation. The significant concentration levels observed in these rocks suggest promising avenues for mining endeavours.

The global shift toward low-carbon energy technologies has significantly increased the demand for critical minerals such as lithium, rare earth elements (REEs) and helium. This special issue “Critical minerals” brings together 19 original research articles and review papers that address recent advances in both extraction technologies and the geological understanding of critical mineral deposits. The first section focuses on innovative recovery methods for lithium and REEs from sources such as electronic waste and salt lake brines, with promising industrial applications reported in China, Algeria and India. It also includes a study on optimising carbon capture and storage through improved source-sink matching. The second section investigates ore-forming processes and exploration strategies for hard-rock and brine-type deposits, including pegmatite-hosted lithium, carbonatite-related REEs, sandstone-hosted uranium, quartz-vein tungsten and porphyry copper deposits. Several studies from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau offer new insights into lithium enrichment mechanisms in geothermal and saline environments, using geochemical and isotopic methods. Additionally, a new model for helium accumulation in shale gas reservoirs highlights the structural controls on gas migration and trapping. Collectively, these contributions advance our understanding of mineralizing processes in diverse geological settings and support the sustainable development of critical mineral resources essential for the global energy transition.

Research on shale pore structure has advanced the understanding of shale gas occurrence, migration and enrichment mechanisms. However, the factors affecting shale pore structure are complex and contentious, limiting a comprehensive understanding of shale gas accumulation. This study focuses on the Longmaxi (LMX) Formation shale in the Changning area of southern Sichuan, utilising X-ray diffraction (XRD), organic geochemistry, thin section and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation and nitrogen adsorption experiments to classify lithofacies types and examine how mineral composition and organic matter (OM) control pore structure and identify favourable shale reservoirs. The results show that the LMX Formation shale can be categorised into four different lithofacies: organic-rich siliceous shale (RS), organic-rich mixed shale (RM), organic-lean siliceous shale (LS) and organic-lean mixed shale (LM). The predominant pore types include OM pores and inorganic pores (mainly intergranular and intragranular pores), with mesopores contributing the majority of the total pore volume (PV) and specific surface area (SSA), accounting for approximately 70% and 80%, respectively. Characterised by high total organic carbon (TOC) content and well-developed OM pores, RS and RM exhibit larger PV and SSA, suggesting better resource potential compared to LS and LM. In these high-TOC shales, both SSA and PV show a strong positive correlation with TOC content and a negative correlation with clay mineral content. Conversely, in low-TOC shales, SSA and PV are positively correlated with clay mineral content while the correlation with TOC diminishes. There is a tight intrinsic relationship between lithofacies characteristics and pore structure.

Lithium, a crucial material for new energy vehicle batteries and the energy storage sector, is encountering escalating global competition. The Qaidam Basin, being one of China's major lithium-rich salt lake brine regions, a key site for lithium extraction from salt lakes, and an important production base for lithium carbonate, considerably influences China's self-sufficiency in lithium resources. Based on analysing the lithium resource status and the development and utilisation status of brine in the Qarhan, East Taijnar, West Taijnar, Yiliping, and Big Qaidam salt lakes in this region, and by systematically categorising the distribution characteristics of brine in salt lakes and subsurface brine, including fissure-pore brine types and sand conglomerate pore brine types, the paper identifies key issues in the exploration, development, and utilisation of salt lake lithium resources in the Qaidam Basin, including inadequate availability of factors of production, insufficient continuity and security in resources, low levels of comprehensive utilisation, insufficient core competitiveness of enterprises, and gaps in technological innovation. Based on these challenges, the paper puts forward several measures such as enhancement of infrastructure, verification of existing resources, enhancement of comprehensive utilisation, industrial optimisation and upgrading, and deepening of collaborative innovation. These strategies offer insights into the sustainable development and high-quality industrial growth of lithium resources in the region.

In situ LA-ICP-MS U–Pb dating and trace element analyses were conducted on the wolframites present in the quartz veinlets and large quartz veins of the ores within the Guomuyang tungsten deposit in Fujian. The results of the U–Pb dating indicate that the ages of the wolframite samples sourced from the quartz veinlets and large quartz veins are 109 Ma and 107–105 Ma, respectively. The timing of tungsten mineralization in the deposit coincides with the stages of tungsten mineralization in the Nanling area, suggesting that the large-scale tungsten mineralization in South China during the Early Cretaceous might have extended eastward from the Nanling area to the Wuyishan metallogenic belt. The wolframite in the quartz veinlets has relatively high concentrations of Nb and Ta and a low δEu value, indicating that the early quartz veinlets containing wolframite were formed under relatively reductive conditions. In addition, the non-characteristic features of the Y/Ho and Zr/Hf ratios of wolframite suggest that F might have played an important role in the migration and enrichment of tungsten. Through detailed morphological observations of the orebodies and analyses of the mineral assemblages, and in combination with the prominent geochemical characteristics of wolframite, which exhibit significant enrichment of heavy rare earth elements, as well as being poor in La and Ce while rich in Y, it is concluded that the genetic type of the Guomuyang tungsten deposit belongs to the magmatic-hydrothermal type tungsten deposit.

The present study provides the nexus between green technology, renewable energy systems and sustainable economic growth in China by assessing comprehensive time series data from 1990 to 2021. It employs quantile-on-quantile regression and the Augmented Dickey–Fuller test to assess how policies promoting green technology and renewable energy systems impact China's sustainable economic trajectory towards building a low-carbon economy for climate change mitigation. The results reveal that all variables become stationary at first difference, except for green technology. There is a positive correlation between green technology, renewable energy systems and sustainable economic growth. Notably, an increase in the rate of green technology and resource management efficiency tends to increase economic growth, emphasising their transformative potential for fostering sustainability. In contrast, the increase in interest rates hinders economic growth. Furthermore, inflation and gross capital formation exhibit positive associations with sustainable economic growth. Policymakers should focus on transition to a low-carbon economy through targeted resource allocation for low-carbon technologies and the policies promoting energy efficiency, especially in the urban and industrial sectors. The current study also identifies limitations, like data constraints, methodological challenges and policy interaction complexity. By highlighting these limitations and further exploration can assist multi-criteria decision making and policymakers to foster green, prospect and sustainable climate change.