| “To advance to the deep earth is a strategic scientific problem we must solve” is an important thought put forward by General Secretary Xi Jin-ping, and also a new requirement for geologists put forward by the country. Deep geological processes result from the combined action of the planet Earth as a carrier in the solar stellar system and its larger scale space. From the short cycle of tide between the Moon and the Earth, to the season change due to Earth-Sun interaction, to the larger scale-alternative of glacial-interglacial stages, and even a longer periodical change, all affect the Earth itself, such as expansion-contraction, sea-level change, eruptions and lull of active volcanoes, catastrophe-mineralization/accumulation of resources. The destruction and reconstruction of living environment have a profound impact on the ecological environment of our Earth home.Strategic key minerals are mostly controlled by deep geological processes such as diamond in kimberlite/lamproites/olivine basalts; uranium deposit, a new energy mineral resources, in volcanic rocks or sandstones controlled by deep faults; lithium, rubidium, cesium and niobium, tantalum, zirconium, hafnium and rare metals hosted in pegmatites derived from deep fluids; rare precious metals, gold-silver-platinum group elements-cobalt-rhenium controlled by deep fluids; and rare-earth elements are mainly produced in carbonate-alkaline complex of deep source. Most of these minerals are essential raw materials for burgeoning industries. At the same time, the deep geological process and its corresponding shallow products are the information window of understanding the core-mantle material composition. The strategic key minerals have historically driven the research of deep geological processes to geologists.
In recent years, many domestic scientific research units, institutions of higher learning, and geological exploration units for deep geological process and related key strategic minerals was carried out by geological investigation and scientific research, and a series of new progress have been made, including deep rocks as kimberlites- lamproites-olivine basalts plus others, and deep-sources minerals as diamonds, precious metals, uranium, rare earth-rare trace-rare disperse minerals and other aspects. In order to better promote the academic research and application transformation of deep geology and strategic key minerals, and serve the needs of the country, Acta Geoscientica Sinica organizes a specific issue, “Deep Geological Process and Strategic Key Minerals”, serving for experts and scholars in deep exploration and related research and exploration of strategic key minerals (diamond, uranium, rare earth-rare trace-rare disperse-precious metals). |