Critical Metals Research at Cambridge

At Cambridge, our researchers are engaging with the transition to Net Zero in the form of research into the critical metal resource formation and responsible extraction.

Critical metals, including copper, lithium, the platinum-group and rare earth elements, lie at the heart of one of the most pressing societal challenges today: the transition to Net Zero and the need for secure and renewable energy.

These critical metals are essential to a range of technologies (including wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles) central to the energy transition, but the anticipated demand for them is predicted to rapidly outstrip their supply.

Obtaining secure, sustainable and environmentally and socially responsible supplies of such critical metals – both for the present and future decades – represents a fundamental challenge to humanity.

To meet this challenge, we will need to find new deposits and other sources of critical metals and refine methods for their extraction and purification, whilst considering the environmental and societal impacts of such activities. 

Critical metals research at Cambridge

Here in Cambridge, our researchers are developing a process-based understanding of how such different critical metals become enriched in deposits. This is critical to meeting the challenges of critical metal supply because it will enable us to take a predictive approach to metal enrichment and develop future extraction strategies that are both environmentally and socially responsible.

Research into critical metals in the Department of Earth Sciences spans a diverse range of fields including geophysics, tectonics, geodynamics, petrology, volcanology and isotope geochemistry.

We take a highly collaborative approach to our research. Our critical-metal projects link the activities of seven different research groups in the Department, employing a broad spectrum of techniques: including seismic imaging, numerical modelling, fieldwork, microanalytical electron-beam, ion-probe and laser-ablation techniques, thermodynamic models and novel stable isotope plasma source mass spectrometry, fluid dynamics and environmental remediation.

Our research projects involve many academic staff, students and postdoctoral researchers and include:

  • Studying the enrichment of lithium in granites and associated weathering products.
  • Rare-earth element deposits associated with alkaline-silicate magmatic systems.
  • The influence of the lithosphere’s thermal structure and thickness on the global distribution of sediment-hosted base metal deposits.
  • Large-scale tectonic and geodynamic controls on the conditions required for critical metal concentration and mobilisation in crustal systems.
  • Temporal and spatial patterns in the distribution of rare-earth element rich carbonatite magmas.
  • The formation of copper porphyry deposits.
  • The development of novel stable isotope tracers that can be used to directly fingerprint the origins and transport mechanisms of critical metals from magmatic source regions to surface deposits.
  • Using coupled chemistry and fluid flow models to investigate the extent of heavy metal contamination and develop prototype solutions.

Top left to bottom right: 1) Granitic pegmatite (pink) cutting high-grade metamorphic rocks (dark grey) in NW Scotland. Many pegmatites are common hosts of critical metal deposits. Credit: Alex Copley. 2) Distribution of sediment-hosted base metal deposits (Hoggard et al., 2020) on the background of S-wave velocity perturbations at 150 km depth (figure from Dou et al., 2024). 3) Copper-bearing sulfides in Icelandic basalts, showing EDS maps of Cu-rich domains and SEM backscatter images of sulfides in a melt inclusion (from Nicholson et al., 2024.) 4) Samples of isotopic metal-sulfide partitioning experiments applicable to ore deposit formation in preparation for mass spectrometry. Credit: Helen Williams.

We welcome collaboration

The Department of Earth Sciences is a dynamic, welcoming and inclusive environment and we work with a global array of excellent postdoctoral researchers, academic collaborators, industrial partners and graduate students, many of whom carry out PhD projects associated with industry.

We are keen to expand our research in critical metals, and further our understanding of the factors governing resource genesis and distribution, providing practical knowledge that may be used to develop environmentally responsible extraction and environmental remediation strategies for the immediate and long-term future.

We welcome enquiries in this area from all interested parties including prospective students, fellowship applicants, industry and any other prospective partners.

Feature image: Eudialyte, amphibole and feldspar pegmatite layers at Ilimmaasaq, Greenland. Credit: Charlie Beard.