PhD student Matthew Morris gives a round‑up of Cambridge’s critical‑metals research presented at the Mineral Deposits Studies Group Conference.
Earlier this month, a group of Cambridge researchers made the journey across a snow-covered Britain to Cardiff for the annual winter conference of the Mineral Deposits Studies Group (MDSG).
Our group was led by Professor Owen Weller, accompanied by postdoctoral researcher Dr Carrie Soderman and myself, PhD student Matthew Morris, alongside several other current and ex-Cambridge students and researchers.
Since the previous MDSG conference in Dublin last year, Owen’s research group has been busy working on a range of magmatic ore systems, from rare earth element (REE) deposits in Greenland and Côte d’Ivoire, to lithium enrichment in a variety of orogenic systems, and understanding the geochemical tracers associated with global copper porphyry deposits. The group’s expertise centre around the application of a range of computational modelling tools to understand the development of these ore systems, particularly using phase equilibria modelling coupled with a range of field and petrological observations and compositional data.
After an enjoyable icebreaker event catching up with colleagues on the first evening, the following day brought a chance for all three Cambridge researchers to present their work. Carrie kicked off our group’s presentations, showcasing her work with Owen on understanding the geochemical differences between economic copper porphyry-bearing arc magmas and their barren equivalents. This study, which has just been accepted for publication, shows that the distinct geochemical compositions of copper porphyry-forming magmas may not always be generated under deeper, wetter crystallisation conditions than those of their barren counterparts, unlike most existing models for the early formation stages of copper porphyry-bearing magmas.
Conveniently, Owen and I were scheduled for back‑to‑back talks, allowing for a detailed presentation of the group’s research into lithium enrichment within granitic systems. My talk was on the development of a new petrogenetic model for lithium-enriched granites, using the granites in Cornwall, southwest England, as a case study. This work integrates recent observations about the relationship between lithium and fluorine into a model which can explain the temporally-close genesis of Li-poor and Li-rich granites not linked through fractional crystallisation.
Following my talk on the compositional factors which control lithium mineralisation, Owen presented his recently-published study, authored with fellow Cambridge researcher Professor Alex Copley, on the tectonic and thermal controls on lithium-rich granite and pegmatite formation. Owen discussed how factors such as crustal thickness, radiogenic heating, and tectonic convergence rates control the feasibility of developing lithium-rich melts in orogenic settings, and provided an explanation for the common observation of lithium-rich deposits forming predominantly in the late-stages of orogens.
The highly productive conference, which included many fruitful conversations and hopefully several future collaborations, was topped off when I was awarded the best student presentation prize, sponsored by Rio Tinto. For me, the award felt like recognition of the strong economic geology research coming out of Cambridge Earth Sciences. The next MDSG conference will be held in Belfast in 2027, and Cambridge earth scientists are already looking forward to presenting their research next year!