Goodenough, and 15 co-authors, reported in 2016 that security of supply of a number of raw materials is of concern for the European Union; foremost among these are the rare earth elements (REE), which are used in a range of modern technologies. A number of research projects, including the EURARE and ASTER projects, have been funded in Europe to investigate various steps along the REE supply chain.
The authors address the initial part of that supply chain, namely the potential geological resources of the REE in Europe. Although the REE are not currently mined in Europe, potential resources are known to be widespread, and many are being explored. The most important European resources are associated with alkaline igneous rocks and carbonatites, although REE deposits are also known from a range of other settings. Within Europe, a number of REE metallogenetic belts can be identified on the basis of age, tectonic setting, lithological association and known REE enrichments.
The authors reviewed those metallogenetic belts and sets them in their geodynamic context. The most well-known of the REE belts are of Precambrian to Palaeozoic age and occur in Greenland and the Fennoscandian Shield. Of particular importance for their REE potential are the Gardar Province of SW Greenland, the Svecofennian Belt and subsequent Mesoproterozoic rifts in Sweden, and the carbonatites of the Central Iapetus Magmatic Province. However, several zones with significant potential for REE deposits are also identified in central, southern and eastern Europe, including examples in the Bohemian Massif, the Iberian Massif, and the Carpathians.
This overview demonstrates that Europe has a wide range of REE deposits and occurrences. The most significant primary deposits are associated with alkaline igneous rocks and carbonatites formed in extensional settings, although a range of deposits of hydrothermal and igneous origin can be formed in other geodynamic settings. Secondary deposits include placers, which can commonly be linked back to an igneous source, and bauxites in southern Europe.
The most well-known primary deposits are those associated with Mesoproterozoic rift-related magmatism in Greenland and Sweden, and with Neoproterozoic to Palaeozoic carbonatites across Greenland and the Fennoscandian Shield. However, there are a number of less well-known deposits in areas where Europe's Variscan belts have been reactivated by later rifting with the emplacement of alkaline magmas. In reviewing the grade and tonnage plots comparing European REE deposits with those worldwide, with background data on worldwide resources from Orris and Grauch (2002) and for current producers from Wall (2014), the indicated REE occurrences represent important targets for further investigation.
The authors have concluded that Europe has the potential REE deposits needed to secure its own supply of these elements for the foreseeable future, but that there is a need to develop beneficiation and processing methods in order to ensure sustainable mining development.
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