In response to the rising needs for long-term research and innovation in the field of critical raw material exploration, the Smart Exploration Research Centre was established in 2024 in Sweden. Funded by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research (SSF), this initiative involves collaboration among academic institutions, industry, and the public sector. Building on the H2020-funded Smart Exploration project, which involved 27 European organisations including the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE), the centre aims to advance the global standing of Sweden's exploration. It seeks to gather skills and create a network that will leave a lasting legacy in the field of mineral exploration. The multidisciplinary centre aims to be a fast-track hub for addressing exploration challenges in the mining industry through synergistic efforts. It connects exploration with mineral processing and nanotechnology to enhance environmental studies and develop effective extraction and beneficiation methods.

Scapolite is a common S-, Cl-, and C-bearing mineral in metamorphic terranes, especially those that include meta-evaporites. Fluid interaction with scapolite-bearing rocks can result in albitisation of scapolite, and release of volatile components such as Cl⁻, –, SO₂ and/or . Hence, scapolite may play an important role in buffering the oxidation state, salinity and sulfur speciation of the rock and fluids in such terranes, and since Cl, S, and the redox state of S are vital for the transport and deposition of metals, scapolite may exert an important influence on hydrothermal mineralisation processes. We investigated the oxidation state of S and concentrations of S and Cl from 17 scapolite-bearing samples collected from various metamorphic and hydrothermal environments. The highest concentrations of S and Cl in the samples set are respectively 1.11 ± 0.04 wt% S (reported as SO₃, n = 10 points measurements) and 3.84 ± 0.17 wt% (n = 11 points measurements). µ-XANES spectroscopy demonstrates that S chemistry in scapolite is complex, S being present in both oxidised (as sulfate and sulfite) and reduced forms (polysulfides and minor sulfide) in most scapolites. These results confirm that scapolite can buffer fluid oxidation state to sulfate/sulfide coexistence, at acidic to neutral pH. The proportion of reduced S in scapolite increases with increasing metamorphic grade from greenschist to amphibolite facies. Since scapolite contains highly reactive polysulfide and sulfite, its breakdown may promote alteration of sulfide minerals and release of hosted metals. Thus, the presence of scapolitic calc-silicate rocks can strongly influence regional syn-orogenic metallogeny and should allow the mobilisation of metals differently from other bulk compositions.

Precambrian greenstone belts are prospective terrains for orogenic Au deposits worldwide, but the sources of Au, base metals, metalloids, and ligands enriched within the deposits are still debated. Metamorphic devolatilization is a key mechanism for generating Au-rich hydrothermal fluids, but the respective role of the metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks present within these belts in releasing ore-forming elements is still not fully understood. The Central Lapland Greenstone Belt (CLGB), Finland, one of the largest Paleoproterozoic greenstone belts, hosts numerous orogenic Au deposits and is composed of variably metamorphosed volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Characterization of element behavior during prograde metamorphism highlights that (1) metavolcanic rocks release significant Au, As, Sn, Te, and possibly S; (2) metasedimentary rocks release significant S, C, Cu, As, Se, Mo, Sn, Sb, Te, and U, but limited Au; and (3) metakomatiite releases C and possibly Au. Throughout the CLGB metamorphic evolution, two main stages are identified for metal mobilization: (1) prograde metamorphism at ~ 1.92–1.86 Ga, promoting the formation of typical orogenic Au deposits and (2) late orogenic evolution between ~ 1.83 and 1.76 Ga, promoting the formation of both typical and atypical orogenic Au deposits. The complex lithologic diversity, tectonic evolution, and metamorphic history of the CLGB highlight that metal mobilization can occur at different stages of an orogenic cycle and from different sources, stressing the necessity to consider the complete dynamic and long-lasting evolution of orogenic belts when investigating the source of Au, ligands, metals, and metalloids in orogenic Au deposits. 

Many workers accept a metamorphic model for orogenic gold ore formation, where a gold-bearing aqueous-carbonic fluid is an inherent product of devolatilization across the greenschist-amphibolite boundary with the majority of deposits formed within the seismogenic zone at depths of 6–12 km. Fertile oceanic rocks that source fluid and metal may be heated through varied tectonic scenarios affecting the deforming upper crust (≤ 20–25 km depth). Less commonly, oceanic cover and crust on a downgoing slab may release an aqueous-carbonic metamorphic fluid at depths of 25–50 km that travels up-dip along a sealed plate boundary until intersecting near-vertical structures that facilitate fluid migration and gold deposition in an upper crustal environment. Nevertheless, numerous world-class orogenic gold deposits are alternatively argued to be products of magmatic-hydrothermal processes based upon equivocal geochemical and mineralogical data or simply a spatial association with an exposed or hypothesized intrusion. Oxidized intrusions may form gold-bearing porphyry and epithermal ores in the upper 3–4 km of the crust, but their ability to form economic gold resources at mesozonal (≈ 6–12 km) and hypozonal (≈ > 12 km) depths is limited. Although volatile saturation may be reached in magmatic systems at depths as deep as 10–15 km, such saturation doesn’t indicate magmatic-hydrothermal fluid release. Volatiles typically will be channeled upward in magma and mush to brittle apical roof zones at epizonal levels (≈ < 6 km) before large pressure gradients are reached to rapidly release a focused fluid. Furthermore, gold and sulfur solubility relationships favor relatively shallow formation of magmatic-hydrothermal gold systems; although aqueous-carbonic fluid release from a magmatic system below 6 km would generally be diffuse, even if in cases where it was somehow better focused, it is unlikely to contain substantial gold. Where reduced intrusions form through assimilation of carbonaceous crustal material, subsequent high fluid pressures and hydrofracturing have been shown to lead to development of sheeted veins and greisens at depths of 3–6 km. These products of reduced magmatic-hydrothermal systems, however, typically form Sn and or W ores, with economic low grade gold occurrences (< 1 g/t Au) being formed in rare cases. Thus, whereas most moderate- to high-T orogens host orogenic gold and intrusions, there is no genetic association. 

The Bergslagen ore province in central Sweden hosts several rare earth element (REE)-rich deposits, which have recently come back into focus with the increasing demand for REE. In order to understand and potentially predict the occurrence of these deposits, it is crucial to understand the hydrothermal processes that formed them. This study presents new geochemical and mineralogical data on regional alkali alteration zones in the metavolcanic rocks that host the deposits, which show strong depletion of light REE.

The Bergslagen Region in central Sweden hosts over 6000 metallic mineral deposits, most of them hosted by a Paleoproterozoic metavolcanic to metasedimentary succession. Iron oxide- and polymetallic sulfide-deposits are the most abundant and economically the most important deposits. Many deposits are enriched in Rare Earth Elements (REEs) and there is an ongoing drive to evaluate the REE resource in the region. The polymetallic sulfide deposits are thought to have formed by seawater-derived fluids which leached metals from the metavolcanic host rocks. This study investigates the trace metal mobility with specific focus on the critical metals (CMs), during this hydrothermal alteration in western Bergslagen. Preliminary results show that a broad range of trace elements and especially light rare earth elements (LREEs) were mobilized.

The sources of metals enriched in Archean orogenic gold deposits have long been debated. Metasedimentary rocks, which are generally accepted as the main metal source in Phanerozoic deposits, are less abundant in Archean greenstone belts and commonly discounted as a viable metal source for Archean deposits. We report ultralow-detection-limit gold and trace-element concentrations from a suite of metamorphosed sedimentary rocks from the Abitibi belt and Pontiac subprovince, Superior Province, Canada. Systematic decreases in the Au content with increasing metamorphic grade indicate that Au was mobilized during prograde metamorphism. Mass balance calculations show that over 10 t of Au, 30,000 t of As, and 600 t of Sb were mobilized from 1 km³ of Pontiac subprovince sedimentary rock metamorphosed to the sillimanite metamorphic zone. The total gold resource in orogenic gold deposits in the southern Abitibi belt (7500 t Au) is only 3% of the Au mobilized from the estimated total volume of high-metamorphic-grade Pontiac sedimentary rock in the region (25,000 km³), indicating that sedimentary rocks are a major contributor of metals to the orogenic gold deposits in the southern Abitibi belt.

It is widely accepted that metamorphism induces a remobilization of iron sulfides, sweeping away original ones while creating new ones. This paper analyzes size distributions of iron sulfides in several samples from the Caples and Torlesse terranes from the Otago Schist (New Zealand) using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, which allows all iron sulfides larger than the resolution at which X-ray scans were performed to be characterized. Framboids and clusters of framboids are common in unmetamorphosed samples, but disappear in greenschist/amphibolite facies samples, where iron sulfides have anhedral habits. By contrast, the size and standard deviation of the new iron sulfides both remain within the same range. The results illuminate the evolution of iron sulfides throughout metamorphism, proposing boundaries for the metamorphic processes based on the shape of these iron sulfides.

Late Cretaceous mantle peridotite of the Birjand ophiolite (eastern Iran) contains variably serpentinized and carbonated/listvenitized rocks. Transformation from harzburgite protolith to final listvenite (quartz + magnesite/+/- dolomite + relict Cr-spinel) reflects successive fluid-driven reactions, the products of which are preserved in outcrop. Transformation of harzburgite to listvenite starts with lizardite serpentinization, followed by contemporaneous carbonation and antigorite serpentinization, antigorite-talc-magnesite alteration, finally producing listvenite where alteration is most pervasive. The spectrum of listvenitic assemblages includes silica-carbonate, carbonate and silica listvenites with the latter (also known as birbirite) being the youngest, based on crosscutting relationships. The petrological observations and mineral assemblages suggest hydrothermal fluids responsible for the lizardite serpentinization had low aCO(2), oxygen and sulfur fugacities, distinct from those causing antigorite serpentinization and carbonation/listvenitization, which had higher aCO(2), aSiO(2), and oxygen and sulfur fugacities. The carbonate and silica listvenite end-members indicate variations in aSiO(2) and aCO(2) of the percolating hydrothermal fluids, most likely driven by local variations in pH and temperature. Beyond the addition of H2O, serpentinization did not significantly redistribute major elements. Progressive infiltration of CO2-rich fluids and consequent carbonation segregated Mg into carbonate and Si into silica listvenites. Trace element mobility resulted in different enrichments of fluid-mobile, high field strength, and light rare earth elements in listvenites, indicating a listvenite mobility sequence. The delta C-13, delta O-18 and Sr-87/Sr-88 values of magnesite and dolomite in carbonated lithologies and veins point to sedimentary carbonate as the main C source. Fluid-mobile element (e.g., As and Sb) patterns in carbonated lithologies are consistent with contribution of subducted sediments in a forearc setting, suggesting sediment-derived fluids. Such fluids were produced by expulsion of pore fluids and release of structurally bound fluid from carbonate-bearing sediments in the Sistan Suture Zone (SsSZ) accretionary complex at shallow parts of mantle wedge. The CO2 -bearing fluids migrated up along the slab-mantle interface and circulated through the suture zone faults to be sequestered in mantle peridotites with marked element mobility signatures.