WHO WE ARE

What is the ExTREME research project?

EXTREME is a research Project funded by the Spanish MINISTERIO DE CIENCIA, INNOVACIÓN y UNIVERSIDADES on the basis of the I+D+i RETOS INVESTIGACIÓN program lasting for the period 2018-2021, which sets Spanish and overseas researchers to seek natural sources of high-tech critical metals (High-Tech-CM).

Our efforts are focused to a suite of High-Tech-CM key for the present industry, basically in electronics, communication and energy transport and storage, including platinum-group elements (PGE), Rare Earth Elements (REE), Co, Sb, and In. More precisely we investigate the geochemical cycling of High-Tech-CM such as within subduction zones at global scale, tracing their geochemical behavior from the mantle to the crust where they could eventually be concentrated in mineable conventional and nonconventional magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits.

Through the analysis of selected key regions we are developing new geochemical tools that will help to predict where new resources of these strategic metals might be located in metallic ore deposits from Spain, Europe and other key regions worldwide.

Research themes associated with the project include:

• Geochemical evolution and Metallogeny of Continents
• Origin and evolution of ophiolites and associated mineral deposits
• Role of the mantle as source of raw materials
• The fate of High-Tech-CM in magmatic-hydrothermal systems
• Isotope geochemistry
• Nanomineralogy