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SUMMARY:Exploring Central Africa's Lithium Pegmatites: Geology\, Resource 
 Potential\, and Geopolitical context - Anouk Borst\, Katholieke Universite
 it\, Leuven
DTSTART:20241022T110000Z
DTEND:20241022T120000Z
UID:TALK220471@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Rachael Rhodes
DESCRIPTION:The Great Lakes region (Eastern DRC\, Southwestern Uganda\, Rw
 anda and Burundi) holds strategic importance due to its wealth of mineral 
 resources critical to modern technology\, such as tin (Sn)\, tantalum (Ta)
  and tungsten (W)\, collectively known as the 3Ts\, and more recently lith
 ium. The mineralisation is hosted in early Neoproterozoic pegmatites (cass
 iterite\, columbite-tantalite) and quartz veins (cassiterite\, wolframite)
 \, and their alluvial and eluvial weathering products. The pegmatites and 
 quartz veins are linked to S-type granites that were emplaced in Paleo- an
 d Mesoproterozoic metasedimentary and -volcanic rocks. Many of the pegmati
 tes that were historically\, or are currently mined for Sn and Ta\, also h
 ost significant lithium in minerals such as spodumene\, amblygonite-monteb
 rasite or eucryptite\, and have recently become important targets for lith
 ium exploration. \n\nIn this seminar\, I will present new insights into th
 e formation and geological characteristics of lithium pegmatites in the re
 gion\, focusing on examples from Musha-Ntunga (Rwanda) and Manono-Kitotolo
  (DRC) - the latter being one of the largest known spodumene pegmatite sys
 tems in the world. This giant deposit\, with a lateral extent of at least 
 13.5 km and a thickness of around 300 meters\, was historically mined for 
 cassiterite and now holds an estimated resource of 842 million tonnes at 1
 .61 wt% Li₂O. Drill core samples reveal several high-grade zones exceedi
 ng 2% Li₂O\, possibly corresponding to the core zones of individual pegm
 atite sheets.\n\nDrawing on recent fieldwork and petrographic studies of d
 rill cores that offer a full cross-section of the pegmatite system\, I wil
 l explore potential emplacement mechanisms for this giant pegmatite system
 . Lastly\, I will reflect on the geopolitical implications of mining and e
 xploration in this region amidst growing global competition for critical r
 esources.\n
LOCATION:Department of Earth Sciences\, Tilley Lecture Theatre
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