Discovery of anomalous gallium enriched in stone coal: Significance, provenance and recommendations

Gallium(Ga)is a critical mineral that plays an irreplaceable role in consumer electronics,clean energy technologies and the aerospace industry.Nowadays competition for gallium resources at the national strategic level has begun to emerge,but gallium resources are unevenly distributed globally,and their presence is not guaranteed.New discoveries revealed an average gallium concentration of thirty-one samples from M_(1),M_(2),M_(3) and M_(4) stone coal-bearing seams of the Cambrian strata on South Qinling Orogenic Belt in central China is 157 mg/kg(9.98–747 mg/kg),which is 27.6-fold higher than the global hard coal average,as well as the existing association of Mo–V–U–Cd–Zn–Ba–Se–Mg–Ni–Cu enrichment.Ga average of these coal seams are 344 mg/kg(M_(3),44.5–747 mg/kg,n=11),270 mg/kg(M_(4),14.3–270 mg/kg,n=5),53.8 mg/kg(M_(2),22.6–75.4 mg/kg,n=8)and 19.8 mg/kg(M_(1),9.98–34.9 mg/kg,n=7)respectively,as well as the thickness of approximately 6,12,8,and 20 m,which be close to or exceed to the boundary grade standard(30 mg/kg)and minimum recoverable thickness(0.7 m)of gal-lium resources exploration.These findings indicate that the Cambrian stone coal deposits,especially in the middle and late Cambrian period,should be considered as promising alternative sources of gallium.The anomalous gallium-enriched sediments originated from a complex combination of hydrothermal flu-ids,original biomass and terrigenous materials.For the M_(1) stone coal-bearing seams,gallium most likely occurred in the mode of GaAs,Ga_(x)In_(1-x)As and GaO(OH),while modes of gallium in the M_(2) to M_(4) seams is interrelated with the organic affinity and clay minerals.The crude reserve estimate of gallium resources in central China is approximately 10.06?104 tons,corresponding to a super-large coal-hosted gallium ore deposit.The unique paleogeographic location and geological structure in central China resulted that this newly discovered deposit is a unique type of gallium-enriched deposit that has been discovered worldwide.These discoveries will provide the critical parameters when developing distinctive benefici-ation processes and appropriate extraction procedures,as well as guidance and effective for future prospecting regions of gallium resources around the globe,involving a combination consider the distri-bution of regional deep–large fault zones and the middle to late Cambrian black rock series deposits.