The report that follows presents a first statement of the results of a study sponsored by the European Economic Community and the Department of Trade and Industry as communicated to a meeting of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy Midlands Section at which the President (Dr A. J. Robinson) and the Section Chairman (Professor N. A. Warner) were present. It was my privilege to attend and to make some concluding remarks; these form the basis of this preface. The Geological Survey, now in its 154th year, has as one of its principal objects the provision of geological maps based on surveying in maximum detail at a scale of 1:10 000. In areas where extractive or other engineering industry is important, the surveys have been revised more than once as new subsurface data became available.

The aim of this book is to summarize the current state of knowledge on the environmental geochemistry and resource potential of metallurgical slags. Hundreds of millions of tonnes of slag, a by-product of pyrometallurgical processing of ferrous and non-ferrous ores or recyclable materials, are generated annually worldwide. These slags are either landfilled, reprocessed, or repurposed.

The notion that mining can contribute positively to the economic and human development of mineral wealth countries makes a lot of sense, especially given the huge revenue mineral wealth developing countries can generate from the sector to alleviate poverty.

Дубинин А.В., Волков И.И. Геохимия донных осадков Восточно-Тихоокеанского поднятия: общая Характеристика металлоносности    
Гершанович Д.Е. Потоки осадочного материала и современная седиментация на шельфе Африки            
Гаврилов Ю.О., Соколова А.Л., Ципурский С.И. Терригенные отложения Центрального Кавказа в различных обстановках постдиагенетических преобразований (нижняя и средняя юра)    
Горшков А.И., Дриц В.А., Путилина В.С., Покровская Е.В., Сивцов А.В. Природные и синтетические бёрнесситы        
Фирсова С. О. Хлориты и хлоритоподобные минералы верхнезаонежской подсвиты Онежской мульды (Карелия)

Rare Earth Oxides are used in mature markets (such as catalysts, glassmaking and metallurgy), which account for 59% of the total worldwide consumption of rare earth elements, and in newer, high-growth markets (such as battery alloys, ceramics, and permanent magnets), which account for 41% of the total worldwide consumption of rare earth elements.

Скорнякова Н.С., Мурдмаа И.О., Мухина В.В., Успенская Т.Ю. О возрасте диагенетических железомарганцевых конкреций Тихого океана    
Емельянов Е.М. Медь, никель и кобальт в донных осадках Атлантического океана     
Куприн П.Н., Лукша В.Л., Семенов Б. О. Строение разреза и литология плиоцен-четвертичных отложений Мавгышлакского порога в Каспийском море    
Деркачев А.Н., Николаева Н.А. Минералогические провинции осадков района островной дуги Нансей (Рюкю) и ее обрамления    
Ципурский С.И., Ивановская Т.А., Сахаров Б.А., Звягина Б.Б., Дрии В.В. О природе сосуществования глауконита, Fe-иллита и иллита в глобулярных слюдистых образованиях из отложений разного литологического типа и возраста  

For the last twenty years conferences concerning rare earth materials have been held in the U.S.A. every 18 to 24 months. In general these conferences have dealt with the science of these materials, and only one or two sessions (~10% of the papers) were concerned with industrial and commercial aspects.

Rare earth elements are used in mature markets (such as catalysts, glassmaking, lighting, and metallurgy), which account for 59 percent of the total worldwide consumption of rare earth elements, and in newer, high-growth markets (such as battery alloys, ceramics, and permanent magnets), which account for 41 percent of the total worldwide consumption of rare earth elements.

The extraction of fossil fuels and mineral resources has grown exponentially since the early 20th century and far from decelerating, it is expected to increase in the coming decades. “The Limits to Growth” (Meadows et al., 1972) already alerted that if demand of metals and fossil fuels maintained the same trend, mankind would sooner or later be close to collapse. The book provoked a strong controversy between those that considered that the Earth was plentiful of non-renewable resources (technooptimists) and those who believed in the need for a rational management of the planetary mineral endowment.