Assessing the potential of Assarel porphyry copper deposit for critical raw materials: mineral-geochemical data for combination with agile exploration methods and better geo-modeling

The supply of European critical raw materials (CRMs) does not currently meet the European demand. This gap is predicted to increase, making Europe even more dependent on outside suppliers. AGEMERA is a project to help tackle this strategic problem by studying several CRM sites in Finland, Poland, Spain, the Balkans, and Zambia in different deposit types. To check the potential of the porphyry systems in Europe as a source of CRMs, the Assarel porphyry-Cu deposit was chosen as a test site. Here we present preliminary geochemical and mineral chemistry data for hydrothermal ore and alteration minerals in Assarel that reveal the potential of the deposit to source some CRMs as by-products. Further studies will combine the geochemical data with innovative geophysical methods for an improved deposit model and provide enhanced knowledge about effective exploration techniques for CRMs.