AfricaMaVal -Mineral Potential Mapping study of European Critical Raw Materials (ECRM) of Africa
Résumé
The AfricaMaVal project, a 3.5-year initiative coordinated by the French Geological Survey (BRGM), aims to establish sustainable partnerships between the European Union (EU) and African countries in the critical raw materials sector. With 18 partners across 11 countries, the project focuses on responsible mineral sourcing for European industries while fostering sustainable local development in Africa. A key objective of the project’s Work Package 1 (WP1), "Supply Potential," led by the Portuguese Geological Survey (LNEG), is to assess and map the supply potential of European Critical Raw Materials (ECRM) across Africa. This involves creating a harmonized and INSPIRE-compliant database to identify and evaluate the availability of these minerals and metals, which are crucial for Europe's energy and digital transitions. Machine learning (ML) algorithms for mineral resources assessment were developed at BRGM over the last 20 years and have been used on a larger scale since 2022. As part of the AfricaMaVal WP1, mineral prospectivity maps were produced for selected ECRM in ten partner countries. The database included the in-house BRGM data sets, including geological and structural maps of Africa at a scale of 1:10 million and more than 55,000 mineral occurrences across the continent. However, the resolution, quality and density of data varies greatly from country to country and sometimes almost no geoscientific information is available. Initial predictivity tests were carried out using the 1/10M geological map produced by BRGM and co published by CCGM (Thiéblemont, 2016). This map has the advantage of being coherent and uniform, but the resolution is insufficient to highlight well-defined potential zones that are relevant on a continental scale and does not facilitate the analysis of correlations between co-genetic mining substances and the geological events that generated them. To address this, further modelling was carried out using BRGM’s higher-resolution 1:2M geological map of Africa. After classifying the geology of the continent into a) major geological domains (orogenic belts, basins) and b) geological events from the Archean to the Cenozoic, the ML algorithms were used to identify areas that have potential for a specific commodity but are underexplored. This was done for most ECRMs listed in 2020. The new approach has the advantage that missing information in one country can be provided by information from neighbouring countries with similar geologic settings. The method also calculates factors that are favourable or unfavourable for finding a commodity in an area of interest or geological unit. The project’s final output includes multi-thematic maps that integrate mineral potential with infrastructure (power, roads, and seaports), protected areas, and small-scale mining activities. These maps serve as a first-order guide to mineral exploration and can be used to balance economic potential with environmental and social considerations.
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