Indium : geology, mineralogy, and economics : with 31 figures and 54 tables

The extraordinary growth of the computer and semiconductor industrires and the increasing consumption of indium in these technologies in recent years have placed major constraints on current and future reserves of this metal. Despite the current technological interest, there is no comprehensive textbook which deals with all aspects of indium mineralization and economics. This book reviews the geological, mineralogical, geochemical and petrological characteristics of indium-bearing ore deposits and develops a general metallogenic concept for indium in identifying the essential enrichment processes and their economic significance. The extraordinary growth of the computer and semiconductor industries and the increasing consumption of indium in these technologies in recent years have placed major constraints on current and future reserves of this metal. In the past, geoscientists have noticed the occurrence of indium in a large variety of ore de­ posits and detailed geochemical and mineralogical work is available for a few ex­ amples. However, despite the current technological interest, there is no compre­ hensive textbook that deals with all aspects of indium mineralization and economics. The present study attempts to develop a general metallogenic concept for indium in identifying the essential enrichment processes and their economic significance. The study 'Indium Geology, Mineralogy, and Economics' was commissioned and funded by the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Re­ sources (BGR Hannover) and is a contribution to the research program 'BGR 2000 - Raw Materials with Short Lifetime Reserves'. This program focuses on raw materials with known reserves confined to the next 20-25 years at static de­ mand. The future availability of reserves is usually estimated by dividing the known reserves by the current annual consumption. In fact, lifetimes of reserves are inappropriate measures because they depend on many parameters and there­ fore represent a "snapshot" of a dynamic system. In order to provide a sustainable use of raw materials with short lifetime reserves, a significantly higher amount of innovation is needed compared to raw materials with long lifetime reserves. Front Matter....Pages I-XII Introduction....Pages 1-7 Petrological and Mineralogical Framework....Pages 9-31 Indium Metallogeny....Pages 33-123 Miscellaneous Indium Occurrences....Pages 125-140 Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Indium-Bearing Ore Deposits....Pages 141-145 Model of Indium Ore Formation....Pages 147-151 Historical and Actual Production of Indium....Pages 153-159 Stockpile Situation in Relation to Different Types of Ore Deposits....Pages 161-165 Technological Applications and Consumption of Indium by Industries....Pages 167-173 Characteristics of Indium Deposits....Pages 175-218 Back Matter....Pages 219-258 "The book reviews the geological, mineralogical, geochemical and petrological characteristics of indium-bearing ore deposits. Furthermore it develops a general metallogenic concept for indium in identifying the essential enrichment processes and their economic significance. It represents the first comprehensive study on the metallogeny of indium and covers economic aspects including production and use. Careful geological and mineralogical descriptions are given for representative examples of different deposit types with most significant characteristics being summarized at the end of each chapter."--Pub. desc