Introduction

Smelror, M., Hanghøj, K. and Schiellerup, H. Entering the Green Stone Age – introduction

The path to zero: how geology is part of the solution

Watzel, R. Minerals for future technologies: how Germany copes with challenges

Gadd, M. G., Lawley, C. J. M., Corriveau, L., Houlé, M., Peter, J. M., Plouffe, A., Potter, E., Sappin, A.-A., Pilote, J.-L., Marquis, G. and Lebel, D. Public geoscience solutions for diversifying Canada’s critical mineral production

Jørgensen, L. F., Wittenberg, A., Deady, E., Kumelj, Š and Tulstrup, J. European mineral intelligence – collecting, harmonizing and sharing data on European raw materials

Hale, T. N. and Ali, S. H. Afghanistan’s mineral fortune: prospects for fuelling a green transition?

Jonsson, E., Törmänen, T., Keiding, J. K., Bjerkgård, T., Eilu, P., Pokki, J., Gautneb, H., Reginiussen, H., Rosa, D., Sadeghi, M., Sandstad, J. S. and Stendal, H. Critical metals and minerals in the Nordic countries of Europe: diversity of mineralization and green energy potential

Murguía, D. I. and Bastida, A. E. Critical and energy transition minerals in Argentina: mineral potential and challenges for strengthening public institutions

McGrath, E., O’Donnell, E. and Torremans, K. Digging our way to a Just Transition

Exploration for critical minerals

Bidgood, A. and Hitzman, M. New models to aid the discovery of critical raw material deposits for the Green Stone Age

Müller, A., Reimer, W., Wall, F., Williamson, B., Menuge, J., Brönner, M., Haase, C., Brauch, K., Pohl, C., Lima, A., Teodoro, A., Cardoso-Fernandes, J., Roda-Robles, E., Harrop, J., Smith, K., Wanke, D., Unterweissacher, T., Hopfner, M., Schröder, M., Clifford, B., Moutela, P., Lloret, C., Ranza, L. and Rausa, A. GREENPEG – exploration for pegmatite minerals to feed the energy transition: first steps towards the Green Stone Age

Decrée, S., Coint, N., Debaille, V., Hagen-Peter, G., Leduc, T. and Schiellerup, H. The potential for REEs in igneous-related apatite deposits in Europe

Gautneb, H., Rønning, J. S. and Larsen, B. E. A step towards meeting battery raw material demand: the geology and exploration of graphite deposits, examples from northern Norway

Mykhailov, V. A., Hrinchenko, O. V. and Malyuk, B. I. Exploration and mining perspectives of the critical elements for green technologies in Ukraine

Exploration frontiers: seabed mineral deposits

González, F. J., Medialdea, T., Schiellerup, H., Zananiri, I., Ferreira, P., Somoza, L., Monteys, X., Alcorn, T., Marino, E., Lobato, A. B., Zalba-Balda, Íñigo, Kuhn, T., Nyberg, J., Malyuk, B., Magalhães, V., Hein, J. R. and Cherkashov, G. MINDeSEA: exploring seabed mineral deposits in European seas, metallogeny and geological potential for strategic and critical raw materials

Ellefmo, S. L., Aberle, N., Hagspiel, V., Ingulstad, M. and Aasly, K. Marine minerals’ role in future holistic mineral resource management

Index

Reviewed by Rachel Spanton in Geoscientist, 9 April 2025

Global demand for the minerals needed for green technologies, such as solar panels and wind turbines, vastly surpasses that of our current supply. Therefore, diversifying mineral sources and supply chains is paramount to supporting a sustainable future. Recent concerns over dominating players in the supply chain have also fostered a larger interest in critical minerals.   

The Green Stone Age addresses these issues by firstly emphasising the role of geology in green technologies, before delving into a diverse range of exploration targets and introducing new developments in exploration data tools. Refreshingly, the drawbacks of mining are not hidden away. Instead, the collated papers actively comment on the environmental, social and governance aspects of mining. They call attention to essential research alongside collaboration from industry and investment from governments. A particular highlight is Hale and Ali (2023), who discuss the mineral fortune of Afghanistan, the history of the region, and the needed next steps for sustainable exploration.  

There is a generous focus on European geology, which reflects the editors’ personal region of interest and the boom of critical mineral research in Europe. Despite this, the geology discussed and techniques for exploration will be relevant worldwide, and indeed the discussions also include Canada, Argentina, the Central African Belt and the ocean floor.  

I highly recommend this special publication to anyone interested in economic geology and resourcing a sustainable future. The editors have done a fantastic job of compiling a publication that builds upon itself. As such, I advise reading the publication in order. Content-wise, a familiarity with petrology and basic geochemistry is very helpful to digest some of the details, but those without this background should not be deterred. This book is a highly relevant collation of papers, though the nature of a developing sector means it is subject to change. Readers must note that statements on ‘current’ legislation and regulations or government standpoints may soon be outdated. However, the geological fact is unlikely to change and I’m excited to see how this publication inspires further research. It will be a key reference document in the years to come.