Brazil's geological service launches initiative to develop critical minerals

Brazil’s geological service (SGB) announced an initiative to develop the potential of the country’s critical minerals. 

The initiative, called the Geodynamics and Prospectivity Project for Critical Minerals by 3D Magnetic Inversion and Machine Learning, will investigate the country's mining potential in the regions of Alta Floresta in Mato Grosso state, Tapajós in Para state and Araçuaí in Minas Gerais state.

The aim is to apply unconventional techniques that can contribute to updating the geodynamic models of the Amazon Craton and generate exploration targets for essential metals for the energy transition, mainly copper and lithium, SGB said in a statement.

The service plans to present eight sheets per month on a scale of 1/100,000, with the reprocessing – 3D inversion and machine learning – of the aeromagnetic survey, with the 500m line spacing already published by the SGB.

“This product will offer small and medium-sized miners a product capable of generating prospective targets. As the sheets will be published every month, it will be possible to plan in a more organized way," said SGB president Inácio Melo. 

The initiative is part of the government's plan to seek greater diversification in the mining sector, which is still very concentrated in iron ore. In addition, it is in line with demand from small and medium-sized companies in the sector that ask for more assessments of Brazil’s mineral potential, reducing the risks for new projects.