What is this collection about?

The expansion of low-carbon and advanced technologies is driving growing demand for critical elements that remain underexplored within economic geology and metallurgical research. Many critical elements, including Bi, Ga, Ge, In, Sn, Sb, Se, and Te, are vital to modern energy and electronic technologies, yet their geological occurrence, transport mechanisms, and enrichment processes in magmatic, hydrothermal, and sedimentary systems remain incompletely understood. In addition, innovation to recovery methods for these metals are required to fully realize their production. Addressing these gaps requires integrated research to clarify ore-forming mechanisms, quantify mineralization timescales, refine models of resource formation, and adapt metallurgical processes.

This cross-journal collection from Communications Earth & Environment, Communications Sustainability, Nature Communications, and Scientific Reports highlights studies on how geological and geochemical processes concentrate critical elements across environments such as epithermal, skarn and vein deposits, granitic intrusions, and weathering or sedimentary systems. We include research that investigates fluid origins, pathways, and timing using geochemical and petrochronological methods, alongside studies on material recovery from both primary ore systems and secondary sources. Contributions assessing environmental and socio-economic interactions associated with the production of these elements are also featured.

Why is this collection important?

This is a cross-journal collection Communications Earth & Environment, Communications Sustainability, Nature Communications, and Scientific Reports. Authors are welcome to submit to any of the participating journals. All manuscripts published in the collection are hosted on a dedicated nature portfolio portal, giving articles high visibility beyond the journal they are published in.

Why submit to a collection?

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by In-House Editors who are experts in their fields and supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores, and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest.

Who is involved?

Communications Earth & Environment is edited by both in-house professional editors and Editorial Board Members. 

Guest editor for Communications Earth & Environment

Evan Hastie, Ph.D, University of Toronto, Canada

Dr. Evan Hastie is a professional geoscientist who specializes in Precambrian geology and ore deposits with an emphasis on ore-forming processes. He is currently a Precambrian Geoscientist with the Ontario Geological Survey, and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, researching and mapping in Precambrian terranes across Ontario. Evan received his M.Sc. in Geology from the University of Windsor, Canada (2014) and his Ph.D. in Mineral Deposits and Precambrian Geology from Laurentian University, Canada (2021).

Communications Sustainability is edited by both in-house professional editors and Editorial Board Members. 

Nature Communications is edited by in-house professional editors.

Scientific Reports is managed by in-house professional editors and edited by Editorial Board Members.

Our editors work closely together to ensure the quality of our published papers and consistency in author experience.

How can I submit my paper?

• Visit the Collection page to find out more about this collection and submit your article.