This title is also available as hardcover edition.

Since the 1st edition of this book was published, both science and practice of economic geology have advanced in great strides. Improvements in understanding the Earth’s process systems that form raw material deposits are reflected in this revised second edition. The scientific ambition of the book is to place the extraordinary variability of mineral deposits into the framework of fundamental petrogenetic- geological process systems.

The book covers the entire field of geology applied to mineral deposits, including industrial minerals, coal and hydrocarbons. Illuminating insights, for example, can be gained from sediments, rich in organic matter, that are primarily source rocks of conventional hydrocarbons, but also host unconventional oil and gas, and metal deposits.

Numerous individual mineral deposits are presented as practical examples, covering reserve figures, ore grade, origin and geological characteristics. The principles of searching for ores and minerals (exploration), the study and valuation of newly found deposits, and environmental issues are treated in a separate chapter. The overview character enforces waiving much detail but for compensation, ample cross-references and references to web and printed sources are provided. The number of humans on our globe continues to increase and standards of living improve rapidly. Both contribute to a steadily rising consumption of raw materials. Economic geology is a central actor in satisfying this growing demand by exploration and mining, and by mediating social and environmental impacts.

The text also discusses related issues that arise during the life cycle of a mine and after its closure, with an emphasis on sustainable and ‘green’ mining.

Worldwide, students and teachers of economic geology and related disciplines will find the great lines of thinking and tangible information throughout the book. For professionals in mining and exploration, in intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), the service sector and state administrations, current professional practice is introduced.

About the Author

Walter L. Pohl is Emeritus Professor and former Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany, and a longtime consulting geologist in economic, engineering and environmental geology.
For more information visit his homepage at http://www.walter-pohl.com.

Walter Pohl, früherer Hochschullehrer der TU Braunschweig und Schüler des Leobener Lagerstättenforschers Walther E. Petraschek, legt mit der 2. Ausgabe seines Lehrbuches „Economic Geology-Principles and Practice“ eine aktualisierte Version seines erfolgreichen Lagerstättenkundelehrbuchs vor. Es führt Petrascheks berühmte Lagerstättenlehre mit fünf deutschen Neuauflagen und nun der zweiten englischen fort. Das reich bebilderte Buch gliedert sich in vier Großkapitel: Metalllagerstätten, Nichtmetall- und Steine-und-Erden-Lagerstätten, die Praxis der Wirtschaftsgeologie sowie die Lagerstätten und Wirtschaftsgeologie der fossilen Energierohstoffe. Es schließt ab mit einer Reihe bunter Tafeln, einer Auswahl von vorherigen Abbildungen, bei Beispielen wie Fernerkundung oder Auswirkungen von sauren Grubenwässern besonders wichtig, und einer eindrucksvollen Wanderung durch die Welt der Rohstoffe, die man auch so genießen kann. Diese sind im Gegensatz zur ersten Auflage gut platziert am Ende des Buches.

Ein Vorschlag für die nächste Auflage: Vermeidung von Abkürzungen in den Bildunterschriften, damit man nicht im Text vorne mühsam suchen muss.

Das erste Großkapitel über die Metalllagerstätten hat eine Matrixgliederung. Zuerst werden die einzelnen Lagerstättentypen vorgestellt, dann die verschiedenen Rohstoffe mit ihren unterschiedlichen Lagerstätten bzw. -typen. Das zweite Großkapitel enthält neben der systematischen Abhandlung der einzelnen Nichtmetallrohstoffe (alphabetisch gegliedert) eine ausgiebige Beschreibung der verschiedenen Salzlagerstätten und ihrer Genese. Das vierte Großkapitel ist untergliedert in Kohlen- und Erdöl-/Erdgaslagerstätten, wiederum mit Beschreibung der Genesen und Lagerstätten, Exploration und Exploitation. Es wurde mit Daten aus der stürmischen Entwicklung der unkonventionellen Erdgas- und Erdöllagerstätten (Schieferöl, Schiefergas) aktualisiert. Das dritte Großkapitel beschäftigt sich mit methodischen Aspekten der Exploration und Exploitation. Es wird auf die neuesten Entwicklungen wie Exploration mit Drohnen eingegangen. Natürlich können die verschiedenen Explorations-, Bewertungs- und Abbaumethoden nicht detailliert beschrieben werden. Hilfreich wäre es aber für Studenten/innen, Hinweise auf vertiefende Literatur zu finden, z. B. wie berechne ich ein Variogramm, das Grundwerkzeug der Geostatistik.

Einen relativ breiten Raum nehmen die Unterkapitel Bergbau und Umwelt und geologische Deponierung von gefährlichem Abfall ein. Zu jeder Betrachtung von Lagerstätten und Bergbau gehört heute die Frage, welche Umweltauswirkungen die Gewinnung haben kann. Im Rahmen der nachhaltigen Entwicklung erleben die sogenannten ESG-Kriterien bei neuen Grubenentwicklungen und der Beurteilung von Bergbaufirmen eine immer größere Bedeutung. E steht für Environment, S für Social und G für Governance, also Unternehmensführung. Obwohl man dem Ziel der Kreislaufwirtschaft, ohne Abfälle auszukommen, immer näher kommt, braucht eine Industriegesellschaft sichere Deponien, sei es auch nur, bis Verwertungen gefunden worden sind. Toxische und radioaktive Abfälle sind die gefährlichsten, die in Untertagedeponien verwahrt werden müssen. Das zeigt, dass die Erdkruste nicht nur Lieferant von Rohstoffen ist, sondern auch Lieferant von unterirdischem Raum, einer immer wichtiger werdenden Ressource.

Ein sehr empfehlenswertes Buch, nicht nur ein exzellentes Lehrbuch, sondern auch für den erfahrenen Lagerstättenforscher und Praktiker ein gutes Nachschlagewerk. Der gute Index hilft dabei sehr.

The rapid pace and global scale of scientific advancement and technological development in the field of economic geology is difficult to capture in a single resource. The preface to Walter Pohl’s contribution pointedly summarizes this challenge where he humbly admits, “Parts of the image provided in this book may be fuzzy.... Yet, this book aspires to provide a systematic overview across the state of science and practice in economic geology.”

I found the organization of the book to be logical and the narrative easy to follow. The book is subdivided into four parts: “Metalliferous Ore Deposits,” “Non-Metallic Minerals and Rocks,” “The Practice of Economic Geology,” and “Fossil Energy Raw Materials.” This allows adequate space to cover the numerous natural resources we depend on for our modern way of life. The author does an admirable job of presenting scientific, technical, applied, and societal knowledge as it pertains to economic geology. The information presented is best suited for the geoscientist, but the added dialogue around sustainability and uses for a wide range of metals, elements, and materials pro- vides the reader with important context not only to understand the science behind economic geology but also to communicate to the average person why natural resources are important. In addition to providing thoughtful discussions and appropriate references to the plethora of topics covered, the author provides a list (including rationale) of suggested further reading at the end of each chapter. This second edition provides a timely update to the first edition, which was published in 2011, and now includes information on more recent technological advancements and geologic models. The format of the book, which includes informative yet condensed chapters with ample suggested readings, makes for a great choice of text- book for undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as an excellent addition to the libraries of professional geoscientists interested in understanding and applying aspects of economic geology to their field of interest.

“Part I: Metalliferous Ore Deposits” consists of two chapters. Presented in chapter 1 are general observations, characteristics, and interpretations of ore deposit formation processes from type examples worldwide. Chapter 2 builds upon the geologic context presented in chapter 1 to systematically present and illustrate the mineral economics and ore deposit geology of different metals by reference to type mining districts and deposits. These first two chapters provide an excellent and intuitive overview of metalliferous ore deposits, which allows for a reader to review either a specific metal or a deposit type of interest.

“Part II: Non-Metallic Minerals and Rocks” shifts gears slightly with detailed overviews of industrial mineral, earth, rock (chapter 3), and salt (chapter 4) deposits and utilizes the same structure as chapter 2. This allows the reader to quickly summarize the current knowledge base for a specific mineral or material of interest. As a researcher who does not specialize in industrial minerals, I found this chapter an especially nice summary of industrial material and their uses in a sustainable future.

“Part III: The Practice of Economic Geology” is an inclusive summary of the diverse geologic concepts and practices utilized throughout the life cycle of a mine, from exploration to closure. While parts 1 and 2 focus on the question of “What are we looking for?” chapter 5 puts a bright light on the question of “Why are we looking for it?” While this chapter presents an introduction for students, it certainly cannot cover all aspects of practicing economic geology. However, the information presented in this section will provide early-career geoscientists with the vocabulary and background to think critically and ask the right questions with respect to the multitude of challenges presented in the field of economic geology. It is recommended that readers also review the supplementary reading suggested at the end of the chapter as well as more application-, commodity-, or site-specific resources.

“Part IV: Fossil Energy Raw Material—Coal, Oil and Gas” consists of two chapters dedicated to the economic geology of coal (chapter 6) and petroleum and natural gas (chapter 7) deposits. Often the hard rock and soft rock subjects of economic geology are not included together in a single resource. Keeping to the all-inclusive theme of the first edition, the second edition provides a comprehensive (and updated) review of deposit formation processes, resource classification, and the life cycle of fossil fuels. In addition, the author provides a candid discussion of greenhouse gases and society’s expectation and need for both stable and sustainable energy solutions.

Overall, I appreciate the different ways this book could be utilized by students, various academic researchers, and industry professionals. The book is a valuable resource in introducing the geologic processes involved in metal, nonmetal, and fossil fuel formation, including explanatory petrogenetic and tectonic deposit models, as well as how to apply this knowledge to exploration. The book also summarizes the current understanding of metals, elements, and minerals on an individual basis and does not shy away from the fact that society, industry, and academia need to work together to provide solutions toward sustainable natural resource management. The book provides excellent grayscale visual aids as well as select color plates. Information boxes throughout the text provide superb in-depth and type-location examples of topics relevant to each chapter. These boxes are convenient quick references for a broad range of topics that could be useful for professionals, academics, and students alike. In addition, specific topics of interest are easily located in the book using one of the many, fit-for-purpose subject indexes.

I thoroughly enjoyed the applied aspect of this textbook, specifically “Part III: The Practice of Economic Geology.” We all have our own origin story and, for some of us, this geology adventure has led us to lifelong careers as explorers, resource modelers, engineers, or environmental scientists. The life cycle of natural resources from discovery, beneficiation, and through to remediation is wonderfully presented in this section and highlights the numerous areas of expertise that encompass the multidisciplinary field of economic geology.
Pohl captures the essence of economic geology so eloquently with the following text:
Never forget, that exploration is not only a scientific and technical enterprise but foremost an investment. (p. 447)

The holistic approach of this book results in an excellent introduction to the spectrum of knowledge used by economic geologists and would be a valuable addition to any library. The material presented is not only useful to the geoscientist but also to the economist, investor, and government official, all of whom play an important roll in the economic and regulatory sides of the natural resources industry.

Brian A. McNulty, University of Nevada Las Vegas, USA

Professor Emeritus W.L. Pohl, a renowned Austrian scientist, former Professor at the Technical University of Braunschweig (Germany) and experienced consulting geologist, now has provided a fully updated version of his earlier opus. Economic Geology is the application of earth science to provide society with metals, minerals and energy. The 2^nd edition is not purely a face-lift of the book published in 2011, but a deeply modernised presentation reflecting the rapid advance of applied earth science.

In this new book, the author undertakes the challenging mission to amalgamate genetic principles of a wide range of raw materials with the techniques of their exploration, evaluation and sustainable extraction. The book comprises four parts: (I) Metalliferous Deposits, (II) Non-metallic Minerals, Rocks and Salts, (III) The Practice of Economic Geology, and (IV) Fossil Energy Materials.

Topics covered offer a broad view across the whole field of economic geology. The Introduction addresses the role and nature of mineral deposits, and their origin by concentration of useful materials in the Earth’s process systems, which are driven by internal and external (solar) heat flow. In Chapter 1, the formation of ore deposits within the six great petrogenetic-tectonic Earth process systems is introduced and illustrated. It clearly shows the many novel insights and models of current ore deposit science. Traditional metallogeny is reborn in digitised clothes. The metallogenetic evo- lution of Europe is described as an example (Box 1.15). Chapter 2 systematically covers some 50 individual metals with information on ore minerals, use, possible toxicity, geochemistry, environmental issues, deposit types and genetic classes, specific exploration properties, global production, main producing countries and reserves/resources. Non-metallic Minerals and Rocks (Chapter 3) offers a menu of industrial raw materials, which – in my opinion – are ever more important and closer to the user due to their application in many everyday objects, such as in buildings, cars and tools, and in environmental engineering. Salt rocks (Chapter 4) still have their traditional role as an essential nutritional amendment for plants and humans, but also for underground storage of energy, toxic and radioactive waste. Chapter 5 highlights the applications of economic geology in 50 dense pages. Following the life of mine concept, topics cover the principles and methods of exploration, such as the mineral systems concept, mineral prospectivity modelling, remote sensing,geochemistry and drilling, resource estimation, the mining environment, mine closure,and restitution of ecosystem services. Chapters 6 and 7 present the geological essentials of coal, gas and oil. Here, the interested reader may find brief facts about climate, CO₂ and geological aspects of reducing emissions. Unconventional petroleum and natural gas deposits are explained (including the fracking method), interwoven with the conventional hydrocarbons. The novel technology wiped out all speculations of an ‘end of oil’. Each chapter is concluded by a brief summary and list of further reading.

Naturally in a book that condenses whole libraries, the depth of treatment is limited. For an advanced level of enquiry, abundant references to important printed and online sources are provided throughout. The referenced bibliography and Indexes are valuable components of the book. References occupy some 80 pages, offering a good start for more in-depth research. The General Index is lean at 14 pages but a detailed online version is in preparation. The 12-page Location Index takes us through the mentioned sites and mines. With some 300 figures, the book is well illustrated and equipped with 32 colour plates, as well as 81 equations, 32 tables and 25 boxes. Boxes feature case histories relevant to important topics of the host chapter and illuminating text with maps and sections of deposits. Most equations illustrate chemical processes concerning ore formation.

The author challenges some petrified public perceptions about mineral raw materials. Ever again, an impending depletion of some metal or mineral is announced by ‘experts’ and is taken up eagerly by the media. Throughout the book, current published reserve and resource figures of metals and minerals are cited, which show no historic decrease in the availability of resources, evidencing that human creativity is unlimited. The Epilogue reaffirms that green mining is under way and must be the future to maintain sustainability. For students and teachers, a companion page on the website of the publishers will support users of the book.

"Walter Pohl includes all relevant aspects of economic geology in a broader sense and with about 1000 references, he allows the reader to look up all the details of the ore deposits he covers – including contradicting hypotheses about various deposits. Adding the industrial minerals and rocks to the book is an excellent add-on and increases the value of the book for a broad readership. I very much liked the personal touch of the book. Comments such as “I suggest that the Ore Geology authors regularly should include sections on the classification of their examined deposit” or side views to Charles Darwin (p. 151 and 448) and Karl Popper (p. 152) make reading the book fun. Pohl also asks the reader in a familiar manner: “And have you read Pitcairn’s et al. (2014) gold deposit forming subduction conveyer belt in New Zealand?”. Virtually every page included these personal “intrusions,” which kept me laughing, especially when I came to the section about Mt Isa and the surrounding ore deposits there, where the author indicates that you need to go to elephant country if you want to hunt for elephants (p. 449)."

"Let me finish this review with Walter Pohl’s words, which make clear why reading this book is important: “well-managed extraction of minerals has every potential to contribute to the well-being of mankind, to increase material prosperity, to maintain a sustainable and vital social and natural environment, and peace.”

Christian Wolkersdorfer

"„Economic Geology“ ist allerdings mehr als ein Lehrbuch: es ist ein weltweit einzigartiges Kompendium modernen Wissens zu allen Themen der mineralischen Rohstoffe und Energierohstoffe. Daher ist es mehr als gerechtfertigt, dass aus Petrascheck/Pohls „Lagerstättenlehre“ nun Pohls „Economic Geology“ wurde."

"Economic Geology als Disziplin ist unverzichtbar, um den auch in Zukunft steigenden Bedarf der Menschheit an nicht nachwachsenden Rohstoffen decken zu können und unsere Gesellschaft weiter zu entwickeln. Walter Pohl versteht es, mit der Problematik der zukünftigen Rohstoffversorgung untrennbar verknüpfte aktuelle Themen in diese erweiterte Auflage einzubeziehen. So werden Aspekte des nachhaltigen „grünen“ Bergbaus, Schonung der Natur und Umwelt und Konsequenzen für den Klimawandel in einem ethischen Rahmen angesprochen."

"Die Aktualität von Economic Geology zeigt sich neben der Einpflegung neuester Literatur auch darin, dass modernste geologische Konzepte eingearbeitet wurden, die das Prozessverständnis der Lagerstättenbildung maßgeblich verändern. Obwohl sich das Buch an ein globales Publikum wendet, soll hervorgehoben werden, dass neben den global bedeutendsten auch viele kleinere europäische Vorkommen und Lagerstättenprovinzen behandelt werden. Dies ermöglicht den Lesern dieses Buches, auch Vorkommen und Lagerstätten, die sie aus eigenen Befahrungen kennen, besser zu verstehen."

"Walter Pohls Economic Geology ist sehr gut illustriert."

"Das Werk ist von einer erstaunlichen Breite und umfassenden Ganzheitlichkeit. Grundkenntnisse in Geologie und Mineralogie und auch technische Vorkenntnisse erleichtern Anfängern den Einstieg in dieses Buch. Mit Vorkenntnissen wird es jeden Rohstoffinteressierten fesseln. Man wird das Buch immer wieder gerne zur Hand nehmen um ein Kapitel im Detail zu studieren, etwas nachzuschlagen oder einfach Neues zu lernen. Ich kann es allen Montanisten, Lagerstättengeologen und angewandten Geowissenschaftlern wärmstens empfehlen."

Prof. Dr. Frank Melcher, Lehrstuhl für Geologie und Lagerstättenlehre, Montanuniversität Leoben