Abstract:

Niobium and tantalum are critical rare metals for the emerging industries including electronics, aviation, healthcare, mechanical engineering, and nuclear. With increasing demand for Nb-Ta deposits it is imperative to study their ore-forming mechanism and Nb/Ta enrichment patterns. According to previous studies on the mineral diversity and temporospatial distribution of U, Hg, Be, B, Li-bearing minerals, big data-based mineral evolution research can provide new insights into rare-metal enrichment and ore-forming mechanisms as well as new directions for ore prediction. In this paper, global Nb/Ta-bearing mineral big data involving 1488 minerals and 179 mineral species are obtained from the Global Comprehensive Mineral Database (RRUFF), and historical changes in mineral species and quantity and geospatial distribution of Nb/Ta-bearing minerals are analyzed. During Earth’s evolution mineral species and quantity of Nb-Ta-bearing minerals have increased continuously, and the growth appears to be multi-stage. Prominent growth peaks coincide with the convergence of the Kenorland and Pangea supercontinents and breakup of the Pangea supercontinent, indicating there is an inner relationship between Nb-Ta enrichment and the supercontinent cycle-such inner relationship needs to be further explored.

Key words: mineral evolution, Nb-Ta big data, temporospatial distribution patterns, supercontinental cycle