Critical Raw Materials of Serbia

Keywords: Critical Raw Materials; Serbia; economic geology; ore deposits; mineral resources

Serbia hosts diverse mineral commodities classified as Critical Raw Materials (CRMs) by the European Union, including Sb, Co, Bi, W, Nb, Ta, Ge, Hf, Sc, Ga, Be, Li, rare earth elements (REEs), fluorspar, boron minerals, barite, phosphate, graphite, and bauxite. Based on the current level of geological exploration, CRMs in Serbia can be classified into two groups: 1) commodities with defined mineral resources (Sb, Co, Li, phosphate, and boron minerals) and 2) commodities represented by mineral occurrences with insufficient data for mineral resource estimation (Bi, W, Ge, Hf, Sc, Ga, Be, Nb, Ta, REEs, fluorspar, barite, graphite, and bauxite). The CRMs with defined mineral resources include Sb in hydrothermal jasperoid and vein deposits, Co in lateritic Ni-Co deposits, Li and boron minerals in world-class sedimentary-hydrothermal Li-B deposits, and phosphates in sedimentary deposits. The CRMs represented by mineral occurrences or exploration targets include Bi in Fe-Cu skarn and polymetallic Pb-Zn deposits, W in Au-W vein and skarn-related mineralization, Nb, Ta, Be, and Hf in pegmatites, greisens, and granitoid complexes, Ge, Sc, and Ga as by-products of porphyry Cu-Au and hydrothermal polymetallic Pb-Zn deposits, REEs in monazite-bearing alluvial sediments associated with Th-U mineralization, fluorspar and barite in hydrothermal vein and metasomatic deposits, graphite in metamorphic deposits, and bauxite in karst-type deposits. Serbia hosts a broad spectrum of CRMs associated with diverse ore-forming systems. Although mineral resources have been defined for only a limited number of commodities, the numerous documented mineral occurrences indicate potential for future resource definition through geological exploration.