Mineral Resources

EGDI Mineral resources

We live in a mineral-based world. It has been said that “if you can’t grow it, you have to mine it”. Indeed, virtually everything we use on a daily basis is manufactured from the Earth’s mineral resources. Mineral raw materials provide us with our basic needs – energy, infrastructure, transportation, technology and more.

In EGS, this topic is addressed by the Mineral Resources Expert Group.
A number of European and regional projects have been carried out over the last few decades to address issues related to mineral resources. GeoERA substantially increased the knowledge about Mineral Resources.

Mineral resources and CRM: why the topic matters now

Access to mineral resources and Critical Raw Materials (CRM) is increasingly important for Europe’s industrial resilience and the green transition. EGDI helps users discover harmonised information from national geological surveys and European projects, making it easier to compare resources across borders and support research, planning and evidence-based policy.

What EGDI provides for Mineral Resources

On this theme page, you can navigate to key EGDI resources that support mineral intelligence workflows, including:

  • Projects and knowledge products that consolidate mineral information at the European scale.
  • Metadata records describing datasets, methods, coverage and constraints to support reuse and interoperability.
  • Tools to explore layers visually (Map Viewer) and discover datasets (Data Search).

Typical use cases

  • Screening and prioritisation: identify where CRM and mineral resource information exists and assess suitability for downstream analysis.
  • Cross-border comparisons: harmonised descriptions and metadata support regional-to-European reporting.
  • Research and education: use authoritative sources to contextualise mineral systems and resource potential.

Start here (recommended workflow)

  1. Explore geological context in the Geological Map Viewer of Europe (supporting background geology for resource interpretation).
  2. Find datasets with EGDI Data Search and review structured results.
  3. Validate metadata in the Geological Metadata Catalogue before reuse (methods, coverage, constraints).

Related EGDI resources

Related projects

Prospecting Secondary raw materials in the Urban mine and Mining wastes
ProSUM
Prospecting Secondary raw materials in the Urban mine and Mining wastes
The project delivered the first Urban Mine Knowledge Data Platform with information on secondary raw materials. The platform was linked to the M4EU da...
Minerals Intelligence Network for Europe
Minerals4EU
Minerals Intelligence Network for Europe
A minerals intelligence network with a database providing access to an overview of European raw materials and a European Minerals Yearbook was created...
Networking to secure rare earth elements
SCRREEN2
Networking to secure rare earth elements
Launched to develop the SCRREEN expert network to cover all raw materials. Specifically, SCRREEN2 will develop the network and publish sector-oriented...
Synergic Circular Economy across European Regions
SCRREEN
Synergic Circular Economy across European Regions
SCRREEN was a Horizon 2020 funded project (2016 – 2019) which aimed to bring together European initiatives, associations, clusters, and projects worki...
Optimising data collection for Primary and Secondary raw materials
ORAMA
Optimising data collection for Primary and Secondary raw materials
ORAMA project enhanced raw materials data collection, tackling challenges of availability, coverage, accessibility, standardization, quality, and them...
Mineral Potential of the ESEE Region
RESEERVE
Mineral Potential of the ESEE Region
The RESEERVE project mapped the mineral resources of the six ESEE countries: Albania, BIH, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Northern Macedonia
European Ornamental stone resources
EuroLithos
European Ornamental stone resources
European Ornamental stone resources (EuroLithos) project increased knowledge of the geology, quality and history of use of natural stone in Europe
Mineral Intelligence for Europe
Mintell4EU
Mineral Intelligence for Europe
The location of (potential) European mineral resources is of increasing interest to policy makers and stakeholders as the need for raw materials for t...

Other Scientific Themes

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Basic Geology

Multiscale space-related datasets and data products are the fundamental components of geological baseline information delivered by national geological survey organisations. These datasets and products show and explain the geological architecture of the surface and subsurface of the Earth’s crust.
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Boreholes

EGDI contains data on different sets of boreholes. Currently a WMS services is available.
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Earth Observations and Geohazards

The systematic observation of the Earth’s surface and the monitoring of ground deformation allows the precise mapping and assessment of geohazards. Geohazards can have severe impacts on human lives and properties and may lead to serious socio-economic consequences.
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Geochemistry

Chemical elements are the Earth’s building blocks. Geochemistry is the study of the distribution and concentration of Earth’s elements.
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GeoEnergy

Energy is vital to the functioning of our society. We need energy to heat our homes, to produce food, for transport, and much more. But energy consumption poses two major challenges. First, our huge dependency on fossil fuels. Second, domestic energy production is decreasing.
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GeoERA

Establishing the European Geological Surveys Research Area to deliver a Geological Service for Europe (GeoERA).
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Geoheritage

Earth’s geological processes are happening around us all the time. The results are often distinctive geological sites (geosites) that can be unique, visually appealing or have scientific value.
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Geophysics

Geophysics studies the Earth's interior using physical properties measured at or above its surface and produces mathematical models to predict those properties.
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Marine Geology

About two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. In line with this, Europe’s seas total about fifteen million square kilometres, fifty percent more than its land area.
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Urban Geology

Geological and geotechnical information about the subsurface of cities are of paramount importance and of high socio-economic value for their development and the maintenance of critical infrastructure.
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Water Resources

Groundwater, present almost every where beneath our feet, is by far (99%) the largest freshwater resource on earth. As rain falls, it recharge and continuously feeds, rivers, lakes, wetlands and coastal waters.