Abstract This paper presents the investigation of fraud and of the theft of metal acquired by a Brazilian company from a Chinese supplier. Zinc ingots were transported by ship from China to the city of Londrina, in Paraná State, Brazil. However, they were substituted at some point during their journey, and replaced with bags containing fine crushed rock. In this case of a classic ‘substitution’ it was possible to use geological methods to investigate the crushed rock. As such, the mineralogical, petrological and isotope analysis showed the replaced rock did not originate from a Brazilian provenance. Therefore, the substitution possibly occurred before the cargo's arrival in Brazil. An inadequate chain of custody of the cargo, during transportation from Asia to Brazil, including the onward journey from Paranaguá to Londrina, is likely to have provided the opportunity for the material exchange to take place. Collaboration between the Brazilian Federal Police and geological experts based in academia enabled the crime to be investigated and solved.

ABSTRACT The Michigan Basin is one of the world’s important sedimentary basins that contains significant quantities of evaporites. Here, evaporites are found in deposits of Ordovician through Mississippian age rocks; however, most of the thick evaporite accumulations occur in Silurian and Devonian intervals. Halite is most significant in the Silurian Salina Group, with a maximum aggregate thickness of halite exceeding 650 m (2150 ft). During the earliest evaporite deposition in the Salina Group (A-1 Evaporite), sylvite was widely deposited in the north-central portion of the basin within the upper 91.4 m (300 ft) of the formation. Devonian salt is also present in the north-central portion of the basin in the Horner Member of the Lucas Formation, where maximum aggregate net thickness of halite reaches 125 m (410 ft). Recrystallization of much of the halite obscures the primary depositional crystal geometry; however, some well-preserved beds do show crystal growth that is interpreted as bottom-growth chevrons, which likely suggest shallow-water deposition. Throughout the rest of the Michigan Basin, in both space and time, the evaporite phase deposited is CaSO 4 . In the shallowest portions of the Mississippian Michigan Formation, the sulfate mineral phase is gypsum; everywhere else in the basin, all the evaporitic sulfate deposits are anhydrite. Although the dehydration of the gypsum to anhydrite has slightly altered the original depositional morphology, some primary growth geometry is still evident. Subtidal and sabkha morphologies can be documented in all the anhydrite/gypsum deposits of the Michigan Basin. Based on historic production, evaporite minerals have added an estimated $15.5 billion (in 2013 dollars) to the industrial mineral economy of Michigan since the first commercial development in the 1860s.

Abstract Flake graphite is a critical battery material due to its role as the primary anode component in lithium-ion batteries. With the shift to electrification of vehicles, it is forecast that in the next five years flake graphite’s number-one use will be in battery applications, overtaking its traditional industrial uses. The burgeoning demand for battery anode materials is anticipated to double the current natural flake graphite market of roughly 645,000 tonnes per annum by 2025, which will require new flake graphite sources like the Molo graphite deposit to come into production. The Molo graphite deposit is world class due to its large size (NI 43–101 measured resource of 23.62 Mt at 6.32% C, indicated resource of 76.75 Mt at 6.25% C, and inferred resource of 40.91 Mt at 5.78% C), high proportion of large and jumbo flake (46.4%), and high average flake carbon purity (97.27% C). The deposit was discovered in 2011 as the result of a regional exploration program initiated by NextSource Materials Inc. following their delineation of a vanadium deposit called the Green Giant. Graphitic mineralization in the Molo is bimodally distributed, with low-grade and high-grade zones having carbon cutoff grades of 2 and 4% C, respectively. High-grade mineralization is associated with metamorphosed siltstones and mudstones, while low-grade mineralization is associated with rocks interpreted to represent metamorphosed sandstones, which are interpreted to be more favorable hosts for large- and jumbo-flake graphite. The Molo graphite deposit appears to have resulted from many mineralizing events, which extended over a period of time that may range from ca. 900 to ca. 490 Ma. These include graphitization during the emplacement of anorthosite complexes, graphitization in a high-strain regime under high-pressure and high-temperature granulite facies metamorphism during the collision of the Androyen domain with the Vohibory domain, graphite refining and recrystallization believed to have taken place during East Gondwana and West Gondwana collision, and the formation of postcollisional hydrothermal vein graphite during orogenic collapse. The superimposition of the tectono-metamorphic history of southern Madagascar on a sedimentary sequence in which the protoliths were rich in organic carbon has resulted in world-class flake graphite mineralization with high carbon purities and large flake sizes.

Trends in global mineral production and expanding uses of mineral resources foretell a bright future, though one with significant challenges, for exploration and development. Demand for mineral resources is likely to remain high and grow to meet increases in world population and standards of living. Significant challenges include meeting future demand with new discoveries and developing the resources in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. A historical perspective from the past 50 years on finding new mineral districts, discovering new types of ore deposits, and using new technologies in exploration suggests that the world will not run out of mineral resources. It is likely that substitution and recycling will play increasingly major roles in meeting global mineral demand. New technologies for ocean mining will help add to the resource base. Historical perspectives also suggest that mining scams will continue, and environmental, health, and safety concerns will be major factors in deciding where future mines will be located and how they will be operated.