The Strategic Importance of the Lithiniferous Deposits of Gonçalo (Guarda, Portugal) in Sustainable Development of Low Density Regions — The Lithium Project

Ana M. Antão¹, A. Carolino², and R. Vieira³

1. Department of Civil Engineering, Polytechnique Institute of Guarda, Portugal

2. CEO of Pegmatítica, -Soc. Mineira de Pegmatites, Lda Portugal

3. Freelancer expert of LSW, Portugal

Abstract: The growth of the world population and the increasing amounts of energy and raw materials demanded by the modern societies are facts of the last decades. The increasing global carbon emissions and the constant pollution situations in the great world cities are raising a growing ecological awareness of the society. According to the Goldman Sachs report (2015), the path must be a bet on low-carbon technology (LCT) and less “global warming” technologies. One of the low-carbon technologies with a big impact on green technology are hybrid vehicles (Hvs) and electric vehicles (Evs). Nowadays, special attention is placed on the exploitation of an important and scarce geological resource in Europe, but abundant in Portugal, especially in the area of Gonçalo (Guarda), the lithium. In the Iberian Peninsula, there is one of the largest lithium mineralization zones of Europe. These deposits are mostly lithiniferous pegmatites veins that outcrops metasedimentary rocks and Variscan granitoids in the zones of the Galicia-Trás-os-Montes Zone (GTMZ) and Central Iberian Zone (CIZ). With increasing prices of lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide, pegmatites deposits are now cost-effective sources of Li. The concerns of the societies with the environment questions and the sustainability is a priority issue to avoid that the exploitation of the lithium can be carried out without the environmental concerns. There is a need now to prove the existence of mineral resources and reserves according to the best international codes to bring Europe with a new raw material.

Key words: Lithium, Portugal, Aplite pegmatites, sustainability, geotourism