@article{fdi:010093619,
  title = {{L}ithium pegmatites in {A}frica : a {R}eview},
  author = {{G}oodenough, {K}. {M}. and {S}haw, {R}. {A}. and {B}orst, {A}. {M}. and {N}ex, {P}. {A}. {M}. and {K}innaird, {J}. {A}. and {V}an {L}ichtervelde, {M}arieke and {E}ssaifi, {A}. and {K}oopmans, {L}. and {D}eady, {E}. {A}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{E}lectrification of transport plays a vital role in the energy transition, which is needed to tackle the pressing challenge of climate change. {L}ithium is a critical raw material for the batteries that are used to power electric vehicles. {C}urrently, about 60% of the world's lithium is sourced from rare metal pegmatites, with the top three producing countries ({A}ustralia, {C}hile, {C}hina) accounting for more than 80% of global supply. {T}here is limited legal extraction of lithium on the {A}frican continent, with {Z}imbabwe currently being the only country actively mining lithium at large scale, but {A}frica is host to significant, untapped lithium resources. {T}his paper provides an overview of lithium pegmatites in {A}frica, describing the key features (e.g., zonation, mineralogy, and paragenesis) of pegmatites from different tectonic settings and of varying ages. {I}t is notable that each of the key orogenic events on the continent has a distinct lithium pegmatite fingerprint. {A}rchaean pegmatites are typically petalite dominated; unzoned spodumene pegmatites are common in the {P}aleoproterozoic of the {W}est {A}frican craton; {M}esoproterozoic pegmatites in {C}entral {A}frica are typically tin-tantalum rich, which is a function of the high degree of albitization observed in many of these pegmatites; and complex zoned pegmatites are more common in the {N}eoproterozoic to {P}aleozoic orogens. {M}any of these pegmatites have a common paragenesis that can be broadly described in four stages (magmatic crystallization, albitization, greisenization, and low-temperature alteration), but there is a need to understand what controls the wider variation in pegmatite type and economic mineral assemblages. {T}he continent of {A}frica provides an excellent natural lab for placing pegmatites into their broader geologic context in order to develop better mineral deposit models.},
  keywords = {{AFRIQUE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{E}conomic {G}eology},
  volume = {120},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {513--539},
  ISSN = {0361-0128},
  year = {2025},
  DOI = {10.5382/econgeo.5133},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010093619},
}