Global research trends on metallogeny in mafic-ultramafic rocks: A bibliometric approach

A comprehensive assessment and evaluation of metallogeny in mafic-ultramafic rocks, which is essential in determining the novelty value and direction, have not yet been found in past studies. This study aimed to determine the trends and opportunities related to the aforementioned subject using bibliometric methods based on the SCOPUS database, through visualization and analysis using the VOSviewer application; so that we can focus on research that has not been done for the next forward (as the benefit). The results showed a total of 972 publications during the 1969-2022 period, with the highest contributing countries being China and Australia, while the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the most productive affiliate. Ore Geology Reviews is the journal with the highest number of publications on this topic. Concurrently, the most productive authors are Santosh M and Mao J. The Earth and planetary sciences, environmental sciences, and engineering dominate the subject areas. Geographically, related research is still focused on China, while gold, zircon, and copper are the metals with the highest focus. In addition, widely used equipment or methods approaches include fluid inclusions, U-Pb zircon dating, and Hf isotopes. Recent trends in research topics include geochemistry, petrogenesis, geochronology, fluid inclusions, and tectonic setting. Low-frequency research topics include ore magmatic systems, reduced intrusion-related, tonalite, palladium, La-ICP-MS, U-Pb dating, lithium, metavolcanic rocks, black shale, hydrocarbons, Rb-Sr geochronology, rare earth elements, Re-Os analysis, Sm-Nd, Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf isotopes, and dunite-peridotite-pyroxenite-gabbro associations.