Chromium, titanium and zirconium resource potential and recommendations on regional geological exploration in the Russian Federation

Currently Russia is engaged in completing the program on State 1000/3 Geological Maps Packs including the maps of distribution patterns and prediction of mineral deposits. Using some 1:200 000 scale maps and collected information on regional and sectorial metallogeny, strategic mineral reserves and quantification of undiscovered potential resources inside the Russian Federation, the experts of the Metallogeny and Mineral Deposit Geology Department at the Karpinsky Russian Geological Research Institute developed GIS Projects. The GIS Projects are characterized in terms of selection of prediction criteria for identifying promising areas of different rank. The chromium, titanium and zirconium resource potential in the Russian Federation is assessed. The recommendations on sequencing medium-scale regional geological exploration for the localization of predictable ore-bearing objects are substantiated. The mentioned maps display the prediction criteria as separate layers—magmatic, stratigraphic, metasomatic-and-hydrothermal, tectonic, cosmostructural, geochemical, metallogenic etc. The combination of these criteria within a certain geological space allows identifying the most promising areas in terms of ore deposits and ore fields.