The Exergy of the Earth and its Mineral Resources - Thanatia: The Destiny of the Earth's Mineral Resources - page 345

Table 11.19: The exergy (B t ) of mineral reserves and world resources. Values
are expressed in ktoe.- continued from previous page.

Substance
reported
by USGS

Mineral ore Production

(2008)

Reserves
(2010)

Resources R/P,

years

Lithium Li in brines N.A. 1.52E+04 3.91E+04 N.A.

Magnesium Magnesite 1.58E+02 N.A. N.A. N.A.

Manganese Pyrolusite 2.72E+02 1.10E+04 N.A. 41

Mercury Cinnabar 1.10E-01 5.58E+00 5.00E+01 51

Molybdenum Molybdenite 9.11E+01 3.63E+03 8.10E+03 40

Nickel - lat-
erites

Garnierite 9.24E+00 4.18E+02 N.A. 45

Nickel - sul-
phides

Pentlandite 3.89E+02 1.76E+04 N.A. 45

Niobium Columbite 1.52E+00 7.00E+01 N.A. 46

Phosphate
rock

Fluorapatite 9.15E+01 9.10E+03 N.A. 99

PGM Cooperite 5.28E-02 8.07E+00 1.14E+01 153

Potash Sylvite 8.77E+02 2.14E+05 6.30E+06 244

REE Monazite N.A. N.A. 2.4. 739

Rhenium Re in molybden-

ite

4.32E-03 1.91E-01 8.41E-01 44

Selenium Se in Cu ores 1.73E-01 1.01E+01 N.A. 58

Silicon Quartz 2.28E+01 N.A. N.A. N.A.

Silver Argentite 1.70E+00 3.20E+01 N.A. 19

Strontium Celestine 6.87E+00 9.43E+01 1.39E+04 14

Tantalum Tantalite 1.55E-02 1.46E+00 N.A. 94

Tellurium Te in Cu ores 0.00E+00 1.40E+00 N.A. N.A.

Thorium Thorite N.A. 5.78E+01 N.A. N.A.

Tin Cassiterite 3.08E+00 5.77E+01 N.A. 19

Titanium-
rutile

Rutile 4.34E+00 3.14E+02 9.00E+02 72

Titanium-
ilmenite

Ilmenite 1.35E+02 1.35E+04 3.97E+04 100

Uranium Uraninite 8.21E-01 1.02E+02 1.87E+02 125

Vanadium V in other ores 1.92E+01 4.45E+03 2.16E+04 232

Wolfram Scheelite 1.16E+00 5.82E+01 N.A. 50

Zinc Sphalerite 3.22E+03 5.56E+04 5.28E+05 17

Zirconium Zircon 4.30E+00 2.80E+02 N.A. 65

Sum 3.27E+04 1.75E+06 1.43E+07 142

End of the table

According to Table 11.19 the minerals consumed at the highest rates compared
to their available reserves are, in decreasing order, antimony, strontium, zinc, tin,
silver, indium, lead, gold and barium, with reserves to production ratios - static
index (R/P) - between 14 to 21 years.
The latest recorded production rate of non-fuel minerals (in 2008) is 32.7
Mtoe/yr or around 2.5% of the total reserves. Accordingly, the R/P ratio of the
minerals investigated indicates that on average, there are enough resources for at
least another 141 years should production remain constant and no more resources
be found (something which although possible, is highly improbable).