Critical metals are vital components for clean energy, low-carbon technologies, and various high-tech industries, and their reliable supply is increasingly fundamental for the realization of global sustainability goals. The Tethyan Metallogenic Belt (TMB), extending over 10,000 kilometers from Northwestern Africa, Western Europe through Turkey, the Caucasus and Iran towards the southwest Pacific Ocean, is among Earth's largest and most mineralogically productive metallogenic belts. Its geological diversity and resource abundance are the result of complex geodynamic processes, driven mainly by the multi-stage closure of the Tethys Ocean and involving extensive subduction, collision, post-collision extension, and tectonic reactivation. Recent studies have underlined the significance of hydrothermal systems within the TMB, with their diverse deposits—including porphyry Cu-Au, polymetallic epithermal systems, skarn mineralization, volcanic-hosted massive sulphides (VHMS), and sediment-hosted deposits (CD-type and Mississippi Valley-type)—containing valuable concentrations of critical metals such as antimony, cobalt, gallium, germanium, indium, tin, tungsten, zinc, rare earth elements (REE), gold, silver, and copper. However, despite notable advancements, significant knowledge gaps remain, particularly in understanding the link between geodynamic evolution, metallogenic processes, and optimal strategies for sustainable, environmentally responsible exploration and extraction.

This Research Topic aims to deepen our understanding of the metallogenic processes, geological contexts, and enrichment mechanisms responsible for critical metal concentration across the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt. Specific objectives include deciphering complex geodynamic settings, clarifying the geochemical, isotopic, and mineralogical signatures of Tethyan deposits, establishing precise chronological frameworks of ore-forming events, and developing innovative, sustainable methodologies for identifying, exploring, and extracting critical metal resources.

To gather further insights within the metallogenic context of the TMB, we welcome contributions addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• Geodynamic settings and tectonic evolution governing metallogenesis;
• Petrographic, mineralogical, and geochemical characterization of Tethyan ore deposits;
• Advances in geochronology and thermochronology of mineralization events;
• Fluid evolution, fluid-rock interactions, and isotopic approaches in tracing ore-forming processes;
• Critical metals resource potential, exploration strategies, and assessment techniques;
• Innovative, environmentally responsible exploration, extraction technologies, and sustainable development approaches.

We also welcome submissions in the following article formats: Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, and Methods.

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Critical metals in the Tethyan Metallogenic Belt: metallogenesis and sustainable exploration