Glossary
Glossary term

general exploration

A CRMA exploration term for national- or regional-level exploration, excluding targeted exploration.

1 official sourceSingle-source term

What does general exploration mean?

General exploration is a national or regional level early-stage resource-development concept. It supports future project pipelines but does not by itself prove reserves, extraction capacity, or mine viability.

Source context

This page is anchored in CRMA Article 2, point 21. It should be read with national programmes, predictive maps, and targeted exploration, with a clear boundary between broad public exploration coverage and detailed occurrence-level investigation.

Official definitions by source

EU Critical Raw Materials Act

Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials

exploration at national or regional level, not including targeted exploration

CRMA Article 2 source-specific definition layer.

Reference: Article 2, point 21

View official source

Definition status

Reviewed public draft page. Aligns with CRMA capacity/supply-chain policy: separates extraction, processing, recycling, demand baselines, material flows, exploration stages, and strategic-stock evidence.

Practical application

Implementation records should capture area identifier, survey record, geological data, exploration stage, method used, licence/permit status, responsible party, data source, date, target material group, and follow-up decision.

Minespider commentary

General exploration is the early-stage-resource control for CRMA evidence. It should link areas, surveys, datasets, methods, licences, and follow-up decisions so exploration activity is not overstated as a defined deposit, reserve, or extraction capacity.

Common confusions

  • Treating general exploration data as proof of reserves or near-term supply.
  • Recording survey activity without area, method, licence/status, target material, and data-source evidence.
  • Confusing general exploration with targeted exploration focused on a specific deposit hypothesis.