Cooke, H. M.2025-07-242025-07-242023https://hdl.handle.net/2440/146283This item is only available electronically. Whole thesis (as available).Humans shift the same magnitude of rock around the planet as does nature via geological processes. This, in no uncertain terms, is because we mine. Our exponential extraction of metals to grow modern society is most voluminously archived in mine waste deposits like waste rock dumps and tailings, to which we add 100 billion tonnes of material yearly. As dominant agents of the geosphere we must challenge ourselves on this enormous disposal of mineralogical natural capital. The Prominent Hill tailings storage facility (TSF) is an anthropogenic-geologic waste deposit created at the final stage of material flow of Prominent Hill’s mining processes. Tailings sediment provenance and geochronology, and the TSFs stratigraphy, critical mineral resource potential (e.g., copper (Cu) and rare earth elements (REEs)), can be quantified by engaging with material flow processes. This undertaking ultimately maps an anthropogenic mineral systems approach to characterising TSF resources. Microanalytical characterisation of Cu and REEs in sampled Prominent Hill tailings reveals mineralogical fingerprints that become the geometallurgical basis for mineral reprocessing pathways. The TSF contains 112 million tonnes of tailings which average 0.14% Cu and 0.3% REE. Cu(-Fe) particles are highly enriched in Mo, Ag and Au, and are extensively oxidised to Cu-sulphate, and Fe(-Cu, -S, -Cl) mineral assemblages. Meanwhile, the TSFs REE inventory is dispersed between several types of fluorcarbonates and phosphates with unique light REE (LREE) and heavy REE (HREE) signatures. Monazite contains the highest LREE contents, though magnet REEs (e.g. Pr, Nd, Dy) are concentrated in fluorcarbonates. Apatite is potentially a significant reserve of HREEs. By blueprinting the unique anthropogenic mineral systems of our TSFs, this thesis helps future explorations of tailings deposits as responsible sources of critical raw materials and frames an opportunity to redesign our billion-tonne footprints in the Anthropocene rock record.enHonoursGeologyanthropogenic mineral systemstailingscritical mineralsProminent Hillmine wasteThesis