Hello everyone,
This thread is for community discussion of ERC-8097, a proposed Ethereum standard that defines how in-ground natural resources (minerals, metals, subsurface materials) can be represented as structured, machine-verifiable metadata.
PR: Add ERC: In-Ground Asset Token by solomonashok · Pull Request #1387 · ethereum/ERCs · GitHub
Summary
ERC-8097 introduces a metadata structure and lifecycle model for in-ground mineral assets, including:
- Geological & resource metadata
- Compliance metadata (JORC / NI 43-101 / SAMREC / PERC)
- Tenure & jurisdiction metadata
- ESG & rehabilitation requirements
- Extraction & depletion events
- Competent Person (CP/QP) digital attestations (EIP-712)
The goal is to provide a common, open, interoperable metadata standard for the global mining sector, enabling:
- Machine-verifiable geological truth
- Automated compliance validation
- Auditable resource lifecycle updates
- Optional tokenization of verified reserves
This is NOT a financial instrument standard.
It is a data and compliance standard for mineral assets.
Motivation
Geological data today lives in PDFs, unstructured text, tables, and scattered reports.
There is no unified way to represent:
- JORC resource statements
- NI 43-101 technical data
- Competent Person sign-off
- Reserve classification (Measured / Indicated / Inferred / Proven / Probable)
- ESG obligations
- Extraction & depletion events
ERC-8097 aims to create a structured metadata framework, similar in spirit to ERC-721 and ERC-1155, but specialized for geological assets and compliant with global reporting standards.
Key Metadata Objects
ERC-8097 defines a set of metadata objects:
- IRO – In-Ground Resource Object
- IGO – Geology Object
- ICO – Compliance Object (CP/QP attestation)
- ITO – Tenure & Jurisdiction Object
- IEXO – Extraction & Depletion Object
- IEO – ESG & Rehabilitation Object
These objects can be stored off-chain, with on-chain hashing and version control for immutability.
Compliance & Attestation
Competent Persons (CP/QP) can digitally sign metadata using:
- EIP-712 typed signatures
- Identity frameworks (EIP-780 / EIP-735)
This allows regulators, auditors, and institutions to verify that geological data was approved by qualified experts.
Optional Token Extensions
ERC-8097 supports optional token models:
IGA-T (Fixed Supply)
Represents a set quantity of in-ground reserves.
IGA-X (Extraction-Linked)
Token supply adjusts based on validated extraction events recorded through IEXO.
IGA-C (Compliance / ESG Instruments)
For rehabilitation bonds, environmental commitments, sustainability-linked instruments.
These extensions are optional and built on top of the metadata standard.
Use Cases
- Mapping JORC/NI 43-101 data to structured metadata
- Institution-grade mineral asset verification
- Digital reporting for auditors and regulators
- Lifecycle tracking of extraction
- Bonding, ESG, and rehabilitation accountability
- Optional tokenization for financing (RWA)
- Streaming / royalty / pre-pay instruments
Request for Feedback
We are seeking feedback on:
- Metadata structure
- Compatibility with mineral reporting codes
- Approaches to CP/QP identity verification
- Extraction update logic
- ESG modeling
- Optional token extensions
Any comments, criticisms, or contributions are welcome.
Thank you!
— Solomon
Author, ERC-8097