Mapping the global research landscape of tourmaline: quantitative advances and implications for mineral exploration and petrogenetic studies

Abstract Tourmaline, a chemically complex borosilicate mineral, serves as a sensitive recorder of geological processes across a wide range of environments. However, the rapid expansion and disciplinary diversification of tourmaline research over the past two decades have made it difficult to evaluate its global development objectively. This study aims to systematically map and quantify the intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and collaboration networks of tourmaline research from 2000 to 2025. A total of 2,797 publications were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection and analyzed using CiteSpace and VOSviewer to analyze co-citation patterns, keyword clustering, collaboration networks, and dual-map overlays. The results reveal a steady increase in publication output and a transition from traditional mineralogical and petrological studies to interdisciplinary applications spanning geochemistry, materials science, and environmental engineering. China has emerged as the most prolific contributor, while Europe and North America maintain high network centrality and influence through methodological innovation and collaboration. Core journals such as Ore Geology Reviews, American Mineralogist, and Canadian Mineralogist serve as primary hubs for knowledge dissemination. Emerging hotspots include boron isotope geochemistry, U–Pb geochronology, and tourmaline-based environmental applications. This study provides a comprehensive, data-driven overview of global tourmaline research by identifying its intellectual structure, thematic evolution, and collaboration patterns. The findings clarify major publication trends, core journals, influential research topics, and emerging directions, thereby offering a bibliometric reference for future studies on tourmaline in geoscience, resource exploration, and environmental applications.