Methodological approaches to the study of mineral resource potential of regions

The exploration industry of Ukraine is experiencing a protracted crisis. It is confirmed by the curtailment of funding for the development of country mineral resources by 60% last year which causes the closure of exploration companies. The range of problems traditionally solved by the geography of mineral resources is significantly reduced. These reasons encouraged us to consider the main methodological approaches to the study of mineral potential of specific regions. The studied approaches such as natural-geographical, economic-geographical, ecological-geographical, and complex structural-geographical lie in the domain of geographical science. The article emphasizes the urgency to develop structural and geographical course of research, which is based on the studies of mineral resources and the approaches mentioned above including geological one. The structural and geographical course of research is supposed to create real models of mineral resources of the country regions and to suggest specific measures of their structure optimization alongside prospects of their development following modern world tendencies. The research may result in the creation of a long-term concept of balanced development of the mineral complex of the region, the prevision of the use of mineral resources, the justification of resource-saving technologies. A systematic approach to such a concept will ensure the rational use of resources, the formation of new infrastructure, conditions for environmentally safe function of the economy, sustainable and balanced development of the economic complex of the region