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An orogenic gold deposit is a type of hydrothermal mineral deposit. More than 75% of the gold recovered by humans through history belongs to the class of orogenic gold deposits. [1] Rock structure is the primary control of orogenic gold mineralization at all scales, as it controls both the transport and deposition processes of the mineralized ...
Gold-bearing quartz veins, Blue Ribbon Mine, Alaska. For this reason, veins within hydrothermal gold deposits are no longer the exclusive target of mining, and in some cases gold mineralisation is restricted entirely to the altered wall rocks within which entirely barren quartz veins are hosted.
Hydrothermal vein ore deposits consist of discrete veins or groups of closely spaced veins. Veins are believed to be precipitated by hydrothermal solutions travelling along discontinuities in a rockmass. [10] They are commonly epithermal in origin, that is to say they form at relatively high crustal levels and moderate to low temperatures.
Ore genesis. High-grade gold ore from the Harvard Mine, Jamestown, California, a wide quartz -gold vein in California's Mother Lode. Specimen is 3.2 cm (1.3 in) wide. Various theories of ore genesis explain how the various types of mineral deposits form within Earth's crust. Ore-genesis theories vary depending on the mineral or commodity examined.
Carlin-type gold ore from the Twin Creeks mine, Nevada, near the Getchell Mine. This is an auriferous, silicified-decalcified siltstone/mudstone from the Comus Formation (Lower Ordovician). Ore grade is about 0.20 to 0.25 ounces of gold per ton of rock. The gold mineralization is very finely disseminated: "invisible gold".
Classification. Iron oxide copper gold (IOCG) deposits are considered to be metasomatic expressions of large crustal-scale alteration events driven by intrusive activity. The deposit type was first recognised by discovery and study of the supergiant Olympic Dam copper-gold-uranium deposit (Olympic Dam mine), and South American examples.
Metasomatism. Metasomatism (from the Greek μετά metá "change" and σῶμα sôma "body") is the chemical alteration of a rock by hydrothermal and other fluids. [1] It is traditionally defined as metamorphism which involves a change in the chemical composition, excluding volatile components. [2] It is the replacement of one rock by another ...
Paragenesis. Paragenesis is a petrologic concept meaning an equilibrium sequence of mineral phases. [1] It is used in studies of igneous and metamorphic rock genesis and importantly in studies of the hydrothermal deposition of ore minerals and the rock alteration (vein metasomatism) associated with ore mineral deposits.