Understanding Mineral Deposits
Understanding Mineral Deposits

Author: Kula Misra

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 857

ISBN-13: 9401139253

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Mineral deposits have supplied useful or valuable material for human consumption long before they became objects of scientific curiosity or commercial exploitation. In fact, the earliest human interest in rocks was probably because of the easily accessible, useful (e. g. , red pigment in the form of earthy hematite) or valuable (e. g. , native gold and gemstones) materials they contained at places. In modem times, the study of mineral deposits has evolved into an applied science employing detailed field observations, sophisticated laboratory techniques for additional information, and computer modeling to build complex hypotheses. Understanding concepts that would someday help geologists to find new mineral deposits or exploit the known ones more efficiently have always been, and will continue to be, at the core of any course on mineral deposits, but it is a fascinating subject in its own right, even for students who do not intend to be professional economic geologists. I believe that a course on mineral deposits should be designed as a "capstone course" that illustrates a comprehensive application of concepts from many other disciplines in geology (mineralogy, stratigraphy and sedimentation, structure and tectonics, petrology, geochemistry, paleontology, geomorphology, etc. ). This book is intended as a text for such an introductory course in economic geology, primarily for senior undergraduate and graduate students in colleges and universities. It should also serve as a useful information resource for professional economic geologists.

A Regional Structural Model for Gold Mineralization in the Southern Part of the Archean Superior Province, United States
A Regional Structural Model for Gold Mineralization in the Southern Part of the Archean Superior Province, United States

Author: Paul Kibler Sims

Publisher:

Published: 1992

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13:

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The Canadian segment of the Archean Superior province is a major world source of lode gold. The gold deposits occur in or near regional transcurrent and oblique slip-shear deformation zones that comprise a conjugate set to a northwest- directed compression of the Superior province. These structures provided permeable pathways for the flow of large volumes of auriferous fluid derived from an external source. Historic gold production from the United States segment of the Superior province is modest, but the close similarity in the geologic environment of the United States and Canadian segments suggests that large gold deposits should be present in the U.S.A. An occurrence model largely based on known parameters of gold mineralization in Canada suggests that the greenstone-granite terranes of the Wawa and Wabigoon sub-provinces in the United States are favorable for important gold deposits. The model suggests that gold mineralization took place during or later than the transcurrent faulting and that it took place contemporaneously with emplacement of silica-undersaturated intrusions. The faulting occurred late in the igneous-tectonic history of the Superior province, about 2,690 Ma. Extensive, intense alteration comprising carbonitization, silicification, and sulfidization accompanied the gold mineralization. The relationships between alteration minerals and mineralized veins suggest a close temporal relationship between the alteration and gold mineralization processes. The proposed occurrence model for gold mineralization and the available data suggest that two broad regions of greenstone in the Archean Superior province in north-central United States are particularly favorable for gold deposits: (1) the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and (2) northeastern Minnesota. The Ishpeming greenstone belt of the Wawa subprovince in Michigan contains the important Ropes deposit and several other known gold occurrences, and the Vermilion district (Wawa subprovince) in northeastern Minnesota contains highly anomalous gold in soils and minor known bedrock occurrences. Transcurrent faults in both areas should be favorable sites for gold mineralization

U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin
U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin

Author: Paul Kibler Sims

Publisher:

Published: 1983

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13:

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The Early Proterozoic Michigamme Formation of northern Michigan was deposited in the southeastern part of the Animikie basin. The formation conformably overlies the Goodrich Quartzite and comprises three widespread members a lower member of thin-bedded shale, siltstone, and sandstone; the Bijiki Iron-formation Member; and an upper member of tur- biditic graywacke, siltstone, and mudstone and a few local members. The Goodrich Quartzite is interpreted as having been deposited in a tidally influenced shallow marine environ- ment. The lower member of the Michigamme is interpreted as having been deposited in a tidally influenced environment, the iron-formation member as having been deposited below wave base in somewhat deeper water, and the upper member as having been deposited in still deeper water with turbidity currents being a major depositional mechanism. Several lines of evidence including paleocurrents, paleo- geographic setting, and neodymium isotopes suggest that the graywacke of the southern part of the outcrop area was derived from the south (Early Proterozoic Wisconsin magmatic terranes, Archean miniplates, and older Early Proterozoic sedimentary units formed on the continental margin), and that the graywacke in the northern area was derived from an Archean terrane to the north. The tectonic model that best fits the available data is a northward-migrating foreland basin.

Gold metallogeny and exploration
Gold metallogeny and exploration

Author: R. P. Foster

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 447

ISBN-13: 1461304970

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Within the last decade, the high and continuing demand for gold has prompted a global gold rush on a scale never before seen, not even in the heady days of Ballarat, California and the Yukon. Gold is being sought on every continent and, with very few exceptions, in every country around the world. Such interest and fierce competition has demanded considerable innovation and improvement in exploration techniques paralleled by a rapid expansion of the geological database and consequent genetic modelling for the many different types of gold deposits now recognized. This proliferation of data has swamped the literature and left explorationist and academic alike unable to sift more than a small proportion of the accumulating information. This new book represents an attempt to address this major problem by providing succinct syntheses ofall major aspects ofgold metallogeny and exploration, ranging from the chemical distribution of gold in the Earth's crust, and the hydrothermal chemistry of gold, to Archaean and Phanerozoic lode deposits, epithermal environments, chemical sediments, and placer deposits, and culminates in chapters devoted to geochemical and geophysical exploration, and the economics of gold deposits. Each chapter is written by geoscientists who are acknowledged internationally in their respective fields, thus guaranteeing a broad yet up-to-date coverage. In addition, each chapter is accompanied by reference lists which provide readers with access to the most pertinent and useful publications.

Gold Metallogeny and Exploration
Gold Metallogeny and Exploration

Author: B. Foster

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 659

ISBN-13: 9401121281

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Within the last decade, the high and continuing demand for gold has prompted a global gold rush on a scale never before seen, not even in the heady days of Ballarat, California and the Yukon. Gold is being sought on every continent and, with very few exceptions, in every country around the world. Such interest and fierce competition has demanded considerable innovation and improvement in exploration techniques paralleled by a rapid expansion of the geological database and consequent genetic modelling for the many different types of gold deposits now recognized. This proliferation of data has swamped the literature and left explorationist and academic alike unable to sift more than a small proportion of the accumulating information. This new book represents an attempt to address this major problem by providing succinct syntheses of all major aspects of gold metallogeny and exploration, ranging from the chemical distribution of gold in the Earth's crust, and the hydrothermal chemistry of gold, to Archaean and Phanerozoic lode deposits, epithermal environments, chemical sediments, and placer deposits, and culminates in chapters devoted to geochemical and geophysical exploration, and the economics of gold deposits. Each chapter is written by geoscientists who are acknowledged internationally in their respective fields, thus guaranteeing a broad yet up-to-date coverage. In addition, each chapter is accompanied by reference lists which provide readers with access to the most pertinent and useful publications.