Where do hydrothermal fluids come from?
Hydrothermal fluids are natural heated water solutions wherein variety of elements, compounds and gases may be dissolved. They are generated by diverse crustal and mantle geological processes including basinal fluid interaction, magmatic differentiation and mantle degassing.
Where are hydrothermal ore deposits found?
The deposits are hosted in limestone or dolomite that was deposited on shallow marine platforms in a tectonically stable intraplate environment. As expected in such an environment, volcanic rocks, folding and regional metamorphism are absent as a general rule.
How is hydrothermal solution formed?
hydrothermal mineral deposit, any concentration of metallic minerals formed by the precipitation of solids from hot mineral-laden water (hydrothermal solution). The solutions are thought to arise in most cases from the action of deeply circulating water heated by magma.
What are the four major elements in hydrothermal solutions?
A hydrothermal fluid is defined as a hot (ca. 50 — >500 °C), aqueous solution (hydro = water; thermal = hot), containing Na, K, Ca, Cl as major components, as well as many other elements (e.g. Mg, B, S, Sr, CO2, H2S, NH4, Cu, Pb, Zn, Sn, Mo, Ag, Au etc.)
What are the three ways that ores form?
There are three major types of ore genesis: internal processes, hydrothermal processes, and surficial processes. Ore can accumulate through geologic activity, such as when volcanoes bring ore from deep in the planet to the surface. This is called an internal process.
How is copper formed?
Copper is a metal that has been deposited from hot sulphur solutions, created in volcanic regions. The hot solutions concentrated the copper up to a thousand times more than would normally be found in rocks. The resultant enriched rocks are called copper ores.
How are sedimentary ore deposits made?
Ore deposits form in sedimentary environments as a result of one of two generalised geological processes: either as a result of mineral precipitation from solution in surface waters, most commonly from sea water or lake waters; or as a result of physical accumulation of ore minerals during processes of sediment …
What are four ways that ore deposits can form?
Subsurface mining (under the earths surface), Surface mining (on top the earth’s surface), Placer mining (shallow water dredging) and Undersea mining (deep sea).
Which is an example of hydrothermal ore deposits?
Limestone hosted hematite deposits Hematite, goethite, quartz, calcite, dolomite and baryte are the commonest minerals present, while, characteristically, the wallrocks are extensively dolomitized.
What is hydro thermal solution?
In their simplest form, hydrothermal solutions represent water that has been heated to some temperature above ambient surface temperature as a result of natural geologic processes. Often, hydrothermal solutions contain significant amounts of dissolved gases and solids in addition to water.
How are ore minerals formed?
Deposits of minerals form when a medium that contains and transports mineral-making ore releases and deposits the ore. When magma or lava cools, the magma and ore carried within it crystallize to form tiny minerals in the newly-created igneous rock. Minerals found in such rock might include feldspar or mica.
What are ores made of?
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically containing metals, that can be mined, treated and sold at a profit. Ore is extracted from the earth through mining and treated or refined, often via smelting, to extract the valuable metals or minerals.
How are hydrothermal ore deposits formed?
All hydrothermal deposits have formed from hot, aqueous (watery) fluids containing metals in solution. The three key requirements are therefore a source of heat, water and metals. There are many possible sources for each of these factors making hydrothermal ore deposits complex.
What chemicals are made from hydrothermal fluids?
Hydrothermal fluids have been utilized on a small scale as a source of various chemicals. At Larderello, Italy, boron was extracted from geothermal steam before electric power generation started. In Japan, cesium has been extracted from hot spring waters and mercury from hot spring deposits at Sulfur Bank in California.
What is fluid inclusion data for epithermal ore deposits?
Summary of fluid inclusion data for epithermal ore deposits according to the sulfidation state of the deposit. For each sulfidation state (high, intermediate, and low), the data are also separated according to the metal budget in the deposit (base metal-rich vs. precious metal-rich). …
Do hydrothermal fluids from the Pacific vent sites have Eu anomalies?
Studies hydrothermal fluids from the Pacific vent sites have shown that they are enriched in REEs relative to seawater concentrations by as much as 10–100 times with significant positive Eu anomalies, several thousand times higher than seawater (Michard, 1989; Fig. 18 ).