2 Pirajno - Introduction2

An introduction to mineral systems
Franco Pirajno
The University of Western Australia
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THIS COURSE
Day 1: Magmatic ore systems; Large igneous provinces;
mantle dynamics
Day 2: Hydrothermal ore systems: porphyry, epithermal, skarns,

Olympic Dam style deposits, breccia pipes
Day 3: the ocean floor, volcanogenic massive sulphides (VMS),

Sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) and Copperbelt-type;
Petrography workshop
Day 4: Precious metals in lode deposits, non-sulphide deposits,

Mississipi Valley Type (MVT), black shales, life links with hydrothermal
activity; gas hydrates
Day 5: iron ore deposits, uranium deposits, astteroid impacts and minera
deposits, extraterrestrial hydrorhermal systems
All geological and geodynamic factors at all scales that control
the inception, evolution and preservation of mineral deposits:
•Local studies of known deposits

•Tectonic controls
•Space-time distribution
•Physico-chemical processes
•Evolution of fluids, magmas and other energy sources
•Regional context
Ore deposit: sufficient tonnage and grade to be exploited at a profit
Mineral deposit: denotes an incompletely evaluated or

sub-economic occurrence
Mineral occurrence: anomalous concentration of ore minerals
Prospect: exploration activity that has found an anomalous

concentration of metals
Operating/abandoned mine: workings that are operating

or on care and mantainance basis
A mineral deposit can be classified:
•According to host rock(s)  e. g. sediment-hosted
•Preferred or perceived genetic model  e. g. orogenic
•Metal association  e. g. iron oxide-copper-gold
•Comparison with a prototype  e. g. Carlin-style

Classification of mineral systems
 MAGMATIC
 Layered intrusions; Cr, PGE,
Fe-Ti-V, Ni-Cu
 Alaskan zoned intrusions, PGE
 Mafic lavas; Ni-Cu-PGE
 Sill complexes; Ni-Cu-PGE
 Dykes; PGE, Ni-Cu
 Pegmatite; REE-Be-U-Li-Cs-Ta;
REE-Li-Nb-Y-F, U
 MAGMATIC-HYDROTHERMAL
 Porphyry: Cu-Au, Cu-Mo, Mo-W

 Epithermal; Au-Ag, Ba
 Skarns; Cu, Mo, W, Pb, Zn, Fe, Sn
 Intrusion-related; Sn-W, Au-Ag, Mo-W
 VHMS (Volcanic hosted massive sulphides), Kuroko and
Besshi types; Cu-Pb-Zn-Au, Ba
 Spreading centres sea-floor smokers; Cyprus type; Cu-Pb-
Zn-Au, Ba
 Alkaline complexes, greisens, pegmatites; Sn-W, Bi, U,
REE, Li-Nb-Y-F
 Polymetallic vein deposits Ag-Sb, Sn-Ag, Ba, Hg
 Iron Oxide Copper Gold U and REE (IOCG); Olympic Dam
style
 Kiruna-type Fe-P
 SEDIMENTARY-HYDROTHERMAL
 Sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX); Cu,
Pb, Zn, Ba
 Copperbelt and Kupperschiefer types;
Cu-Co
 Metalliferous sediments; Red Sea
brines; Cu-Pb-Zn, Ba, Mn
 Mississippi valley type (MVT) Zn-Pb-
Cu
 Iron formations (banded IF, granular
IF) and Mn oxides
 AMAGMATIC/UNCERTAIN ORIGIN
 Orogenic lodes; Au
 Black shales; Mo, PGE, Ni, U
 High-heat producing granites
 Unconformity-related and sandstone-hosted U
(±Ni-Co-As)
 Carlin-type Au
 Witwatersrand Au-U
 Meteorite impact structures; diamonds; Ni-Cu-
PGE
 MECHANICAL/RESIDUAL/WEATHERING/REGOLITH
 Laterites (Au, Ni)
 Placers (Au, PGE, diamonds)
The East African Rift System:
A giant ore-making factory
(from Ebinger , 2004)
Rift tectonics and
associated magmatism
From Ebinger (2004)

East African Rift System ; tectonic settings for a wide range
of mineral systems (Pirajno, 2009)
Complex and multistage subduction-related
metallogenic and tectonic processes; example from the India-Asia
Collision; (from Hou and Cook, 2009, OGR v. 36)
Knowledge of metallogenic and tectonic processes leads to better
exploration models and the discovery of new ore deposits
Common ore-forming mechanisms
 Mixing and/or reworking

 Wallrock reaction
 Pressure drops - phase separation
 Pressure drops - adiabatic cooling, ore mineral
solubility
 Rapid T drops -phase separation
 Gentle T drops but focussed fluid - ore mineral
solubility
Early
Sulphides
recycled by Explosive overpressure drives
oxidised fluidised breccias, oxidised, S-poor fluid
fluids
Mafic/felsic mingling: Cu & CO2
transferred into late stage magmatic-
hydrothermal fluid: big volume release
upon exsolution
(Oliver, N., James Cook University,

2005)
Granite source region
Moho
Underplated mafic melts
From Walshe et al
2008
Mixing and reworking are useful ore-forming mechanisms

Mineral systems through
time ;
From Pirajno, 2009 and

references therein
: used in bandages to kill microbes  19 years supply left
: a silvery metal next to Pt in the periodic table,

is used in flat-panel TVs
Gold: little industrial use, mostly vanity and measure of wealth
: very useful (eg infrastructure, electrical equipment etc),

knonw reserves stand at about 540 Mt,
but perhaps an additional 1.3 Bt in the Andes
: essential for batteries  at present levels

enough for the next 400 years

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An introduction to mineral systems

Day 2: Hydrothermal ore systems: porphyry, epithermal, skarns,

Day 3: the ocean floor, volcanogenic massive sulphides (VMS),

Day 4: Precious metals in lode deposits, non-sulphide deposits,

•Local studies of known deposits

Mineral deposit: denotes an incompletely evaluated or

Mineral occurrence: anomalous concentration of ore minerals

Prospect: exploration activity that has found an anomalous

Operating/abandoned mine: workings that are operating

•Preferred or perceived genetic model  e. g. orogenic

•Metal association  e. g. iron oxide-copper-gold

•Comparison with a prototype  e. g. Carlin-style

 Porphyry: Cu-Au, Cu-Mo, Mo-W

From Ebinger (2004)

 Mixing and/or reworking

(Oliver, N., James Cook University,

Granite source region

Mixing and reworking are useful ore-forming mechanisms

From Pirajno, 2009 and

: a silvery metal next to Pt in the periodic table,

: very useful (eg infrastructure, electrical equipment etc),

: essential for batteries  at present levels

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