The mineral system approach applied to magmatic Ni–Cu–PGE sulphide deposits

Thermal and Fluid Dynamics of Komatiitic Lavas Associated with Magmatic Fe- Ni-Cu-(PGE) Sulphide Deposits

The most important examples of magmatic ore deposits in volcanic rocks are Fe-Ni-Cu-(PGE) sulphides associated with Archean and Proterozoic komatiitic lava channels (Lesher, 1989). Komatiitehosted ores contain ~25% of the world’s nickel sulphide resource (≥ 0.8% Ni), including significant amounts of copper and platinum group elements (Ross and Travis, 1981). Field, experimental, and theoretical...

Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Deposits

Volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits are also known as volcanic-associated, volcanic-hosted, and volcano-sedimentary-hosted massive sulphide deposits. They typically occur as lenses of polymetallic massive sulphide that form at or near the seafloor in submarine volcanic environments. They form from metal-enriched fluids associated with seafloor hydrothermal convection. Their immediate h...

Noble metal nanoclusters and nanoparticles precede mineral formation in magmatic sulphide melts

In low temperature aqueous solutions, it has long been recognized by in situ experiments that many minerals are preceded by crystalline nanometre-sized particles and non-crystalline nanophases. For magmatic systems, nanometre-sized precursors have not yet been demonstrated to exist, although the suggestion has been around for some time. Here we demonstrate by high temperature quench experiments...

Chromite – Platinum-Group Element Magmatic Deposits

Mineral Deposits.

Rising economic value of a large number of metals as a result of their importance for new technologies and industrial development has renewed worldwide interest for mineral exploration and detailed studies of ore deposits. The Dill’s (2010) “chessboard” classification of mineral deposits is the most recent attempt to provide an exhaustive overview of all mineral deposits known to date. However,...