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Fluid exsolution and melt evolution at the magmatic-hydrothermal transition are critical processes driving the metal enrichment of porphyry systems. Coeval fluid and melt inclusion assemblages in unidirectional solidification textures (USTs) at Saginaw Hill—a small, porphyry Cu system in southwestern Arizona—record a dynamic and repetitious process of fluid accumulation and release. The cores of quartz crystals throughout the UST bands host coeval silicate melt and brine inclusions but lack vapor-rich inclusions. This could indicate preferential expulsion of vapor and trapping of high-density brine during episodes of fracturing or the direct exsolution of single-phase high-salinity brine from the silicate melt. In contrast, the rims of UST quartz host abundant coeval brine and vapor inclusions, consistent with liquid-vapor immiscibility at lower pressures compared to the corresponding quartz cores. This transition from dominantly coeval silicate melt inclusions and brine in phenocryst cores to coeval brine and vapor in the rims suggests that the Saginaw Hill system underwent cyclic processes of fluid exsolution, accumulation, overpressure, and decompression at relatively stable temperatures (consistently ~650°C) during UST formation. Melt inclusion data indicate that the melt at this stage was highly fractionated and tended toward muscovite saturation. Metal concentrations in the brine were comparable to or higher than those in fluids reported in world-class porphyry Cu systems and were likely the result of both igneous fractionation and the high chloride content of the exsolved fluids. While limited in scale, Saginaw Hill provides evidence for processes that are predicted to occur at the magmatic-hydrothermal transition during the formation of large, well-mineralized porphyry systems.

Quartz trace elements record information about fluid evolution as well as metal migration and precipitation. Here, we summarize most of the reported (including this study) quartz trace element data (N = ~4,600) generated by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) on various textural types and paragenetic stages of quartz in I-type porphyry-epithermal (Cu-Mo-Au-Ag-Te) and S- and A-type granitegreisen (Sn-W and rare metal) systems in the world. The results show that Li versus Al diagrams, combined with Ti-Ge-As-Sb contents, can be used to decipher the source and evolution of fluids in magmatic-hydrothermal systems. In I-type porphyry-epithermal systems, magmatic quartz has low Li/Al ratios from 0.001 to 0.173 (N = 483) with a mean of 0.039 ± 0.032. Hydrothermal quartz has progressively higher Li and Al concentrations that are dominated by cooling along fluid pathways. Quartz evolves from Ti rich to Ge rich from early to late stages in porphyry hydrothermal veins and is As and Sb rich in epithermal veins. In S- and A-type granite-greisen systems, magmatic quartz has high Li/Al ratios from 0.007 to 0.502 (N = 604) with a mean of 0.130 ± 0.063 and from 0.009 to 0.327 (N = 325) with a mean of 0.126 ± 0.065, respectively. Hydrothermal quartz has progressively lower Li and Al concentrations that are dominated by fluid-rock reactions and cooling along fluid pathways. Quartz evolves with decreasing Ti concentrations from magmatic to hydrothermal stages. Ge is abundant in pegmatite quartz in S-type systems. Variations in pH or precipitation rate along fluid pathways have a small influence on Li/Al ratios. The variation of quartz trace elements with elevation in individual systems suggests that they can be used as a vector to guide exploration in magmatic-hydrothermal systems.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T19:47:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2022-01-01 The Alto Guaporé gold province, southwestern Amazon craton, contains gold deposits that have been mined since the beginning of the 18th century and these deposits, together, have modern-day, pre-mining gold resources of at least 1.8 Moz. The ore is associated with quartz vein systems along the southeastern part of the Aguapei belt, a ~35-km-wide and ~500-km-long, NNW-trending shear zone formed due to reactivation of a terrane-bounding suture. The Aguapei belt evolved by ca. 1150 to 1100 Ma rifting and deposition of siliciclastic sediments in an aulacogen basin, followed by deformation and low-grade metamorphism of the sedimentary sequences during 1100 to 900 Ma terrane collision along the craton margin. The deformation was characterized by a compressional regime until ca. 950 Ma and transition to a transpressional setting during the final 50 m.y. The gold deposits are hosted in a variety of structures that are second-order to the main Aguapei shear zone. The Ernesto and Pau-a-Pique deposits are located ~40 km apart and at jogs along the Aguapei belt. They are marginal to pre-ore igneous rocks, with Ernesto hosted in the basal part of the metasedimentary Fortuna Formation that overlies tonalite and Pau-a-Pique at the contact between metasedimentary rocks and diorite. Three deformational phases comprise the compressional (D1 to D2) to transpressional (D3) tectonic events. In the Pau-a-Pique deposit and the deeper level of the Ernesto deposit, the ore-bearing veins are bedding parallel and follow D2 strike-slip and reverse fault zones, respectively. However, the veins formed during D3 reactivation of the older structures by an array of oblique accommodation faults. In contrast, ores at shallower levels of Ernesto, both in discordant and bedding-parallel veins, are hosted within a ~20-m-thick rigid metaconglomerate with associated dilation due to the structural complexity as sedimentary rocks of the Aguapei Group were folded around the dome-shaped roof of the pre-ore tonalite. The ores in both deposits, as well as in many other deposits of the province, are characterized by disseminated and vein-hosted pyrite. Gold occurs mainly as inclusions in the pyrite, with other hydrothermal phases comprising muscovite, Fe-Ti oxides, and minor apatite, chalcopyrite, and galena. Fluid inclusion data, coupled with stable isotope geochemistry and geothermometry, indicate that gold precipitated from a low-salinity, CO2-rich fluid at ~300°C and ~2.5 kbar. The source for the fluid and gold was the interbedded pelites during devolatilization of the Aguapei Group sequence. The aqueous-carbonic fluid inclusions and the narrow range of d18O values of quartz (12 ± 1‰) from many auriferous veins from the central part of the province represent a regional ore-forming fluid. The broad range of δD for hydrous minerals (-116 to -55‰) reflects influx of small amounts of meteoric water into the steeply dipping shear zones during postgold exhumation. The 40Ar/39Ar geochronology from hydrothermal muscovite indicates a widespread hydrothermal event along the belt between 928 and 920 Ma. Collectively, the geological, geochronological, and geochemical data suggest that metamorphic fluids migrated laterally into and then upward along the Aguapei belt and deposited gold in lower-order structures where strain gradients existed between lithounits. The province has many characteristics of large orogenic gold provinces worldwide and represents a highly prospective and underexplored target region for early Neoproterozoic gold, a time period that generally is not well endowed in gold ores. Faculdade de Ciência e Tecnologia Univ. Federal de Goiás, R. Mucuri S/N, GO Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas Univ. Estadual Paulista, R. 24A 1515, SP State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources School of Earth Sciences and Resources China University of Geosciences U.S. Geological Survey Departamento de Geologia e Recursos Naturais Instituto de Geociências Universidade de Campinas, SP Yamana Desenvolvimento Mineral, R. Ministro Orozimbo Nonato 272/19o andar, MG Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas Univ. Estadual Paulista, R. 24A 1515, SP

Tellurium-rich (Te) adularia-sericite epithermal Au-Ag deposits are an important current and future source of precious and critical metals. However, the source and evolution of ore-forming fluids in these deposits are masked by traditional bulk analysis of quartz oxygen isotope ratios that homogenize fine-scale textures and growth zones. To advance understanding of the source of Te and precious metals, herein, we use petrographic and cathodoluminescence (CL) images of such textures and growth zones to guide high spatial resolution secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) oxygen isotope analyses (10 µm spot) and spatially correlated fluid inclusion microthermometric measurements on successive quartz bands in contemporary Te-rich and Te-poor adularia-sericite (-quartz) epithermal Au-Ag vein deposits in northeastern China. The results show that large positive oxygen isotope shifts from –7.1 to +7.7‰ in quartz rims are followed by precipitation of Au-Ag telluride minerals in the Te-rich deposit, whereas small oxygen isotope shifts of only 4‰ (–2.2 to +1.6‰) were detected in quartz associated with Au-Ag minerals in the Te-poor deposits. Moreover, fluid-inclusion homogenization temperatures are higher in comb quartz rims (avg. 266.4 to 277.5 °C) followed by Au-Ag telluride minerals than in previous stages (~250 °C) in the Te-rich deposit. The Te-poor deposit has a consistent temperature (~245 °C) in quartz that pre- and postdates Au-Ag minerals. Together, the coupled increase in oxygen isotope ratios and homogenization temperatures followed by precipitation of Au-Ag tellurides strongly supports that inputs of magmatic fluid containing Au, Ag, and Te into barren meteoric water-dominated flow systems are critical to the formation of Te-rich adularia-sericite epithermal Au-Ag deposits. In contrast, Te-poor adularia-sericite epithermal Au-Ag deposits show little or no oxygen isotope or fluid-inclusion evidence for inputs of magmatic fluid.

Genetic models for iron oxide–apatite deposits are controversial and span a spectrum from orthomagmatic to hydrothermal endmembers. This lack of consensus is rooted in uncertainties as to the nature and origin of ore-forming fluids in these systems. Here, we present a fluid-inclusion study of mineralizing fluids at two iron oxide–apatite deposits (Buena Vista, Nevada and Iron Springs, Utah). We found that the inclusions in both systems comprise both aqueous brine and ubiquitous iron-rich carbonate–sulfate melts. These melts were found throughout the paragenesis of both deposits and show a tremendous capacity to transport ferric iron. Hence, we argue that orthomagmatic fluids played a role in mineralization at both Buena Vista and Iron Springs, and that the main ore-forming fluid was an iron-rich carbonate–sulfate melt formed by the assimilation and anatexis of evaporite-bearing carbonate rocks. The geological conditions that give rise to carbonate–sulfate melts are also a common feature of other classic iron oxide–apatite systems worldwide. Hence, we argue that the process of assimilation, anatexis and immiscibility of carbonate–sulfate melts is fundamental to iron oxide–apatite formation and provides a common link between iron oxide–apatite systems in different geological settings. Iron-rich carbonate–sulfate melts are fundamental to the formation of iron oxide–apatite ore deposits, according to a detailed fluid-inclusion study that characterized the mineralizing fluids for two mineralizing systems in the United States.

Tungsten (W) is used in a variety of industrial and technological applications and has been identified as a critical mineral for the United States, India, the European Union, and other countries. These countries rely on W imports mostly from China, which leaves them vulnerable to supply disruption. Consequently, the U.S. government has a current initiative to understand domestic resource potential. The eastern Alaska portion of the Yukon-Tanana Upland (YTU), is prospective for W skarn deposits, the major source of global W supply. The regional geology consists of juxtaposed Paleozoic lithotectonic packages that were reaccreted to North America in the Mesozoic. Multiple subsequent episodes of arc-related magmatism intruded the lithotectonic packages, accompanied by W skarn formation mostly associated with 100–90 Ma intrusions; major W skarn deposits in Canada are part of the same metallogenic event (e.g., Mactung, Cantung). In this paper, we present an assessment for undiscovered W skarn resources for parts of the lesser-explored western (Alaskan) portion of the YTU. We used GIS proximity analysis to map the intersection of pluton and carbonate-bearing rocks to define three permissive tracts for W skarn deposits. The permissive tracts were qualitatively assessed by mineral potential mapping using region-wide sediment geochemistry and mineral concentrate datasets. This analysis showed that much of the western YTU has high potential for undiscovered W skarn deposits, whereas the eastern and southern YTU had only isolated areas of medium to high potential. Historical production and the quality of the geochemistry data of the western YTU tract (ca. 9200 km2) permitted a quantitative assessment of undiscovered W resources. Probabilistic estimates by a panel of 20 experts predicted a 70% chance of one to three undiscovered W skarn deposits in the western YTU tract. The rationale for favorability employed by the expert panel included favorable lithology, previous production, clustering of previously mined deposits, W placers in the area, lack of recent exploration, pan concentrates containing W minerals, and W geochemical anomalies. Estimates were combined with a global grade and tonnage model for W skarns in a Monte Carlo simulation and provided a median estimate of undiscovered resources of 94 kt WO3. If the undiscovered W skarn deposits are located close to infrastructure (e.g., near Fairbanks, or close to roads and/or power grid), application of an economic filter indicates that the median total economically recoverable WO3 is 63 kt with a net present value (NPV) of $330 million USD (2008 dollars). Whereas if deposits are far from infrastructure, median recoverable WO3 is only 30 kt and the NPV is $44 million. Our models for contained WO3 resources and NPV estimates for the western YTU tract are considerably lower than the known resources in skarns in adjacent areas in Canada. Estimates for the western YTU are also lower than preliminary estimates for undiscovered W skarn deposits in areas of the western conterminous United States. We speculate that lower permeability and continuity of favorable carbonate rock horizons in the relatively higher-grade metamorphic country rocks in the Alaska portion of the YTU may explain some of the differences in prospectivity. More detailed geologic mapping, modern geochemistry, and geophysical surveys are needed to refine the resource potential of the whole YTU. Regardless, quantitative mineral resource assessment provides a useful tool for making first-order regional estimates of undiscovered resources, identifying target areas for new data acquisition, and guiding research on the fundamental controls of district-scale metallogenic endowments.

The Wenquan porphyry moybdenium deposit, Western Qinling, NW China, with a resource of 247 million tonnes at 0.048% Mo, formed during Triassic collision between South China and North China blocks. Ore fluids at Wenquan vary widely in composition from single-phase, low-salinity aqueous to low-salinity vapor, and hypersaline inclusions. Fluid inclusion assemblages in a quartz-molybdenite vein contain >60 vol% vapor, are equant to negative-crystal shaped, and form clusters or distinct inclusion trails. They yield homogenization temperatures of 285–295 °C, with an estimated trapping temperature of 425 °C, suggesting a paleodepth of about 5 km calculated at a pressure correction of 100–150 MPa. Hydrothermal K-feldspar from early stockwork veins related to potassic alteration have calculated δ18Ofluid values of −1.9‰ to +1.9‰. Hydrothermal sericite from an overprinting phyllic alteration associated with late quartz-pyrite veins has calculated δDfluid values between −68 and −60‰, and δ18Ofluid values from −3.7 to +1.4‰. These isotopic data suggest that both early- and late-stage fluids are dominated by magmatic fluids, with influx of meteoric water during the late stage. Exsolution of volatiles from magma in a late-stage open system, results in more variable δD values than an earlier closed-system. Molybdenite and pyrite have δ34S values ranging from 1.1‰ to 6.6‰, indicating that sulfur at Wenquan had a magmatic source. A linear relationship between δ34S values of sulfides separated from early potassic alteration and late phyllic alteration could reflect incorporation of isotopically heavy evaporate sulfate into source magmas from underlying Devonian sedimentary rocks during late alteration. The δ56Fe whole-rock values of altered porphyries range from 0.08‰ to 0.26‰, similar to δ56Fe values of 0.15‰–0.32‰ for pyrite from quartz veins related to both the potassic and phyllic alteration assemblages. The δ56Fe values of pyrite are positively correlated to, but in general slightly lighter than, those of altered porphyries, indicating similar metal sources. Moreover, both altered porphyries and the pyrite are progressively enriched in heavy Fe isotopes from biotite, through potassic to late phyllic alteration, consistent with isotopic evolution from an early lithostatic load to a late hydrostatic load. The Triassic intrusive rocks and fluids responsible for mineralization were derived from a deeply-sourced hybrid mantle-crustal magma crystallizing at a paleodepth of 5 km under lithostatic load. External Late Triassic meteoric or Devonian formational fluids became a part of the hydrothermal system during the post-fracturing final stage of ore formation under a hydrostatic regime. The formation of the Wenquan magmatic-hydrothermal systems spans the ductile-brittle transition based on a normal thermal gradient as constrained by the temperature range of 550–300 °C. The early, high-temperature potassic alteration developed under a ductile regime, whereas the later, low-temperature phyllic alteration correlates to a brittle environment, where hydraulic rock fracturing enhances permeability and fluid circulation. Most sulfur and metals were precipitated from vapor-rich fluids resulting from cooling and expansion of a single-phase fluid exsolved from a hybrid magma.

Mineral thermometry and fluid inclusion studies were conducted on variably altered and mineralized samples from the Mesoproterozoic Pea Ridge iron oxide-apatite (IOA)-rare earth element (REE) deposit in order to constrain P-T conditions, fluid chemistry, and the source of salt and volatiles during early magnetite and later REE mineralization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-cathodoluminescence and SEM-backscatter electron images show that quartz and rutile precipitated before, during, and after magnetite and REE mineral growth. Ti-in-quartz and Zr-in-rutile equilibration temperatures range from ≤350° to 750°C in the amphibole, magnetite, hematite, and silicified zones where T increased during magnetite and quartz growth and dropped precipitously after fracturing and brecciation. Late drusy quartz cements within a REE-rich breccia pipe record the lowest T (≤315°–400°C). Liquid-, vapor-rich, and hypersaline (±hematite, calcite) fluid inclusions are common and liquid CO 2 is present locally. Salinities define three populations: saline (10–27 wt % NaCl equiv), hypersaline (34–>60 wt % NaCl equiv), and dilute (0–10 wt % NaCl equiv ). The wide range of eutectic melting temperatures (−67° to −19°C) suggests that saline inclusions trapped variable proportions of a CaCl-MgCl-FeCl-bearing fluid end member and an NaCl-KCl fluid end member. Homogenization temperatures and pressures of these saline inclusions suggest they were trapped when fluids unmixed into brine and vapor at T The Na/Cl, Na/K, and Cl/Br ratios of fluid inclusion extracts provide evidence for mixtures of magmatic hydrothermal fluids and evaporated seawater. Extracts from magnetite, hematite, and pyrite plot in the magmatic-hydrothermal field, indicating that Fe was derived from a magmatic source. Their enrichments in Mg and Ca are consistent with a mafic magmatic source. The positive correlation between Na/Mg and Na/Ca ratios may be due to halite saturation or albitization of igneous rocks. Extracts from barite in the REE-rich breccia pipes are enriched in Na and Br and plot near the seawater evaporation trend. He is highly enriched relative to Ne and Ar in fluid inclusion extracts, which precludes air as a source of He. Although the He is mostly of crustal origin, pyrite with a 3 He/ 4 He (R/R A ) of 0.1 contains up to 12% mantle He. Many extracts have low 20 Ne/ 22 Ne ratios due to nucleogenic production of 22 Ne in high F/O minerals such as fluorapatite or F biotite. The arrays of data for 3 He/ 4 He (R/R A ) and 22 Ne/ 20 Ne suggest that volatiles were derived from two sources, a moderate F mafic magma containing mantle He and a high F silicic magma with crustal He. Together with other evidence cited in this report, these data (1) support a magmatic hydrothermal origin for the Mesoproterozoic magnetite-apatite deposit with ore fluids derived from a concealed mafic to intermediate-composition intrusion, (2) suggest that the REE minerals in breccia pipes were either derived from apatite or precipitated in response to decompression and cooling during breccia pipe formation, (3) provide evidence for the influx of basinal brine, magmatic fluids from granitic intrusions, and meteoric water after breccia pipe formation, and (4) show that Pea Ridge was relatively unaffected by the late Paleozoic Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) Pb-Zn system in overlying Cambrian sedimentary rocks.

The Glojeh district contains silver- and base metal-rich epithermal veins and is one of the most highly mineralized locations in the Tarom-Hashtjin metallogenic province, northwestern Iran. It consists of four major epithermal veins, which are located in the South Glojeh and North Glojeh areas. Alteration in the Glojeh district consists of propylitic, sericitic, and argillic assemblages, as well as extensive silicification. The ore-bearing veins comprise three paragenetic stages: (1) early Cu-Au-As-Sb-Fe-bearing minerals, (2) middle stage Pb-Zn-Cu-Cd-Ag-bearing minerals, and (3) late hematite-Ag-Bi-Au-Pb mineralogy. The veins are best classified as the product of an early high-sulfidation hydrothermal system, which was overprinted by an intermediate sulfidation system that was rich in Ag and base metals. Hematite is locally altered to goethite in zones of as much as 40 m in width during supergene alteration and the goethite is an important exploration tool. Fluid inclusions from the early, middle, and late stages, respectively, have salinities and homogenizations temperatures ranging from 5 to 11 wt.% NaCl eq. and 220 °C to 340 °C, to 1 to 8 wt.% NaCl eq. and 200 °C to 290 °C and finally to. 0.1 to 2 wt.% NaCl eq. and 150 °C to 200 °C. The oxygen isotope values in quartz range from 8.8 to 13.3‰ and most calculated fluid δ18O values are between 4 and 8‰, suggesting a magmatic fluid with some meteoric water contamination. Sulfur isotope values for chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, and galena are mainly − 7.3 to + 1.3‰ and − 0.3 to + 8.4‰ for North Glojeh and South Glojeh, respectively. Sulfur isotope data suggest a magmatic origin. Boiling, isothermal mixing, and dilution are the main mechanisms for ore deposition in the Glojeh veins. Recent 40Ar/39Ar age measurements of 42.20 ± 0.34 Ma and 42.56 ± 1.47 Ma for the North Glojeh and South Glojeh veins, respectively, overlap with the 41.87 ± 1.58 Ma age of the Goljin intrusion in the northern part of the district, which we interpret as the main heat source controlling the hydrothermal systems.

The Bou Jaber Ba-F-Pb-Zn deposit is located at the edge of the Bou Jaber Triassic salt diapir in the Tunisia Salt Diapir Province. The ores are unconformity and fault-controlled and occur as subvertical column-shaped bodies developed in dissolution-collapse breccias and in cavities within the Late Aptian platform carbonate rocks, which are covered unconformably by impermeable shales and marls of the Fahdene Formation (Late Albian–Cenomanian age). The host rock is hydrothermally altered to ankerite proximal to and within the ore bodies. Quartz, as fine-grained bipyramidal crystals, formed during hydrothermal alteration of the host rocks. The ore mineral assemblage is composed of barite, fluorite, sphalerite, and galena in decreasing abundance. The ore zones outline distinct depositional events: sphalerite-galena, barite-ankerite, and fluorite. Fluid inclusions, commonly oil-rich, have distinct fluid salinities and homogenization temperatures for each of these events: sphalerite-galena (17 to 24 wt% NaCl eq., and Th from 112 to 136 °C); ankerite-barite (11 to 17 wt% NaCl eq., and Th from 100 to 130 °C); fluorite (19 to 21 wt% NaCl eq., Th from 140 to 165 °C). The mean temperature of the ore fluids decreased from sphalerite (125 °C) to barite (115 °C) and increased during fluorite deposition (152 °C); then decreased to ∼110 °C during late calcite precipitation. Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analyses of fluid inclusions in fluorite are metal rich (hundreds to thousands ppm Pb, Zn, Cu, Fe) but the inclusions in barite are deficient in Pb, Zn, Cu, Fe. Inclusions in fluorite have Cl/Br and Na/Br ratios of several thousand, consistent with dissolution of halite while the inclusions analysed in barite have values lower than seawater which are indicative of a Br-enriched brine derived from evaporation plus a component of halite dissolution. The salinity of the barite-hosted fluid inclusions is less than obtained simply by the evaporation of seawater to halite saturation and requires a dilution of more than two times by meteoric water. The higher K/Na values in fluid inclusions from barite suggest that the brines interacted with K-rich rocks in the basement or siliciclastic sediments in the basin. Carbonate gangue minerals (ankerite and calcite) have δ13C and δ18O values that are close to the carbonate host rock and indicate fluid equilibrium between carbonate host rocks and hydrothermal brines. The δ34S values for sphalerite and galena fall within a narrow range (1 to 10 ‰) with a bulk value of 7.5 ‰, indicating a homogeneous source of sulfur. The δ34S values of barite are also relatively homogeneous (22 ‰), with 6 ‰ higher than the δ34S of local and regional Triassic evaporites (15 ‰). The latter are believed to be the source of sulfate. Temperature of deposition together with sulfur isotope data indicate that the reduced sulfur in sulfides was derived through thermochemical sulfate reduction of Triassic sulfate via hydrocarbons produced probably from Late Cretaceous source rocks. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the Bou Jaber barite (0.709821 to 0.711408) together with the lead isotope values of Bou Jaber galena (206Pb/204Pb = 18.699 to 18.737; 207Pb/204Pb = 15.635 to 15.708 and 208Pb/204Pb = 38.321 to 38.947) show that metals were extracted from homogeneous crustal source(s). The tectonic setting of the Bou Jaber ore deposit, the carbonate nature of the host rocks, the epigenetic style of the mineralization and the mineral associations, together with sulfur and oxygen isotope data and fluid inclusion data show that the Bou Jaber lead-zinc mineralization has the major characteristics of a salt diapir-related Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposit with superimposed events of fluorite and of barite deposition. Field relations are consistent with mineral deposition during the Eocene–Miocene Alpine orogeny from multiple hydrothermal events: (1) Zn-Pb sulfides formed by mixing of two fluids: one fluid metal-rich but reduced sulfur-poor and a second fluid reduced sulfur-rich; (2) barite precipitation involved the influx of a meteoric water component that mixed with a barium-rich fluid; and (3) fluorite precipitated from a highly saline fluid with higher temperatures.

The Xincheng gold deposit, located in west Jiaodong Peninsula in southeast North China Craton, is a representative mesothermal lode deposit hosted in Late Mesozoic granitoids in Jiaodong. Gold mineralization occurs as disseminated- and stockwork-style ores within the hydrothermal breccias and cataclastic zones controlled by the Jiaojia fault, whereas echelon tensile auriferous veins hosted in the NE- and NNE-trending subsidiary faults cutting the granitoids occur subordinately. According to crosscutting relationships and mineral paragenesis, four paragenetic stages were identified, which are pyrite–quartz–sericite (stage 1), quartz–pyrite (stage 2), quartz–polysulfide (stage 3) and quartz–carbonate (stage 4). Gold was deposited during the quartz–pyrite and quartz–polysulfide stages. On the basis of microthermometry and Raman spectroscopy on fluid inclusions contained within the quartz veins from stages 2 and 3, three types of fluid inclusions were recognized: (1) type 1 H 2 O–CO 2 inclusions that show high temperatures (ca. 260 °C), low salinities (2.4–8.9 wt.% equiv. NaCl) and variable XCO 2 (0.03 to 0.20), (2) type 2 aqueous inclusions with medium temperatures (ca. 220 °C) and low to moderate salinities (3.1–13.3 wt.% equiv. NaCl); (3) type 3 pure CO 2 inclusions with a carbonic phase density of 0.712 ± 0.03 g/cm 3 . Types 1 and 2 inclusions appear in the same growth phase of the quartz grains from the breccias and tensile auriferous veins. These coexisting inclusions are likely formed by fluid immiscibility due to unmixing from a single homogeneous H 2 O–CO 2 parent fluid at trapping P–T conditions of 221 to 304 °C (average 261 ± 19 °C) and 780 to 2080 bar. The fluid immiscibility is interpreted to be initiated by fluid pressure decrease at ca. 300 °C. The ore-fluid P–T–X conditions of the Xincheng gold deposit are the same as those for mesothermal deposits. Gold was most probably transported as a Au(HS) 2 − complex at Xincheng. Fluid immiscibility over the temperature interval of 221–304 °C resulted in significant H 2 S loss from the hydrothermal solution, thereby reducing Au(HS) 2 − solubility with concomitant deposition of gold. The mineralizing process of the granitoid-hosted Xincheng lode-gold deposit is likely related to the fluid immiscibility.

Six epizonal gold deposits in the 30-km-long Yangshan gold belt, Gansu Province are estimated to contain more than 300 t of gold at an average grade of 4.76 g/t and thus define one of China's largest gold resources. Detailed paragenetic studies have recognized five stages of sulfide mineral precipitation in the deposits of the belt. Syngenetic/diagenetic pyrite (Py0) has a framboidal or colloform texture and is disseminated in the metasedimentary host rocks. Early hydrothermal pyrite (Py1) in quartz veins is disseminated in metasedimentary rocks and dikes and also occurs as semi-massive pyrite aggregates or bedding-parallel pyrite bands in phyllite. The main ore stage pyrite (Py2) commonly overgrows Py1 and is typically associated with main ore stage arsenopyrite (Apy2). Late ore stage pyrite (Py3), arsenopyrite (Apy3), and stibnite occur in quartz ± calcite veins or are disseminated in country rocks. Post-ore stage pyrite (Py4) occurs in quartz ± calcite veins that cut all earlier formed mineralization. Electron probe microanalyses and laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry analyses reveal that different generations of sulfides have characteristic of major and trace element patterns, which can be used as a proxy for the distinct hydrothermal events. Syngenetic/diagenetic pyrite has high concentrations of As, Au, Bi, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn. The Py0 also retains a sedimentary Co/Ni ratio, which is distinct from hydrothermal ore-related pyrite. Early hydrothermal Py1 has high contents of Ag, As, Au, Bi, Cu, Fe, Sb, and V, and it reflects elevated levels of these elements in the earliest mineralizing metamorphic fluids. The main ore stage Py2 has a very high content of As (median value of 2.96 wt%) and Au (median value of 47.5 ppm) and slightly elevated Cu, but relatively low values for other trace elements. Arsenic in the main ore stage Py2 occurs in solid solution. Late ore stage Py3, formed coevally with stibnite, contains relatively high As (median value of 1.44 wt%), Au, Fe, Mn, Mo, Sb, and Zn and low Bi, Co, Ni, and Pb. The main ore stage Apy2, compared to late ore stage arsenopyrite, is relatively enriched in As, whereas the later Apy3 has high concentrations of S, Fe, and Sb, which is consistent with element patterns in associated main and late ore stage pyrite generations. Compared with pyrite from other stages, the post-ore stage Py4 has relatively low concentrations of Fe and S, whereas As remains elevated (2.05∼3.20 wt%), which could be interpreted by the substitution of As− for S in the pyrite structure. These results suggest that syngenetic/diagenetic pyrite is the main metal source for the Yangshan gold deposits where such pyrite was metamorphosed at depth below presently exposed levels. The ore-forming elements were concentrated into the hydrothermal fluids during metamorphic devolatilization, and subsequently, during extensive fluid–rock interaction at shallower levels, these elements were precipitated via widespread sulfidation during the main ore stage.

To evaluate whether anatectic and/or highly fractionated lithophile element-enriched rhyolite tuffs deposited in arid lacustrine basins lose enough lithium during eruption, lithification, and weathering to generate significant Li brine resources, pre-eruptive melt compositions, preserved in inclusions, and the magnitude of post-eruptive Li depletions, evident in host rhyolites, were documented at six sites in the western United States. Each rhyolite is a member of the bimodal basalt-rhyolite assemblage associated with extensional tectonics that produced the Basin and Range province and Rio Grande rift, an evolving pattern of closed drainage basins, and geothermal energy or mineral resources. Results from the 0.8 Ma Bishop tuff (geothermal) in California, 1.3 to 1.6 Ma Cerro Toledo and Upper Bandelier tephra (geothermal) and 27.9 Ma Taylor Creek rhyolite (Sn) in New Mexico, 21.7 Ma Spor Mountain tuff (Be, U, F) and 24.6 Ma Pine Grove tuff (Mo) in Utah, and 27.6 Ma Hideaway Park tuff (Mo) in Colorado support the following conclusions. Melt inclusions in quartz phenocrysts from rhyolite tuffs associated with hydrothermal deposits of Sn, Mo, and Be are extremely enriched in Li (1,000s of ppm); those from Spor Mountain have the highest Li abundance yet recorded (max 5,200 ppm, median 3,750 ppm). Forty-five to 98% of the Li present in pre-eruptive magma was lost to the environment from these rhyolite tuffs. The amount of Li lost from the small volumes (1–10 km3) of Li-enriched rhyolite deposited in closed basins is sufficient to produce world-class Li brine resources. After each eruption, meteoric water leaches Li from tuff, which drains into playas, where it is concentrated by evaporation. The localized occurrence of Li-enriched rhyolites may explain why brines in arid lacustrine basins seldom have economic concentrations of Li. Considering that hydrothermal deposits of Sn, Mo, Be, U, and F may indicate potential for Li brines in nearby basins, we surmise that the world’s largest Li brine resource in the Salar de Uyuni (10 Mt) received Li from nearby rhyolite tuffs in the Bolivian tin belt.

The US Antimony mine in west central Montana is the United States' second largest quartz–stibnite vein deposit with production and reserves of about 15.4 kt of antimony. It is in the Mesoproterozoic Belt Basin on the eastern side of the Coeur d'Alene mining district that is known for its world class Ag, Pb, and Zn veins. To advance understanding of the origin and relation of the simple quartz–stibnite veins in the Prichard Formation to the giant Ag-rich tetrahedrite veins in the Revett and St. Regis Formations, fluid inclusions in quartz from the US Antimony mine were characterized using a variety of single inclusion and bulk analysis techniques. The measured Sb concentrations in fluid inclusions (approximately 2000 ppm) agree with equilibrium models for stibnite-saturated fluids at the measured homogenization temperatures (224–263°C), salinities (approximately 5 wt.% NaCl), H2S concentrations ( As > Fe > Pb > Zn > Cu > Ag) in fluid inclusions from the US Antimony mine support previous interpretations, based upon Pb isotopes, that the quartz–stibnite veins are genetically related to the Ag-rich tetrahedrite veins. In particular, the measured range of Ag concentrations in US Antimony fluid inclusions brackets that calculated on the basis of equilibrium with tetrahedrite in the silver veins. These data clearly show that hydrothermal fluids in the Prichard Formation contained metals that were fixed at shallower levels in the Revett and St. Regis Formations. We surmise that both the antimony and silver veins formed in response to Cretaceous magmatism, prograde metamorphism of the lower Prichard Formation, and episodic discharge of metamorphic fluids along dilatant faults. Ascending fluids deposited quartz and stibnite in the upper Prichard Formation and siderite, quartz, and tetrahedrite at shallower levels in the Revett and St. Regis Formations in response to cooling, decompression, phase separation, and mixing with external fluids.

The Kharapeh gold deposit is located along the northwestern margin of the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (SSZ) in the West Azerbaijan province, Iran. It is an epizonal orogenic gold deposit formed within the deformed zone between central Iran and the Arabian plate during the Cretaceous–Tertiary Zagros orogeny. The deposit area is underlain by Cretaceous schist and marble, as well as altered andesite and dacite dikes. Structural analysis indicates that the rocks underwent tight to isoclinal recumbent folding and were subsequently co-axially refolded to upright open folds during a second deformation. Late- to post-tectonic Cenozoic granites and granodiorites occur northeast of the deposit area. Mineralization mainly is recognized within NW-trending extensional structures as veins and breccia zones. Normal faults, intermediate dikes, and quartz veins, oriented subparallel to the axial surface of the Kharapeh antiform, indicate synchronous extension perpendicular to the fold axis during the second folding event. The gold-bearing quartz veins are >1 km in length and average about 6 m in width; breccia zones are 10–50 m in length and ≤1 m in width. Hydrothermal alteration mainly consists of silicification, sulfidation, chloritization, sericitization, and carbonatization. Paragenetic relationships indicate three distinct stages—replacement and silicification, brecciation and fracture filling, and cataclastic brecciation—with the latter two being gold-rich. Fluid inclusion data suggest mineral deposition at temperatures of at least 220–255°C and depths of at least 1.4–1.8 km, from a H2O–CO2±CH4 fluid of relatively high salinity (12–14 wt.% NaCl equiv.), which may reflect metamorphism of passive margin carbonate sequences. Ore fluid δ18O values between about 7‰ and 9‰ suggest no significant meteoric water input, despite gold deposition in a relatively shallow epizonal environment. Similarities to other deposits in the SSZ suggest that the deposit formed as part of a diachronous gold event during the middle to late Tertiary throughout the SSZ and during the final stages of the Zagros orogeny. The proximity of Kharapeh to the main tectonic suture of the orogen, well-developed regional fold systems with superimposed complex fracture geometries, and recognition of nearby volcanogenic massive sulfide systems that suggest a region characterized by sulfur- and metal-rich crustal rocks, collectively indicate an area of the SSZ with high favorability for undiscovered gold resources.

The south-central part of the Greater Caucasus region, Georgia Republic, represents an extremely prospective region for significant orogenic gold deposits. Gold-bearing quartz veins are concentrated in two extensive WNW-trending belts, the Mestia-Racha and Svaneti districts, within the northern margin of the Southern Slope Zone of the Great Caucasus orogen. This metalliferous region is dominated by Early to Middle Jurassic slates, which are part of a terrane that likely accreted to the continental margin from late Paleozoic to Jurassic. The slates were subsequently intruded by both Middle to Late Jurassic and Neogene granitoids. Quartz veins in the more carbonaceous slate units are most consistently enriched in As, Au, Hg, Sb, and W, and show mineralization styles most consistent with typical orogenic gold deposits. Quartz veins in the Mestia-Racha district were mined in Soviet times for As, Sb, and W, but many of these are now being recognized as gold resource targets. The veins occur in the footwall of a thrust fault between the Southern Slope zone and an earlier accreted terrane, the Main Zone, to the north. Many veins in the district continue along strike for > 1 km and some cut Neogene intrusions, constraining ore formation to the most recent 4 to 5 million years. Gold deposition thus correlates with final collision of the Arabian plate to the south and uplift of the ore-hosting Greater Caucasus. The Zopkhito deposit, previously mined for antimony, contains an estimated 55 t Au at a cutoff grade of 0.5 g/t. The veins are localized in an area where smaller-order structures show a major change in strike from N–S to more E–W trends. A pyrite–arsenopyrite ore stage includes gold concentrated in both sulfide phases; it is overprinted by a later stibnite-dominant stage. Fluid-inclusion studies of ore samples from the Zopkhito deposit indicate minimum trapping temperatures of 300 to 350 °C and 200 to 300 °C for the two stages, respectively, and minimum trapping pressures of 0.2 to 0.5 kbar. Ore-forming fluids, with approximately 5 to 20 mol% non-aqueous gas, evolved from N2-dominant to CO2-dominant during evolution of the hydrothermal system. δ34S values of + 1 to + 4‰ for ore-related sulfides at Zopkhito are consistent with a sedimentary rock source for the sulfur, and δ18O quartz measurements of 16 to 21‰ are consistent with either a magmatic or metamorphic fluid. More than 60 gold-bearing lodes and placers in the Svaneti district occur along the thrust between the Southern Slope and Main Zones. Lode gold potential was first recognized in the historic placer district in the 1980s, with many auriferous quartz veins cutting Middle Jurassic igneous rocks. Brecciated veins in the 18 t Au Lukhra deposit cut a small granodioritic to dioritic stock; the latter intrudes Devonian schist immediately north of the thrust. Presently, there are three recognized ore zones in the deposit, with the most significant occurring over an area 140 m in length and 12 m-wide, with typical grades of 7 to 9 g/t Au. Reconnaissance fluid-inclusion studies of ore samples from the Lukhra deposit indicate minimum trapping temperatures of 220 °C. Measurements of δ18Oquartz of about 10‰ suggest buffering of isotopic composition by the igneous host rocks.

The Scheelite dome intrusion-related gold deposit, western Selwyn basin, Yukon, is hosted in hornfelsed metasedimentary strata that lie adjacent to the exposed apices of a monzogranite to quartz monzonite plutonic complex of the mid-Cretaceous Tombstone-Tungsten magmatic belt, Tintina gold province, Alaska and Yukon. A variety of mineralization styles occur throughout a 10- × 3-km east-trending corridor and include reduced Au- and W-rich skarns, Au-, W- and Ag-Pb-Zn-Sb–rich quartz tension-vein arrays, and multiphase fault veins and isolated zones of Au-rich sericite-carbonate altered rock. Integrated U-Pb SHRIMP data for magmatic zircon and Ar-Ar data for magmatic and hydrothermal biotite indicate that gold mineralization occurred within 1 to 2 m.y. of magma emplacement. Fluid inclusion, oxygen isotope, and arsenopyrite geothermometry data indicate that hydrothermal minerals formed at depths of 6 to 9 km over a temperature range from 550°C. High-temperature Au-rich skarns formed at >400°C, whereas vein-hosted mineralization formed at 280° to 380°C. In skarns, Au is strongly associated with enrichments of Bi, Te, W, and As, whereas a variety of Au-rich veins occur, with As-rich (type 1), and Te- and W-rich (type 2) end members. Silver-Pb-Zn-Sb veins are typically Au poor and represent the latest and lowest temperature phase in the hydrothermal paragenesis. The fluid inclusion data indicate that all mineralization styles were formed from low-salinity (≤4 wt % NaCl equiv) aqueous-carbonic fluids, consistent with the composition of fluid inclusions within infilled miarolitic cavities in the intrusive rocks. However, the nonaqueous fluid was predominantly CH 4 in skarn, CO 2 in Au-Te and Au-W veins, and a fluid with roughly equal amounts of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 in Au-As and Ag-Pb-Zn-Sb veins. Oxygen isotope data are consistent with a mineralizing fluid of predominantly magmatic origin that was variably modified to more positive δ 18 O values during interaction with 18 O-enriched metasedimentary strata. Sulfur isotope data suggest two possible sources of sulfur, a magmatic source characterized by δ 34 S values of approximately −5 to 0 per mil and sulfur from the metasedimentary country rocks characterized by more negative δ 34 S values of approximately −15 to −10 per mil. Collectively the data indicate that gold at Scheelite Dome was deposited from a magmatic-hydrothermal system. Interaction of magmatic fluids with graphitic hornfels rocks resulted in reduction of the ore fluids, higher CH 4 /CO 2 ratios, and modification of the oxygen and sulfur isotope values of the ore fluids toward those of the metasedimentary hornfels. Progressive reduction and cooling of hydrothermal fluids, in addition to phase separation in vein-hosted mineralization, were the mechanisms for gold deposition. Compared to other intrusion-related gold deposits associated with the Tombstone-Tungsten magmatic belt magmatism, exposed mineralization at Scheelite Dome is predominantly hosted by hornfelsed metasedimentary rocks. This results in more diverse mineralization styles and a greater spread of isotope and fluid inclusion data.

The Red Dog Zn-Pb-Ag district in the western Brooks Range, northern Alaska, contains numerous shale-hosted Zn-Pb sulfide and barite deposits in organic-rich siliceous mudstone and shale, chert, and carbonate rocks of the Carboniferous Kuna Formation. The giant Red Dog shale-hosted deposits consist of a cluster of four orebodies (Main, Qanaiyaq, Aqqaluk, and Paalaaq) that lie within distinct thrust panels that offset a single ore deposit during the Mesozoic Brookian orogeny. These Zn-Pb-Ag-barite orebodies contain one of the world’s largest reserves and resources of zinc. Fluid inclusions in samples of vein sphalerite, which accounts for about 20 percent of the ore in the Main deposit, and quartz that composes the bulk of the extensive silicification in the ore deposit, were studied by microthermometry, Raman spectrometry, and ion chromatography. The study of fluid inclusions in the vein sphalerite was limited by the intense postore deformation of the ore deposits. However, four primary aqueous fluid inclusion assemblages in vein sphalerite yield temperatures of homogenization of 115° to 120°C, 123° to 127°C, 110° to 120°C and 175° to 180°C. More abundant final-melting temperatures indicate that the fluid inclusions in sphalerite have salinities of about 14 to 19 wt percent NaCl equiv. The fluid inclusion electrolyte data show that the ore fluid responsible for the vein sphalerite derived its salinity from the evaporation of seawater. Considering the salinity of the fluid inclusions together with the electrolyte data, it is possible that the evaporative brine was initially about 30 wt percent saline fluid and that it mixed with a more dilute fluid somewhere along its flow path. The temperature, salinity, and electrolyte composition of vein sphalerite in the Red Dog deposits are remarkably similar to those characteristics in sphalerite veins near the Century zinc deposit, Australia. Together, these data compose the majority of information on the temperature and composition of sphalerite in deposits of this type. On the basis of data describing fluid inclusions in sphalerite and the geologic setting of the ore deposits, a "reflux brine" model is suggested for the Red Dog deposits. In this model, brines were produced in evaporative environments in supratidal carbonate facies of the Lisburne Group less than 100 km from the Red Dog deposits. These reflux brines may have infiltrated the underlying rocks of Endicott Group or fractured metasedimentary basement rocks. In the absence of a local heat source at the Red Dog deposits, the temperature of the ore fluids (~100° to

The Donlin Creek gold deposit, southwestern Alaska, has an indicated and inferred resource of approximately 25 million ounces (Moz) Au at a cutoff grade of 1.5 g/t. The ca. 70 Ma deposit is hosted in the Late Cretaceous Kuskokwim flysch basin, which developed in the back part of the arc region of an active continental margin, on previously accreted oceanic terranes and continental fragments. A hypabyssal, mainly rhyolitic to rhyodacitic, and commonly porphyritic, 8- × 3-km dike complex, part of a regional ca. 77 to 58 Ma magmatic arc, formed a structurally competent host for the mineralization. This deposit is subdivided into about one dozen distinct prospects, most of which consist of dense quartz ± carbonate veinlet networks that fill north-northeast–striking extensional fractures in the northeast-trending igneous rocks. The sulfide mineral assemblage is dominated by arsenopyrite, pyrite, and, typically younger, stibnite; gold is refractory within the arsenopyrite. Sericitization, carbonatization, and sulfidation were the main alteration processes. Fluid inclusion studies of the quartz that hosts the resource indicate dominantly aqueous ore fluids with also about 3 to 7 mol percent CO2 ± CH4 and a few tenths to a few mole percent NaCl + KCl. The gold-bearing fluids were mainly homogeneously trapped at approximately 275° to 300°C and at depths of 1 to 2 km. Some of the younger stibnite may have been deposited by late-stage aqueous fluids at lower temperature. Measured δ 18O values for the gold-bearing quartz range between 11 and 25 per mil; the estimated δ 18O fluid values range from 7 to12 per mil, suggesting a mainly crustally derived fluid. A broad range of measured δ D values for hydrothermal micas, between –150 and –80 per mil, is suggestive of a contribution from devolatilization of organic matter and/or minor amounts of mixing with meteoric fluids. Gold-associated hydrothermal sulfide minerals are characterized by δ 34S values mainly between –16 and –10 per mil, with the sulfur derived from diagenetic pyrite and organic matter within the flysch basin. A smaller group of δ 34S measurements, which shows values as depleted as –27 per mil, suggests a different local sulfur reservoir in the basin for the later hydrothermal episode dominated by stibnite. Initial ϵ Nd of –8.7 to –3.1 and 87Sr/86Sr measurements of 0.706 to 0.709 for the ore-hosting dikes also indicate a crustal reservoir for some of the Late Cretaceous magmatism. Overlapping lead isotope data for these intrusive rocks and for sulfide minerals suggest a crustal contribution for the lead in both. Copper- and gold-bearing stockwork veinlets in hornfels occur at Dome, a prospect located at the northern end of the Donlin Creek deposit. These stockworks are cut by the younger auriferous gold veins that define the main Donlin Creek gold mineralization. Highly saline, gas-rich, heterogeneously trapped fluids deposited the stockworks at temperatures approximately 100°C hotter than those of the main gold-forming event at Donlin Creek. The genetic relationship of the Dome prospect to the main Donlin Creek gold resource is equivocal. The epizonal Donlin Creek deposit shows affinities to the gold systems interpreted by various workers as orogenic or intrusion related; it shows important differences from typical epithermal and Carlin-like deposits. The ore-forming fluids were derived by either broad-scale metamorphic devolatilization above rising mantle melts or exsolution from a magma that was dominated by a significant flysch melt component.

The Clear Creek gold occurrences lie within deformed lower greenschist-facies rocks of the western Selwyn basin. They consist of auriferous, sheeted quartz veins that cut six Cretaceous stocks and their hornfels. The veins contain 1–2% combined pyrite and arsenopyrite, with lesser pyrrhotite, bismuthinite, and scheelite, as well as 2–5 g/t Au. New 40Ar/39Ar geochronology of hydrothermal micas indicates that the veins formed within 1–2 million years of granitoid emplacement. Fluid inclusion microthermometry defines a parent ore fluid of ~81 mol.% H2O, 14 mol.% CO2, 4 mol.% NaCl ± KCl, and 1 mol.% CH4, which unmixed into a low- and high-salinity immiscible pair. This suggests a more saline parent fluid and a greater degree of fluid unmixing relative to the other occurrences in the eastern Tintina Gold Province. Inclusions trapped in As- and Bi-rich, high-gold grade veins have homogenization temperatures of 300–350°C, whereas inclusions found in more Ag- and Pb-rich veins are characterized by temperatures of 250–300°C. Fluid inclusion geobarometry suggests hydro-fracturing and gold deposition at 5–7 km depth. The δ18O values of quartz samples range from 13–16‰ (per mil) and δ34S for sulfides are also consistent between –3.0‰ and 0‰, with the exception of some outliers from the Contact Zone of the Pukelman stock that indicate a lower temperature second phase of mineralization. It remains uncertain as to whether the Clear Creek ore fluids were exsolved from magmas at depth or from devolatilization reactions within the contact metamorphic aureoles of the intrusions.

There seems to be general consensus throughout much of the global mining industry that the supply of base and precious metals and some other commodities (e.g., ferrous metals, uranium) is reasonably well assured into the oreseeable future because increases in total resources continue to keep pace with or outstrip global consumption. The basic assumption is that market forces and technological advances will combine to promote and perpetuate this trend (e.g., Tilton, 2003; Crowson, 2008). Others disagree, however, andpredict that shortages are inevitable if metal consumption continues to escalate (Beaty, 2010). It is already becoming clear that many known resources seem unlikely to be mined, irrespective of commodity prices, because of their low grade and/or quality. Hence, many mineral resources that were uneconomic in the early 2000s are likely to remain so, both today and into the foreseeable future because of increases in both the direct (e.g., energy, labor) and indirect (e.g., environmental, social) production costs. This situation is being further exacerbated by the perceived decrease, over at least the past decade, in the discovery rate of base and precious metal resources measured in terms of both the number of major discoveries made and the exploration dollars spent per discovery (e.g., Dummett, 2000; Horn, 2002; Schodde, 2004). There is also a suggestion that the discoveries made are, on average, becoming both smaller and lower grade. Therefore, it seems reasonable to ask whether current exploration practices and success rates are going to be adequate to provide for the massive increases in metal consumption that world population growth, rising living standards, and rapid industrialization and urbanization in China, India, and other emerging markets appear to portend. For example, Rio Tinto's projections suggest that "by 2030 the additional supplyrequired will be equivalent to replicating the iron ore output of the Pilbara region of Australia every five years, adding another aluminium production complex the size of Canada's Saguenay every nine months, and developing another copper mine the size of Escondida in Chile each year. Future energrequirements are such that an entire Hunter Valley coal supply chain needs to be created each year plus a uranium mine the size of Ranger every four years" (Albanese, 2010, p. 7). Clearly, the exploration business has to become increasingly effective if it is to rise to the challenge of finding mineral resources of the right caliber to assure that this burgeoning demand can be adequately satisfied.

The emergence of SEDEX ores in the rock record at about 1.8 to 2.2 Ga can be related to the hydrosphere and atmosphere progressively becoming oxidized and therefore sulfide-poor and sulfate-rich, evolution of sulfate-reducing bacteria, and fundament changes in the Earth crust. The season for the apparent change in tectonic setting of SEDEX deposits from intracratonic rifs in the Proterozoic to passive margins is unclear. Phanerozoic SEDEX deposits formed in paleolatitudes that mirror modern evaporative belts, suggestive of a brine reflux origin for passive margin SEDEX deposits.