Mineral deposits are naturally occurring concentrations of minerals in the Earth’s crust that are sufficiently enriched above background levels to be of scientific interest, whether or not they are currently economically exploitable. They form through diverse geological processes, including magmatic differentiation, hydrothermal fluid circulation, sedimentary precipitation, weathering and supergene enrichment, and metamorphic remobilization. Key research topics involve their classification (e.g., porphyry, volcanogenic massive sulfide, banded iron formation, lateritic), the physicochemical controls on metal transport and precipitation, ore-forming fluid sources and pathways, and the temporal and tectonic distribution of deposits within the context of crustal evolution and metallogeny.
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