Deposit types/Copper, Zinc, Lead

Volcanogenic massive sulphide (Kuroko type)

Lenses of massive iron, copper and zinc sulphide laid down on the sea floor in volcanic rocks.

What it is

Lenses of massive iron, copper and zinc sulphide laid down on the sea floor in volcanic rocks.1

How it forms

Hot springs linked to undersea volcanism vent onto the sea floor and drop sulphides in mounds, with a stockwork feeder zone beneath.1

Host rocks

Marine rhyolite, dacite and basalt with organic-rich mudstone or shale.1

Where it forms

Island arcs and extensional faults; Archean greenstone belts.1

How old

Archean to Cenozoic1

Mines of this type

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Story cards

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Mines

An example ofRiotinto mining districtSee Riotinto mining district, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofBesshi copper mineSee Besshi copper mine, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofFalun Mine (Stora Kopparberg)See Falun Mine (Stora Kopparberg), an example of this deposit type.1An example ofRoros Copper Works and minesSee Roros Copper Works and mines, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofBritannia MineSee Britannia Mine, an example of this deposit type.1An example ofKidd Mine (Kidd Creek)See Kidd Mine (Kidd Creek), an example of volcanogenic massive sulphide (kuroko type).1

Sources

  1. Mineral Deposit Models (Bulletin 1693, Cox and Singer, eds., 1986) US Geological Survey

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Stories with these minerals

Copper drill-hole columns over the Cobar Basin on a satellite map of New South WalesData storyUnder New South WalesDrill holes · New South WalesA Caterpillar 797 haul truck with a worker standing beside a front tyre that is more than twice his heightEquipmentHaul trucksHauling · Open-pit minesA row of tall blue flotation tank cells with walkways and pipes under a blue skyEquipmentFroth flotation and tailingsProcessing · SeparationHistory of miningCopperopolis: how copper wired the world1820-1920

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Haul trucks by Lechhabmed, CC BY-SA 4.0; Froth flotation and tailings by Nina111955, CC BY-SA 4.0. Pictures: Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 15 Crew, NASA JSC (Public domain (NASA media, no copyright)).