Fluids and the many types of melt: why metals aren’t always where expected in ore deposits

The energy transition means we will need increased supplies of metals, both traditional and ‘critical’. Understanding how ore deposits form can help us find and extract these metals more efficiently and with less waste. The geological processes which form ore deposits not only control where these deposits are located and their metal endowment, but also their geometallurgy – the metal distribution, ore mineralogy and physical ore properties within a deposit which influence processing methods. Ore deposit formation models have traditionally focused on interactions between fluids (aqueous and/or carbonic), silicate and sulphide melts. However, there are many other types of melt in nature which can carry metals, such as semi-metal melts and salt melts (carbonate, sulphate and chloride). In particular, the interaction of fluids with semi-metal melts and salt melts in magmatic and magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits can have a profound effect on critical metal distribution, ore mineralogy, and geometallurgy. I will present some of the latest research into the role of these unusual melts in ore forming processes, and how they can control metal distribution and geometallurgy in a range of deposit types.

Venue

Seminar rooms

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