How are porphyry copper deposits formed?
Porphyry copper deposits are copper ore bodies that are formed from hydrothermal fluids that originate from a voluminous magma chamber several kilometers below the deposit itself. In later stages, circulating meteoric fluids may interact with the magmatic fluids.
Where are copper porphyry deposits?
Porphyry copper deposits form in continental magmatic arcs along convergent plate-margin boundaries or in island-arc environments. The deposits are associated with subduction-related volcanic centers, although in some examples, they are thought to be associated with postcollisional volcanism.
Why are there no porphyry copper deposits in Japan and South Korea?
It is impossible to generalize erosion level across a region that is as extensive and dynamic as Japan and South Korea. In contrast, Plio-Pleistocene volcanoes throughout Japan are typically too shallowly eroded to expose any porphyry Cu deposits with which they may be associated (Hammarstrom et al., 2010).
What tectonic setting produces porphyry copper ore deposits?
Tectonic setting of porphyry copper and epithermal ore deposits. Porphyry copper, skarn and epithermal ore deposits are the most common type of hydrothermal ore deposits. They are genetically linked to convergent tectonic margins characterized by calcalkaline magmatism.
What is the meaning of porphyry deposit?
Porphyry deposits are large, low- to medium-grade deposits in which primary (hypogene) ore minerals are dominantly structurally controlled and are spatially and genetically related to felsic to intermediate porphyritic intrusions (Kirkham, 1971, 1972).
What characteristics are related to porphyry deposits?
Other common characteristics of the porphyry-type deposits include a large hydrothermal system dominated by magmatic ± meteoric fluids, pervasive hydrothermal alteration of host rocks, fracture-controlled ore mineralization, and association with breccias of diverse origins and variable degrees of mineralization.
Is porphyry a sedimentary rock?
9.3. Porphyry is a diversity of igneous rock consisting of large-grained crystal such as quartz and feldspar scattered in a fine-grained groundmass.
How do you identify porphyry?
Rocks are said to be porphyritic if their groundmass is fine-grained ar aphanitic and porphyraceous if their groundmass in visible to the naked eye. Hence, rhyolite and basalt as fine-grained volcanic rocks are porphyritic and granite, syenite, etc. as coarse-grained plutonic rocks are porphyraceous.
How much does porphyry cost?
Walking, biking and driving on porphyry driveways is easy and smooth. Because it is a unique material, porphyry can cost $15 or more per square foot.
What elements are associated with porphyry copper mineral systems?
SUMMARY OF RELEVANT GEOLOGIC, GEOENVIRONMENTAL, AND GEOPHYSICAL INFORMATION Deposit geology Porphyry copper deposits contain copper, molybdenum, and gold minerals, disseminated or in a stockwork of small veinlets within a large mass of altered rock (Singer and Mosier, 1981).
What kind of mineralization is found in the porphyry CU system?
Abstract Porphyry Cu systems host some of the most widely distributed mineralization types at convergent plate boundaries, including porphyry deposits centered on intrusions; skarn, carbonate-replacement, and sediment- hosted Au deposits in increasingly peripheral locations; and superjacent high- and intermediate-sulfidation epi- thermal deposits.
How much of the world’s copper comes from Porphyry?
Porphyry Cu systems presently supply nearly three-quar- ters of the world’s Cu, half the Mo, perhaps one-fifth of the Au, most of the Re, and minor amounts of other metals (Ag, Pd, Te, Se, Bi, Zn, and Pb).
How big is a porphyry copper deposit in feet?
Porphyry copper deposits are very large mineralized systems that are typically formed by relatively small intrusions (stocks), which are several thousand feet in diameter. These small intrusions are the solidified remains of a magma chamber from which the volcanic rocks were extruded.
What kind of commodities are found in porphyry copper deposits?
Primary Commodities Copper is the primary commodity of economic interest in most porphyry copper deposits, although some deposits with low to very low copper grades are mined principally for their gold (for example, Çopler, Turkey) and(or) molybdenum (for example, Sierrita, Arizona; Continental [Butte], Montana) resources. By-Product Commodities