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The earth's crust and mantle have passed through an evolutionary sequence of
changes throughout geological time. These changes have influenced and are
reflected in petrogenesis and the nature and extent of related mineralization.
Definite associations of rocks with specific mineral deposits occur. The
association of tin mineralization with granites, restriction of Banded Iron
Formations to sedimentary sequences and the association of nickel deposits
with orthomagmatic rocks are all examples of ore deposits associated with
particular rock types. Conversely, the absence of certain metallogenic entities
with certain rock types may be attributed to an incompatible relationship
between these.
This fact permits us to make certain generalizations regarding rock types and
ore associations. It must be considered that since ores are rocks, they are likely
to be intimate parts of the geological/geochemical environment in which they
occur. This is supported by the evidence obtained from the examination of a
wide variety of ores and their associated rocks. It is confirmed that most ore
deposits indeed appear to be related fundamentally to specific rock types.
Magmas are an important source of many ingredients of mineral deposits.
Indeed different kinds of magmas yield different kinds of mineral deposits.
Secondary processes like weathering, erosion, solution, and precipitation –
either inorganic or biochemical, may act upon many of these mineral deposits
and their parent/host rocks to form yet other sets of orerock assemblages.
ORE MINERAL ASSEMBLAGES AND ROCK ASSOCIATIONS
1. Ore mineral assemblages occurring with mafic/ultramafic rocks
a. Chromiun ores in intrusives Eg Paleozoic to Tertiary "Serpentine
Belts" all over the world.
b. Ironnickelcopper sulfide deposits
c. Native copper and associated sulfides as orthomagmatic
disseminations and vesicular fillings Eg Solomon Islands.
d. Nickel and associated sulfides in volcanic sills Eg Kambalda, W
Australia, Manitoba. iii) Precious metals viz. tellurides Eg Fiji.
e. Nickel also occurs as Nirich olivine which may be concentrated
to ore by later weathering
2. Ore mineral assemblages occurring with intermediate rocks
a. Irontitanium oxide deposits with anorthositicgabbroic rocks
b. Coppermolybdenum sulfides associated with porphyritic
intrusives
3. Ore mineral assemblages occurring with silicic rocks
a. Cassiterite deposits as disseminations in granites, contact
metamorphic deposits and pegmatitic deposits.
b. CuPbZnAg veins
c. QuartzAgBiCoNiAsU veins
d. QuartzSnWBi veins
e. QuartzAu veins
f. AsSbHg bearing basemetal veins
g. Skarn deposits (containing magnetite, molybdenite, sphalerite,
galena, chalcopyrite, wolframite, scheelite)
h. Stibnite and stibnitescheelitegold veins.
i. Basemetal sulfide veins with arsenopyrite and greater proportions
of Pb & Zn as compared to Cu.
4. Ore mineral assemblages occurring with sedimentary rocks
a. Iron ores in sedimentary rocks – Banded Iron Formations
developed as volcanic chemical sediments as a result of seafloor
exhalative activity. Deposition of these took place in troughs
(eugeosynclines) in interisland regions of arcs.
b. Manganese ores in sedimentary rocks
c. Minor chemical sedimentation of manganese and iron with jasper.
d. Golduranium ores in conglomerates of WitwatersrandBhind
River Jacobina Type in coarse conglomerates and grits of braided
stream channels.
e. Lead zinc deposits in carbonate rocks and other sediments
f. Stratiform basemetal sulfide ores in sedimentary rocks
g. Limestoneleadzinc deposits often associated with oil bearing
strata and evaporites, Eg Pine Point, Canada.
h. Nonvolcanic sedimentary manganese deposits (orthoquartzite
glauconiteclay association), Eg Nikopol, USSR, and Morocco.
i. Ironstones of the Clinton, Lorraine and English type associated
with nearshore, estuarine or lagoonal sedimentation.
j. "Sandstone Type" CuUV ores formed in coarse sediments of
outwash fans, nearshore braided streams and deltas, Eg Colorado.
k. Basemetal sulfide deposits of nonvolcanic association occurring
with evaporites, Eg Kupferschiefer Marl Slate of Europe and
England and the Copperbelt of Zambia. viii) A very minor
category of iron ores the bog or marsh iron ores such as those of
the present northern hemisphere.
5. Ore mineral assemblages occurring in volcanic rocks
a. CuFeZn assemblages in volcanic rocks
b. Stratiforn Sulfide Deposits of marine and marinevolcanic
affiliation. These include chemical sedimentation and sulfide
pyroclastic concentrations interbedded with some lavas. All these
are essentially sea floor volcanic accumulations. A few of these
are associated with basaltic and more mafic lavas Eg Cyprus and
Japan, whereas a vast majority are associated with andesitic and
dacitic rocks. Eg Base metals of Ontario, Mount Isa and McArthur
River (Precambrian); Bathurst, New Brunswick and E. Australia
(Paleozoic) and Japan (Tertiary).
c. Mineral deposits associated with flood basalts, for example the
copper bearing lavas of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Lake Superior;
copper bearing lavas of the Deccan traps around Bhawani Mandi,
Rajasthan.
MAJOR ORE TYPES OF INDIA, THEIR ROCK
ASSOCIATIONS AND TECTONIC SETTING
ORE DEPOSIT
AND GEOLOGICAL
TECTONIC SETTING LOCALITY
ASSOCIATED AGE
ROCKS
1. RELATED TO BASIC/ULTRABASIC IGNEOUS INTRUSIVES.
2. MASSIVE SULFIDE DEPOSITS IN VOLCANIC ASSOCIATION
Kalyadi (S. India) Archaean
Cupreferous
2.1 Riftridges/island Ingaldahl ArchaeanE.
deposits
arcs/cratonmargin Singhbhum Proterozoic
associated with
dislocations. EarlyLate
mafic volcanics
Proterozoic
3. ORES IN SEDIMENTS
Khetri MidLate
Sediment hosted
3.1 Ensialic Rift Basins Proterozoic
sulfide deposits
Ensialic Rift Agucha Archaean
Leadzinc ores in
3.2 Basins/Epicontinental RajpuraDariba MidLate
clastic sediments
Basins Proterozoic
Leadzinc ores in Zawar Early Proterozoic
Ensialic Rift
3.3 carbonate rocks
Basins/Epicontinental
(Bulk Mississippi
Basins
Valley type)
BababudanSandur ArchaeanE.
3.4 Iron Ores Greenstone Bihar Orissa Proterozoic
Banded Iron Belts/Epicontinental Late Archaean
3.4.1 Formations Basins
4. ORE DEPOSITS ASSOCIATED WITH ACIDINTERMEDIATE
PLUTONIC/HYPABYSSAL ROCKS
Malanjkhand EarlyMiddle
Porphyrytype Orogenic
4.1 Proterozoic
copper deposits belts/subduction zones
4.2 Tintungsten Orogenic belts with Chhendapathar(?) Late Proterozoic
deposits ensialic magmatism
5. VEIN DEPOSITS IN METAMORPHOSED ROCKS
Kolar Archaean
Greenstone belts and
5.1 Goldquartz veins Hutti Archaean
Phanerozoic orogens
5.2 Uranium veins in Singhbhum MiddleLate
Regional shear zones
shear zones Proterozoic
6. LATERITIC DEPOSITS
BiharMadhya Phanerozoic
6.1 Bauxite deposits Continental platforms Pradesh
Sukinda Phanerozoic
Lateritic Ni
6.2 Nonspecific
deposits
This website is hosted by
S. Farooq
Department of Geology
Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202 002 (India)
Phone: 915712721150
email: farooq.amu@gmail.com