Classification of economically important mineral

deposits
1. Metalliferous deposits

2. Non metalliferous deposits

3. Fuel deposits
 Processes of formation of mineral deposits

The various processes that give rise to mineral deposits are

1. Magmatic concentration
2. Sublimation
3. Contact metamorphism
4. Hydrothermal processes
a. Cavity filings
b. Replacement
5. Sedimentation
6. Bacterial processes
7. Submarine exhalative and volcanic processes
8. Evaporation
9. Residual and mechanical concentration
10. Oxidation and supergene enrichment
11. Metamorphism
1. Magmatic concentration
a. Early magmatic deposits:
1. Simple crystallization without concentration
2. Segregation of early formed crystals
3. Injection of material concentrated elsewhere by
differentiation.
b. Late magmatic deposits:
1. Residual liquid segregation
2. Immiscible liquid segregation
3. Immiscible liquid injection
 Hydrothermal Processes

Factors important for the formation of hydrothermal deposits are:

1. Available mineralizing solution
2. Available openings in rocks
3. Available sites for the deposition
4. Chemical reactions that result in deposition
5. Sufficient concentration of deposited mineral matter.
 Openings in rocks

Original Cavities: Induced Cavities:

1. Pore spaces 1. Fissure veins with or

2. Crystal lattice without faulting

3. Vesicles or blow holes 2. Shear zone cavities

4. Lava drain channels 3. Cavities due to folding

5. Cooling cracks 4. Tectonic breccia

6. Igneous breccia cavities 5. Collapse breccia

7. Bedding planes 6. Solution caves

7. Rock alteration
openings
 Factors affecting Mineral
deposition
1. Chemical changes in hydrothermal solutions

2. Temperature and pressure

3. Wall rock alteration or hydrothermal

alteration.
Hydrothermal
alterations
 Cavity filling
deposits
1.
Change in chemical character
2. Temperature and pressure of the mineralizing solution.
Cavity filling mineral
deposits 1. Fissure veins
2. Shear zone deposits
3. Stock work
4. Saddle reefs
5. Ladder veins
6. Pitches and flats: Fold cracks
7. Breccia filling deposits : Volcanic, Collapse and
Tectonic
8. Solution cavity fillings: Cave, channel and gash
veins
9. Pore space fillings
10.Vesicular fillings
 Fissure veins

Chambered
Simple
Lenticular
Sheeted

Diagonal
Relation of fissure veins to each
other
Types of Fissure vein

Stock works
Saddle reefs

Ladder veins
Pitches and flats- fold cracks
Collapse breccia
deposits
 Metasomatic Replacement
Aspect of replacement:
1. Replacement is a slow, gradual and silent process.
2. It is molecule to molecule replacement
3. Original nature of replaced material is retain after replacement
4. Structure of original material such as current bedding, ripple
marks, graded bedding etc. may be retained.
5. Any material can replace another e.g. Quartz which is stable at
the can be replaced by the calcite and similarly calcite can be
replaced by Quartz.
6. Replacement depends upon the minerals i.e. replacing and
material that is being replaced and also upon the medium
through which replacement take place.
7. Sometimes replacement may be ionic diffusion.
 Criteria of
replacement

Unsupported residual rock

Preservation of rock
structure

Intersection of
structural features
 Sharp outlines

Transection of
different crystals