Granite-related ore deposits: an introduction

Abstract

A symposium on Mineralization Associated with Granitic Magmatism was held within the framework of the 33rd IGC in Oslo, Norway, in August 2008. While our initial idea was to bring together field, experimental, and theoretical studies in order to review and summarize the current ideas and recent progress on granite-related mineralization systems, we were caught by surprise realizing that participants were inclined to focus more on ore deposits related to granitic magmatism. This spontaneous shift from granites, the major intended focus of the symposium, to mineralization associated with them, spawned the idea for a special issue on this theme and ultimately to the nine papers assembled here, chosen from about 60 scientific contributions at the symposium. Around twenty oral presentations were given and forty posters were presented at the meeting; the 60 papers were grouped according to the current main granite-related ore systems, as follows; granite-pegmatite, skarn and greisen-veins, porphyry, orogenic gold, intrusion-related, epithermal and porphyry-related gold and base metal, iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG), and special case studies.Importance of granite-related mineralization systems: diversity of mineralization styles and related mineral deposits Granite-related mineral deposits are diverse and complex and include different associations of elements such as Sn, W, U, Th, Mo, Nb, Ta, Be, Sc, Li, Y, Zr, Sb, F, Bi, As, Hg, Fe, Cu, Au, Pb, Zn, Ag, Ga, and other metals. Among these, deposits of rare earth elements (REEs) and other precious and semi-precious metals are vital to current technologies upon which society depends. Graniterelated ore systems have been one of the major targets of the mineral exploration industry and have probably received more intensive research study over the last decades than any other type of ore deposits.Many different authors have attempted to summarize metallogenetic models for granite-related mineral deposits. However, due to the diversity of classes of ore-deposits, styles of mineralization and processes involved in their formation, major reviews focus only on individual classes highlighting the current status of investigation. Only very few papers focus on experiments and modelling processes leading to metal enrichment, although significant physical and chemical studies have been conducted by

Geochronology of monazite related to REE, Nb–Ta and U–Th bearing minerals from Mesoproterozoic anorogenic magmatism in the E-Colombian Amazonian Craton: Links to mantle plume activity in the Columbia (Nuna) supercontinent

“…Subduction-related I-type granites may be a smaller source both of LCT and NYF pegmatites (Černý and Ercit, 2005), but there are a lot of pegmatites worldwide, which may or may not fit clearly in any of these models (Bonin, 2007;Cerný et al, 2012;Dall'Agnol et al, 1999;Dill, 2015;Dill et al, 2006;Gandhi and Sarkar, 2016;Kroonenberg et al, 2016;Laznicka, 2006;London and Morgan, 2012;Sial et al, 2011).…”

Evaporitic brines and copper-sulphide ore genesis at Jbel Haïmer (Central Jebilet, Morocco)

“…Granite-related ore systems, an essential target for the mineral exploration industry (Sial et al, 2011), were developed as models for several commodities such as Au and W-Sn (granite related Au-deposits (IRGDs) for instance: Thompson et al, 1999;Hart, 2007;Thompson and Newberry, 2000;Lang and Baker, 2001). The proximity of the deposits to intrusions or inferred intrusions marked by contact metamorphic aureoles was one of the main arguments for such ore deposit models where magmatism plays a significant role at less as a source of heat flow for fluid convection.…”

Rare Earth Elements in Planetary Crusts: Insights from Chemically Evolved Igneous Suites on Earth and the Moon

“…Ore deposits associated with chemically evolved igneous rock suites have been the intense focus of research over the past several decades [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]. Magmatic-associated mineral deposits are mineralogically and chemically diverse, occur in a range of geological settings, and have long been the target of the mineral industry.…”