The distribution of Phanerozoic sediment-hosted mineral deposits appears to be influenced by latitudinal zoning. The palaeolatitudes of the host rocks were determined using standard palaeomagnetic procedures - the most reliable results being for the Mesozoic and Cenozoic with early Palaeozoic palaeolatitudes least reliable. The palaeolatitudes derived from Tarling and BP palaeogeographic reconstructions are in general agreement i. e. +/- 10°, although greater discrepancies occur for India and Central America. It is shown that some types (e. g. sandstone copper, sandstone lead) have a preference for low latitude arid regions whilst conditions in the equatorial and temperate rainfall belts were more favourable to the formation of other deposits (e. g. sandstone uranium-vanadium, oolitic ironstone). Using climatic modelling assuming uniformitarianism of the principles governing the Earth's atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns, the climatic conditions affecting the distributions of sediment-hosted deposits were evaluated. It is concluded that local climatic effects are influential in the genesis of limestone base-metal, oolitic ironstone, sandstone copper, sandstone lead, shale base-metal, sedimentary exhalative, sandstone uranium-vanadium, manganese, laterite and phosphate deposits. These climatic conditions affect the nature and degree of chemical weathering, erosion, abundance of organic matter, ground water chemistry and volume in a particular region. However in some instances, such as placer deposits, the major control on deposit distribution was the availability and distribution of source rocks. Such palaeolatitudinal/palaeoclimatic control on the distribution of some deposit types places genetic constraints upon their formation. It also has obvious implications in the evaluation of potential sites for exploration and development.

Cretaceous bauxite deposits from Hall and Veneer mines, Wilkinson County, Georgia are composed of kaolinite, gibbsite, goethite, anatase, nordstrandite and bohemite. Quartz and micas are absent in the samples. The presence of boehmite and goethite are evidence of intense weathering forming the bauxite deposits. The extremely high values of the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) which is over 99, and the low values of the alkali metals and alkali earth metals, support an intense weathering origin for the bauxite deposit. There is evidence of deposition in the mines based on the presence of pisoids in the bauxite samples and the composition of the parent materials, which vary markedly by the non-uniform TiO2/Al2O3 values which represent the accumulation of transported materials from contrasting source areas. Kaolin minerals were first produced by the hydrolytic weathering of aluminous sediments and then gibbsite was formed as early kaolin was desilicated.

A project report submitted to the faculty of Engineering, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of requirement of Master of Science in Engineering Johannesburg, 1992 / The optimal depletion of a mineral deposit involves the optimisation of all the proccesses involved in the mining operation. [Abbreviated Abstract. Open document to view full version] / MT2017

In mineral deposits the application of the Re-Os system has evolved on two fronts; as a geochronometer in molybdenite, and as a tracer of the source of metals by direct determination of the source of Os contained in the ore minerals. Results obtained from a wide variety and types of mineral deposits indicate that ore minerals in most deposits contain a high initial osmium composition, compared to the mantle value at the time of ore formation. The Re-Os data presented here for the Platreef, South Africa, adds to the growing notion that the crust plays a fundamental role in the formation of mineral deposits and as a source of ore minerals. Additional data from the Zambian Copperbelt illustrate the utility of the Re-Os system as a geochronometer of sulfide mineralization. Two isochron ages of ca. 825 Ma and 575 Ma are consistent with a long-lived period of multistage mineralization linked to basin evolution and support a model where brines play a fundamental role in the formation of sediment-hosted stratiform deposits.Numerous new Re-Os molybdenite ages have recently been reported; however, the behavior of Re and Os in molybdenites is still poorly understood and controversy remains regarding the possible disturbance of the Re-Os isotopic system. Previous studies indicate that the Re-Os system in molybdenites, and in other sulfides, can experience disturbance by Re and Os loss or Re gain (both examples of open system behavior), and that the analysis of these altered samples yields equivocal ages. Through replicate analyses of samples and/or comparison with other robust dating techniques, such as the U-Pb geochronometer, it is possible to differentiate between Re-Os molybdenite ages reflecting a mineralization age or a post depositional event. Once the reliability of the Re-Os molybdenite analyses is proven, it is possible to constrain the timing of mineralization and the identification of multiple molybdenite mineralization events, information that is relevant in assessing the longevity of porphyry systems.The examples presented in this work support the use of the Re-Os isotopic system as an important geochemical tool in the understanding of mineral deposits.

Cretaceous bauxite deposits from Hall and Veneer mines, Wilkinson County, Georgia are composed of kaolinite, gibbsite, goethite, anatase, nordstrandite and bohemite. Quartz and micas are absent in the samples. The presence of boehmite and goethite are evidence of intense weathering forming the bauxite deposits. The extremely high values of the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) which is over 99, and the low values of the alkali metals and alkali earth metals, support an intense weathering origin for the bauxite deposit. There is evidence of deposition in the mines based on the presence of pisoids in the bauxite samples and the composition of the parent materials, which vary markedly by the non-uniform TiO2/Al2O3 values which represent the accumulation of transported materials from contrasting source areas. Kaolin minerals were first produced by the hydrolytic weathering of aluminous sediments and then gibbsite was formed as early kaolin was desilicated.

The apatite crystal structure-A5(TO4)3X-allows for complex substitutions of various minor and trace elements including volatile constituents, rare earth elements, and redox sensitive elements (e.g., As, Mn, Fe, S) (Piccoli and Candela, 1994; Piccoli and Candela, 2002; Pan and Fleet, 2002; Teiber et al., 2015; Harlov, 2015). In this study, apatite grains from 19 intrusions across northeastern Nevada with varied petrogenetic and metallogenic properties were analyzed by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) to obtain major and trace element abundances. Systematic variations in Sr and REE concentrations in apatite grains from granitic host rocks are the result of competition with pre-existing and coexisting minerals in silicate melts. The presence of zoning in cathodoluminescence colors combined with high Sr concentrations in apatite from many of the Eocene granodiorite rocks suggest magma mixing affected the geochemical evolution in many of the Eocene igneous systems. In addition, high Sr concentrations in apatite grains from Late Cretaceous two-mica granites may reflect significant magmatic input from lower crustal and/or mantle sources despite the felsic nature of these intrusive rocks.A new EPMA analytical routine to measure arsenic down to detection limits of approximately 20 ppm allowed a more extensive characterization of As concentration in igneous apatite than has previously been published. Still, correlations between As and other trace-element concentrations are not evident, which may reflect the simple substitution of As5+ for P5+ in the apatite structure. Petrologic controls on As content include redox state, indicated by the high Asapat/Asbulk-rock in relatively oxidized intrusive rocks. An additional control is competition among other magmatic phases, exsolving aqueous fluids, or sulfide melts, indicated by enrichment of As in apatite cores relative to apatite rims. Past studies on redox-sensitive elements in igneous apatite have focused on Mn and S, but with further investigation, As may also prove to be a key redox-sensitive trace element in apatite for interpreting igneous and hydrothermal processes.

The Brunswick No. 6 area, which is located in the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick, Canada, is the focus of this thesis. Almost a decade ago, in order to improve the understanding of the crustal structures and explore for new mineral deposits at depth, three 2D seismic profiles totaling about 30 km and 3D seismic data covering an area of about 38 km2 were acquired from the study area. Petrophysical properties including compressional-wave velocity and density were also measured in two deep boreholes in the area. These data were recovered and reanalyzed, and the improved seismic images interpreted as the main part of this PhD thesis. A prestack DMO and poststack migration algorithm was considered for processing both 2D and 3D data. Processing of 2D data revealed shallow and deep reflections, which correlate well with surface geology. Steeply-dipping reflections, some of which could host mineral deposits, were imaged down to a depth of 6-7 km. Processing of 3D data showed similar results to the processed 2D profiles. Nevertheless, the non-orthogonal nature of the 3D survey, combined with irregular distribution of offsets, azimuths and trace midpoints, caused a severe acquisition footprint masking reflections in the DMO-corrected unmigrated stacked cube. An FK-dip filter in the wavenumber domain was designed to reduce the effects of the acquisition footprint. To better understand wave propagation and scattering effects, calculated acoustic impedance log from the available borehole data was used to estimate vertical scale length using a von Karman autocorrelation function. 2D synthetic models representative of heterogeneity in the area were generated accounting for the estimated scale length. Numerical modeling was used to study the scattering effects on the synthetic models, where some predefined targets were superimposed in the provided 2D heterogeneous medium. The effects of variable source frequency, longer horizontal scale length and petrophysical fluctuations of heterogeneous medium were also investigated. The modeling results indicate that, in the presence of large horizontal, but small vertical scale lengths (structural anisotropy), the identification of mineral deposits is possible in the unmigrated stacked sections, but can be challenging in the migrated sections.

ABSTRACT PRODUCTION OF HEAVY-MEDIA-QUALITY MAGNETITE CONCENTRATE FROM KESiKK&Ouml / PR&Uuml / IRON ORE TAILINGS G&uuml / ng&ouml / r, Kazim M. Sc. Department of Mining Engineering Supervisor: Prof. Dr. M. &Uuml / mit Atalay May 2010, 91 pages The aim of this research was to investigate the possibility of the production of a magnetite concentrate which is suitable for preparation of heavy media from iron ore tailings of G&uuml / ncem Mining Company magnetic separation facility. During the study, three different tailings named as low grade, medium grade and high grade with 5.91 % Fe3O4, 19.06 % Fe3O4 and 37.06 % Fe3O4, respectively, were used. Mineralogical analyses of test samples showed that magnetite and hematite were the major ore minerals while pyrite and chalcopyrite were found in trace amounts. Actimolite, tremolite, epidote, chlorite, quartz, calcite, and dolomite were the gangue minerals. The effects of feed particle size and applied magnetic field intensity on the Fe3O4 grade and recovery of concentrate were examined throughout magnetic concentration tests. The highest grade magnetite concentrate with 79.98% Fe3O4 content was obtained with 65.42% recovery from 100% -75 micron size feed at 1000 Gauss magnetic field intensity from high grade tailing.

A distribuição espacial e o volume dos domínios litológicos são freqüentemente as maiores fontes de incerteza na modelagem geológica. Geralmente, a interpretação destas características é baseada em critérios subjetivos de observações, sem levar em consideração a incerteza inerente a este processo. Existem métodos de simulação geoestatísticos capazes de quantificar esta incerteza tipológica das unidades geológicas. A maioria desses métodos utiliza como medida de continuidade geológica os modelos de covariância. Entretanto, estas ferramentas de estatística de dois-pontos, raramente, conseguem capturar os padrões de geometrias complexas. Uma alternativa para esta limitação é utilizar métodos de estatística de múltiplos pontos para reproduzir os padrões espaciais de heterogeneidade que são informados por uma imagem de treinamento. Nessa dissertação, será aplicada a geoestatística de múltiplos pontos (SNESIM) para simular os litotipos de um depósito de minério de ferro. A imagem de treinamento foi baseada em seções interpretadas. Os furos de sondagem são utilizados como amostras primárias. As informações geológicas são acessadas por mapas de probabilidade utilizados como informações secundárias. A metodologia é testada na simulação de um depósito de ferro brasileiro com três diferentes litotipos. Os resultados das simulações são comparados contra um modelo de referência e novos furos de sondagens. As geometrias e distribuição espacial das tipologias foram reproduzidas de forma consistente. A incerteza das distribuições e dos volumes dos domínios tipológicos foi quantificada. O algoritmo de múltiplos pontos e a metodologia proposta mostraram grande potencial de aplicação na simulação de depósitos minerais. / The spatial distribution and volumes of lithological domains are often the biggest sources of uncertainty in geological modeling. Usually, the interpretation of these characteristics is based on subjective criteria of observations, without taking into account the uncertainty inherent in this process. There geostatistical simulation methods capable of quantifying this uncertainty typological geological units. Most of these methods uses as a measure of continuity in geological models covariance. However, these two-point statistical is rarely sufficient to capture the patterns of complex geometries. An alternative to this limitation is to use statistical methods of multiple points to reproduce the spatial patterns of heterogeneity that are informed by a training image. In this dissertation, will be applied to multi-point geostatistics (SNESIM) to simulate lithotypes a deposit of iron ore. The training image was based on sections interpreted. The drillholes are used as primary samples. Geologic information is accessed by probability maps used as secondary information. The methodology is tested in the simulation of a deposit of Brazilian iron with three different rock types. The simulation results are compared against a reference model and new drillholes. The geometries and spatial typologies were reproduced consistently. The uncertainty distributions and volumes of typological domains were quantified. The algorithm of multiple points and the proposed methodology showed great potential for application in the simulation of mineral deposits.

A distribuição espacial e o volume dos domínios litológicos são freqüentemente as maiores fontes de incerteza na modelagem geológica. Geralmente, a interpretação destas características é baseada em critérios subjetivos de observações, sem levar em consideração a incerteza inerente a este processo. Existem métodos de simulação geoestatísticos capazes de quantificar esta incerteza tipológica das unidades geológicas. A maioria desses métodos utiliza como medida de continuidade geológica os modelos de covariância. Entretanto, estas ferramentas de estatística de dois-pontos, raramente, conseguem capturar os padrões de geometrias complexas. Uma alternativa para esta limitação é utilizar métodos de estatística de múltiplos pontos para reproduzir os padrões espaciais de heterogeneidade que são informados por uma imagem de treinamento. Nessa dissertação, será aplicada a geoestatística de múltiplos pontos (SNESIM) para simular os litotipos de um depósito de minério de ferro. A imagem de treinamento foi baseada em seções interpretadas. Os furos de sondagem são utilizados como amostras primárias. As informações geológicas são acessadas por mapas de probabilidade utilizados como informações secundárias. A metodologia é testada na simulação de um depósito de ferro brasileiro com três diferentes litotipos. Os resultados das simulações são comparados contra um modelo de referência e novos furos de sondagens. As geometrias e distribuição espacial das tipologias foram reproduzidas de forma consistente. A incerteza das distribuições e dos volumes dos domínios tipológicos foi quantificada. O algoritmo de múltiplos pontos e a metodologia proposta mostraram grande potencial de aplicação na simulação de depósitos minerais. / The spatial distribution and volumes of lithological domains are often the biggest sources of uncertainty in geological modeling. Usually, the interpretation of these characteristics is based on subjective criteria of observations, without taking into account the uncertainty inherent in this process. There geostatistical simulation methods capable of quantifying this uncertainty typological geological units. Most of these methods uses as a measure of continuity in geological models covariance. However, these two-point statistical is rarely sufficient to capture the patterns of complex geometries. An alternative to this limitation is to use statistical methods of multiple points to reproduce the spatial patterns of heterogeneity that are informed by a training image. In this dissertation, will be applied to multi-point geostatistics (SNESIM) to simulate lithotypes a deposit of iron ore. The training image was based on sections interpreted. The drillholes are used as primary samples. Geologic information is accessed by probability maps used as secondary information. The methodology is tested in the simulation of a deposit of Brazilian iron with three different rock types. The simulation results are compared against a reference model and new drillholes. The geometries and spatial typologies were reproduced consistently. The uncertainty distributions and volumes of typological domains were quantified. The algorithm of multiple points and the proposed methodology showed great potential for application in the simulation of mineral deposits.