Publisher's Synopsis
There are many different ways of categorizing ore deposits. Most people who have written about and described ore deposits have either unwittingly or deliberately been involved in their classification. The term "ore deposit" has a specific meaning in the geological literature, being a mass of rock that contains a useful element, compound or mineral with a grade (concentration) and total amount sufficiently high that the material can be mined economically. Copper, Au and Fe are the most important metals in terms of value of global production. Given the unprecedented growth of human population over the past century, as well as the related increase in demand for and production of natural resources, it is evident that understanding the nature, origin and distribution of the world's mineral deposits remains a strategic topic. Syngenesis and Epigenesis in the Formation of Mineral Deposits presents the comprehensive studies on the understanding of the genesis of mineral deposits in the last decades. The aim of this volume, therefore, is to emphasize the range of processes responsible for the formation of the enormously diverse ore deposit types found on Earth and to integrate these into a description of Earth evolution and global tectonics. In so doing it is hoped that metallogenic studies will increasingly be reintegrated into the area of earth science. The purpose of this process-orientated volume is to provide a better understanding of the nature and origin of mineral occurrences and how they fit into the Earth system. It is also hoped that practicing geologists in the minerals and related industries will find the book useful as a summary and update of ore-forming processes.
