Ore, gangue, opaque and industrial minerals, the price of the ore, resources, reserves, cut off, by products. Hubbert curve, the environmental impact of the exploitation of ore deposits. Diamonds, carbonatites, REE, Nb and P minerals. Orthomagmatic ores: Cr, PGE, Ni, Ti and V. Greisen. Skarn. Exploitation techniques. Porphyry Cu, Mo and Sn, sedex, VHMS, Au vein deposits. U strata bound, Mississippi valley, placers, BIF, supergenic processes, residual and phosphorite deposits.
Evans A.M. Ore geology and industrial minerals. Blackwell Science
Learning Objectives
Introduction on the nature of mineral resources, ore geology and their origin, ore and industrial minerals
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of geology, mineralogy, geochemistry and petrology
Teaching Methods
CFU:6
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Type of Assessment
Exam modality:
practical and oral test
Course program
Some elementary aspects of mineral economics, civilization and ore resources.
Nature and morphology of the principal types of ore deposit.
Some major theories of ore genesis.
Classification of ore deposits: diamond deposits, the carbonatite-alkaline igneous ore environment, pegmatitic environment, orthomagmatic deposits, greisens, skarn, disseminated and stockwork deposits.
Stratiform sulphide, oxide and sulphate deposits.
Hydrothermal deposit types, strata-bound deposits, sedimentary deposits, residual and supergene enrichment.
Industrial minerals.
Mineralization in space and time, the global distribution of ore deposits: metallogenic provinces and epochs, plate
tectonic controls, Ore mineralization through geological time.
Recovery and recycling. The earth resources of the future