Geological tectonic settings, depositional environments and ore-hosting rock assemblages for mineral deposits model with universality

Abstract：Different mineral deposits have different characteristic features, just like the fact that different people have different finger prints. Based on the Chinese philosophic idea “white horse is a horse but not a horse (class)”, this paper proposes a deepening study of the integrated geological characteristics of the same types or similar groups of mineral deposits model with universality. On such a basis, the mineral deposits model with universality (horse class) will contain the kind of deposits with speciality (white horse) and increase its generality in correlation with unknown mineral deposits. Secondly, in this paper, the research work of mineral deposits model is systematically summarized and a new idea of metallogenic series is put forward for establishing the mineral deposits model with universality. Considering the existence of various mineral deposits in the geological setting, the authors integrate the geological tectonic settings, depositional environments and ore-hosting rock assemblages to formulate “a classification of mineral deposits model of China” and 74 models suitable for various depositional environments to be created (see table 1). On such a basis, we can find any deposits model from corresponding geological setting in the classification; in contrast, a certain mineral deposits model can also reflect the depositional environment in which the deposits occurred.