Geology
Basic geology, ore deposits, mining districts and regional geology
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Geology Fundamentals: Identifying Igneous Rocks in the Field
Many common ore deposit types are igneous: porphyry copper deposits, pegmatites, and layered mafic intrusions, to name a few. While…
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Carbonatite Rare Earth Elements Deposits
Introduction Carbonatites are a special group of carbonate-rich igneous rocks and the world’s primary source of rare earth elements (REE),…
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Pegmatites – Our Greatest Source of Gemstones
Pegmatites are the major source of gem-quality minerals throughout the world. They typically host perfectly clear topazes, tourmalines, beryls and…
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World Phosphate Deposits
Introduction Phosphate Rock (PR) has long been an important agriculture-based commodity. Most soils are phosphate deficient, and with the majority…
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Komatiites and Ni-Cu-PGE deposits
Introduction Komatiites (pronounced ko-ma-tee-ites) are an unusual and very ancient volcanic rock. They are interesting to geologists for their unique…
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Anorthosites: Fe-Ti and Vanadium Deposits
Introduction Many are familiar with the platinum group element and chromite-rich rock sequences, and vanadium magnetite layers of the Bushveld…
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Gold Commodity Overview
Aurum. Au. Geld. Gold. The ransom of kings, the symbol of royalty. The economic motor of empires since antiquity and the…
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Geology Fundamentals – Veins, Dikes and Sills
Introduction We often find references to veins, dikes (or dykes) and sills in descriptions of mining projects or in news…
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Magmatic Arc Hydrothermal Systems: An Introduction
Introduction A magmatic arc hydrothermal system is a class of hydrothermal systems that interlink major styles of precious metal and…
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Cobalt: Commodity Overview
Although cobalt (Co) is well known for the blue dyes that bear its name, metallic cobalt is a lustrous silver-grey. Metallic cobalt…
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