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Metallogenesis
Author(s) -
Brimhall George H.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/rg025i005p01079
Subject(s) - earth science , expansive , geology , archean , igneous rock , multidisciplinary approach , geochemistry , sedimentary rock , social science , materials science , compressive strength , sociology , composite material
Topics of importance in metallogensis (the genesis of non‐fuel mineral deposits) include an expansive array of active disciplines in Earth sciences. Mineral deposits are recognized in rocks of sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic origin which date from the oldest recognized supracrustal environments of the early Archean up to the present. The breadth of relevant topics is further enlarged through continuing developments in paleoclimatology, paleo‐oceanography, and organic geochemistry. These, in turn, are largely hybrid fields combining a physical or biological science with the historical perspectives and complexities of geology. These integrative disciplines offer important new insights into the formation and long‐term preservation of mineral deposits in the crust. Conversely, mineral deposits, which have long been recognized as being reactive, multi‐element geochemical, and in certain cases bio‐chemical systems, present challenging problems in their own right as subjects for these multidisciplinary evolutionary studies. The unparalleled opportunities that exist in mines for access and comprehensive data acquisition are only recently being realized and used in solving problems of general scientific importance.