GEO-CM: Relative Timing and Temperature of Copper Mineralization in Porphyry Deposits
Ente: NSF CriticalMinerals&Materials
Scadenza: 2029-07-31
Importo max: 452.464 EUR
Paese: US
Descrizione
This project aims to increase understanding of Earth processes that result in the formation of economic porphyry copper resources. “Porphyry” means large crystals dispersed among fine grains. Porphyry deposits represent the world’s dominant source of the critical mineral copper. The large undeveloped Copper Creek copper resource in Arizona will be used as a case study site to determine the conditions needed for copper to form economic accumulations. The work will be done in cooperation with an industry partner. The project will benefit society through increased understanding of the formation of an important critical mineral, as well training of STEM graduate students and a postdoctoral scholar.
This project aims to update the predictive mineral system model describing the spatiotemporal interplay of geological processes resulting in the formation of porphyry copper deposits. The large undeveloped Copper Creek porphyry copper system in Arizona will be used to establish the relative timing and temperature of copper precipitation in three distinct ore types. It is hypothesized that these ore types formed during distinct episodes and from fluids at variable temperatures, providing an opportunity to establish enigmatic physiochemical details surrounding critical mineral deposition in porphyry deposits. Field investigations will include mapping and core logging to establish an integrated framework, with complimentary microscale investigations, including optical petrography and cathodoluminescence microscopy, to further constrain temporal and paragenetic relationships. To establish the physiochemical conditions of ore deposition laboratory investigations will employ fluid inclusion analysis combined with mineral stability constraints from alteration assemblages that record interaction of the rocks with ore-forming aqueous fluids. The project will provide new perspectives on the temporal and spatial patterns of metallogenetic processes in magmatic-hydrothermal systems. The process-oriented research will better establish detailed models for porphyry copper deposit formation, enabling more informed predictions about the probable location of undiscovered critical mineral resources. Increasing the domestic production of copper is important for the nation’s energy infrastructure, economic prosperity, and supply chain security. Incorporation of research in undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as the intentional design of derived digital products from this study, will provide students with a leading-edge, use-inspired education in economic geology, significantly impacting the nation’s future mineral exploration workforce and capability.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Istituzione: Colorado School of Mines
Sede: GOLDEN, CO
PI: Thomas Monecke
Settori: Geosciences
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