Zusammenfassung2024 wird das ukrainische Bruttoinlandsprodukt (BIP

The Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB) in the Northern Tibet Plateau hosts a wide variety of metal deposits related to the Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic magmatism. In this study, we investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of the Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic granitic rocks and associated metal deposits in the EKOB and provide a comprehensive compilation of the geochronological, geochemical and isotopic data on these rocks. We compute regional zircon Hf isotope and crustal thickness maps from the data, based on which a comprehensive model is proposed involving subduction (ca. 270-240 Ma), continental collision (ca. 240-224 Ma), and post-collisional extension (ca. 224-200 Ma) for the Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic Paleo-Tethys evolution in the EKOB.Zircon Hf isotopic and crustal thickness mapping of Late Paleozoic to Mesozoic magmatic rocks was carried out to evaluate their spatio-temporal and genetic links with the regional metallogeny. The polymetallic Fe-skarn and porphyry Cu (Mo) deposits in the EKOB are located above the Moho uplift region, featuring a comparatively thin crust. Granites associated with porphyry Cu (Mo) and polymetallic Fe skarn mineralization are commonly characterized by high eHf(t) and younger TDMc values, whereas granite related to Cu-Mo-Sn skarn deposits exhibit more variable eHf(t) values, TDMc ages, and the crust thickness, which suggest that more crustal materials contributed to the formation of Cu-Mo-Sn skarn deposits than those for porphyry Cu (Mo) and polymetallic Fe skarn mineralization. In contrast, vein-type Au deposits are located primarily where the Moho surface displays a depression, i.e., where the continental crust is relatively thick. The magmatic rocks associated with Au mineralization are characterized by low eHf(t) and high TDMc values, representing reworked ancient crustal components, similar to those associated with porphyry Mo and epithermal Ag-Pb-Zn-(Au) deposits. Our study indicates that the emplacement of magmatic-hydrothermal deposits was controlled by the crustal structure and magma sources. & COPY; 2023 China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and Peking University. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of China University of Geosciences (Beijing). This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

The Nagengkangqie'er (Nageng) silver deposit, situated in the Eastern Kunlun Orogenic Belt (EKOB), North-western China. It contains 5,070 tons of contained silver at a silver grade of 325 g/t. Nonetheless, the genesis of the Nageng silver deposit is still under debate, due to the absence of definitive constraints the mineralization age and the metal sources. The U-Pb data analysis of a post-ore calcite vein established the minimum age of the mineralization at 207 +/- 3 Ma, whereas the maximum age of 217 +/- 4 Ma was determined from zircon U-Pb data obtained from the altered and mineralized rhyolitic porphyry host-rock. These temporal limitations suggest that the mineralization formed at ca. 217-207 Ma, and it is associated with the post-collisional setting of the Paleo-Tethys evolution in the EKOB. The distinct textural patterns, as revealed by petrographic observations, suggest three types of pyrites: py1 is composed of euhedral pyrite in the early barren quartz vein at stage 1, py2 is represented by subhedral-anhedral grains in massive ore veins at stage 2, and py3 forms euhedral crystals of varying sizes, which are interspersed with early-formed marcasite in the quartz + calcite + silver-bearing sulfosalt-dominated veins at stage 3. In-situ delta 34S values of pyrites range between-2.33 %o and-0.37 %o, indicating a dominantly magmatic origin. EPMA studies have revealed that silver in the Nageng deposit pre-dominantly occurs as silver-bearing galena at stage 2, whereas silver is enriched in sulfosalts of stage 3. From py1 to py3, a decrease in the Co-content indicates a decrease in the ore-forming fluid temperatures. The presence of stage 3 sulfide, sliver-bearing sulfosalt, and calcite-quartz in a fracture-filled vein indicates low-pressure con-ditions during its formation, compared to stages 1 and 2. In summary, the Nageng deposit is a typical magmatic-hydrothermal vein-type Ag-Pb-Zn deposit. Fluid cooling and decrease in pressure, coupled with decreases in fO2 and fS2, are the parameters inferred to have led to a decrease of silver solubility in the hydrothermal fluids and, successively, promoted extensive Ag deposition.

Kurzfassung Die Ukraine ist reich an Rohstoffen, vor allem in der Donbas-Region. Dazu gehören Rohstoffe wie Eisenerz und Kohle, die für die erste industrielle Revolution wichtig waren. Der Reichtum umfasst aber auch Nichteisenmetalle und batteriebezogene Mineralien, insbesondere Lithium, das für die moderne und speziell eine grüne Wirtschaft von herausragender Bedeutung ist. Nach einer Einführung in die allgemeine ökonomische Entwicklung des Landes analysiert der Artikel die ukrainische Industrie-, Energie- und Ressourcenbasis, um sich dann auf die Potenziale jener Ressourcen zu konzentrieren, die im Zuge der Dekarbonisierung der westlichen Industriestaaten eine signifikante Rolle spielen werden. Der Artikel gelangt zu dem Schluss, dass Russlands Überfall auf die Ukraine auch von wirtschaftlichen Interessen geleitet war. Russland konnte bislang als Lieferant von fossilen Energieträgern Einfluss ausüben. Angesichts der potenziell großen Lithium-Vorkommen in der Ukraine scheint es sich nun Zugriff auf Stoffe verschaffen zu wollen, die für die Dekarbonisierung der westlichen Länder unverzichtbar sind.

anschließend in einer scha- benden Bewegung über die Oberfläche. Dabei entstehen breite profilierte Spuren und ein Teil des Goldbleches wird herausgerissen und ziehharmonikaartig zusammengeschoben (rote Pfeile). Die Ziehrichtung erfolgte von unten nach oben. Dabei wurde auch der neben der Sonne liegende Stern beschädigt. an, dass die Auffindung der Himmelsscheibe knapp unter der Oberfläche gegen eine Fundlage in situ spreche und somit die Vergesellschaftung mit den anderen Fundobjekten fraglich sei. Sie glauben, dass auch die Beschädigungen an der Himmelsscheibe, die geochemischen Metallanalysen, die forensischen Untersuchungen der Sedimentanhaftungen und die scheinbar voneinander abweichenden Zeugenaussagen der Raubgräber ihre Sichtweise stützen. Demnach nehmen sie an, dass die Himmelsscheibe sogar von einem anderen Fundort als dem Mittelberg bei Nebra stammen könnte. Allerdings stellen diese Argumente und Behauptungen zum größten Teil Wiederholungen aus einer früheren Publikation dar (Gebhard/Krause

ABSTRACT Near-surface supergene ores of the Merensky Reef in the Bushveld Complex, South Africa, contain economic grades of platinum-group elements, however, these are currently uneconomic due to low recovery rates. This is the first study that investigates the variation in platinum-group elements in pristine and supergene samples of the Merensky Reef from five drill cores from the eastern Bushveld. The samples from the Richmond and Twickenham farms show different degrees of weathering. The whole-rock platinum-group element distribution was studied by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and the platinum-group minerals were investigated by reflected-light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and electron microprobe analysis. In pristine (“fresh”) Merensky Reef samples, platinum-group elements occur mainly as discrete platinum-group minerals, such as platinum-group element-sulfides (cooperite–braggite) and laurite as well as subordinate platinum-group element-bismuthotellurides and platinum-group element-arsenides, and also in solid solution in sulfides (especially Pd in pentlandite). During weathering, Pd and S were removed, resulting in a platinum-group mineral mineralogy in the supergene Merensky Reef that mainly consists of relict platinum-group minerals, Pt-Fe alloys, and Pt-oxides/hydroxides. Additional proportions of platinum-group elements are hosted by Fe-hydroxides and secondary hydrosilicates (e.g., serpentine group minerals and chlorite). In supergene ores, only low recovery rates (ca. 40%) are achieved due to the polymodal and complex platinum-group element distribution. To achieve higher recovery rates for the platinum-group elements, hydrometallurgical or pyrometallurgical processing of the bulk ore would be required, which is not economically viable with existing technology.

s: Phosphogypsum is regarded today mainly as a by-product or waste generated during industrial processes such as the production of phosphoric acid for fertilizer. During the process of sulphuric acid leaching of apatite-rich concentrates from weathered alkaline ultramafic rocks large volumes of gypsum and accessory minerals are produced. Recently nine phosphogypsum samples from Catalão, Brazil have been investigated as a potential secondary source for rare-earth elements (REEs). Identifying the minerals hosting REE, the mineral composition and modal abundance are key in evaluating the economic potential of phosphogypsum as a source for critical metals. A combination of detailed petrographic investigations, SEM-based mineral distribution analyses, EPMA and geochemical analyses using ICP-MS/AES was successfully applied to identify REE carrier minerals and the fraction of associated REE. The analysed phosphogypsum samples are mainly composed of euhdral gypsum crystals constituting around 93% of the total mass. Accessory minerals identified include quartz, octahedral REE-bearing, (Ca-Al-) fluorides, monazite, celestine, Fe-oxides, ilmenite, barite, pyrochlore, and baddeleyite. Apart from gypsum most minerals also occur in the weathered phosphate-rich rocks and are therefore carried over throughout the sulphuric acid leaching process of apatite concentrates. Monazite has been identified as the most important carrier for REE in phosphogypsum. The mineral mainly consists of Ce, La, Nd and P. The total rare-earth content in the mineral amounts to a mean 57 %. Furthermore the Th concentration, a major contaminant, are comparably low. The mean abundance of monazite in phosphogypsum amounts to 0.6wt%. Overall monazite hosts 50% to 60% of the total REE in phosphogypsum, while the remaining 50% are locked in gypsum and Ca-Al-fluorides. Therefore only a fraction of the geochemically available total rare-earth oxide content of 0.6%in phosphogypsum is likely to be recoverable. A good complete particle liberation of 60% to 80% and a grain size range of 15mμm to 50μm is promising for a further beneficiation of monazite by means of physical separation prior to winning the REE. Based on the data at hand phosphogypsum from the Catalão region in Brazil could potentially provide a significant supply of REE as a secondary resource.

Iran is hosting to numerous sediment-hosted stratabound copper (SSC-type) deposits/occurrences. The major structural zones of Iran that host SSC-type deposits are: (1) the Zagros zone, (2) the Tabas Block, (3) the Central Iranian geological and structural gradual zone (CIGS), (4) the Sabzevar zone, and (5) the Kopeh Dagh zone. The SSC-type deposits formed during discrete time periods and in Iran mostly comprise: (1) the Early Cambrian-Ordovician (with the Dehmadan and Khongah deposits in the Zagros zone), (2) the Permian (with the Ghareh Tapeh deposit in the CIGS), (3) the Upper Jurassic (that include Cu mineralizations in the Garedu Red Bed Formation of the Ravar-Tabas-Eshghabad area (RTEA)), (4) the Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous (with SSC mineralization in the Shurijeh Formation of the Kopeh Dagh zone), (5) the Oligocene to Miocene (including the Bande-Gheychi deposit, the SSC deposits of the Boustanabad-Tabriz-Tasuj area, Avaj-Dozkand-Moshampa area and the Torbat-e-Heidarieh SSC-type deposits), and finally (6) the Pliocene (with the Ghareh Aghaj deposit in the CIGS). Extensional basins that have passed through phases of continental rifting and post-collisional extension are the principal plate tectonic setting for the Iranian SSC-type deposits. All of the SSC-type deposits in the Jurassic and Oligocene-Miocene clastic sedimentary rock sequences formed within continental rifts and post-collisional extension settings, respectively, that developed during subduction of the Neo-Tethyan crust beneath the Iranian plate. Intra continental back-arc spreading settings are recognized in the Paleo-Tethys domain in Iran, and these host Cu-bearing dolomitic host rocks (Dehmadan and Khongah area) in the Zagros zone. The stratigraphic sequences of Iranian SSC-type deposits commonly formed from clastic continental red beds, evaporites and limestone, which are similar to other sediment-hosted stratabound copper districts around the world. The copper mineralization is generally closely related to plant fossils (e.g. wood fragments) and the main ore minerals include chalcocite, chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite, galena, sphalerite, covellite and chrysocolla, the latter two generally have supergene origin. Copper sulfides occur mainly as replacement of diagenetic pyrite, which in turn, replaced organic matter (e.g. wood fragments). Copper mineralization is mainly controlled by the organic matter content and paleo-permeability from intragranular pore space, evaporate layers and brittle fractures. The paleo-permeability has locally been enhanced by calcite dissolution of diagenetic cements. The main period formation of SSC-type mineralization in Iran is from the Jurassic to Miocene. The Tabas Block and CIGS zone are the most promising metallogenic provinces in Iran for SSC-type exploration, because these domains have the greatest abundance and the largest of these copper deposits. These include the Markasheh deposit in the Tabas Block and substantial copper mineralization in the Miocene Red Bed sequence of the Boustanabad-Tabriz-Tasuj and Avaj-Dozkand-Moshampa regions in the CIGS.

It is not unusual that archaeological finds come under renewed scrutiny. This is actually an important part in the progress of scientific research. All the more so when important and ground-breaking discoveries are involved, like the Nebra Sky Disc, which is listed among the UNESCO "Memory of the World". However, in most cases a new assessment is based on new data or insights. None of this is presented in a recently published article by Gebhard and Krause (2020). Instead, their argument is based on early published and unpublished material, which is used and cited selectively and ignores a substantial number of subsequent publications. Since the Nebra Sky Disc is a unique find that was not recovered during a controlled excavation, it can neither be dated by traditional typological methods nor prima facie by its appearance. Moreover, there is no scientific method yet available to date copper alloys exactly, so that the date suggested in the original publication was established by reconstructing the find context and by analysing the accompanying finds that are typologically and radiocarbon dated to around 1600 BC. The find location on the Mittelberg was excavated in great detail and a number of scientific analyses confirmed the testimony of the looters in a court trial that the Sky Disc had been buried there together with the accompanying finds. These analyses also disproved an earlier claim that the Sky Disc was a modern fake. This allegation is not repeated by Gebhard and Krause (2020) but they do use similar arguments for their claim that the Sky Disc was not found together with the hoard and may not even have been on the Mittelberg near Nebra. By contrast, they assert that the Sky Disc should be typologically dated to the Iron Age. It can be shown that their arguments are based on a distortion of the evidence derived both in the court trial and by scientific analyses. They combine their proposal with a superficial typological discussion of the image displayed on the Sky Disc. As this overview demonstrates, through interdisciplinary studies it is possible to determine the origin and composition of the Nebra hoard with the greatest possible certainty. This determination was based on results from sediment attachments, the chemical concentrations of gold and copper in the geological subsoil of the findspot, astronomical references, as well as an analysis of the traces left by the looters, police investigations, and a comprehensive confession by the offenders, which has confirmed the independently obtained archaeological and scientific observations.

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The Hashim Abad magnetite-skarn occurrence is situated in the Urumieh-Dokthar-Magmatic-Arc, Central Iran. It is located in a transition zone of Cretaceous, dolomitic limestone and a Miocene, dioritic intrusion along a NW-SE striking fault. A contact metamorphic influence of the wall rock is marked by the formation of green amphiboles in the magmatic rock and the recrystallisation of calcite to marble. The metadioritic wall rock is additionally affected by alteration zones, preferentially towards the contact zone. Massive magnetite replaces the marble. Associated with the lens-shaped magnetite load are green calc-silicates. They consist mainly of diopsidic pyroxenes and minor chlorite, actinolite and titanite. Magnetite is locally associated with chalcopyrite and shows an anomalous gold concentration. Several indicators suggest that the Hashim Abad deposit can be assigned to the Fe-Cu-Au-skarn class. Hydrothermal influence is visible by sericitisation of feldspar and due to SWIR analysis indicating the presence of saponite, sepiolite and palygorskite. Furthermore, veins of calcite, ankerite and quartz are present in the whole contact zone, locally associated with epidote. They transect also magnetite and calc-silicate rocks and are themselves influenced by brittle faults.

The Carnon River Mining District, part of the Cornubian Ore Field in SW-England, hosts polymetallic and multi-phase tin and base metal vein mineralisation in the cupolae of Variscian granites. Geologically, the study area is composed of Devonian clastic metasedimentary rocks with intercalations of amphibolite, intruded by Late Variscian granites. Multi-phase cross-cutting polymetallic veins were emplaced by late granite-related magmatic-hydrothermal events. Typical ore minerals are arsenopyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, fahlore, cassiterite, and wolframite in different paragenesis at Nangile and Poldice Mine. Stannite, cubanite, and pyrite occur as exsolution either from sphalerite or cassiterite, suggesting high temperature of formation and segregation at lower temperature. The ore minerals are accompanied by quartz, chlorite, and tourmaline, with minor epidote and rutile. Sphalerite is more common at Nangile, arsenopyrite and chalcopyrite is more wide spread at Poldice. Pulses of tin and tungsten mineralisation as well as mineralisation dominated by copper, lead, and zinc were recognised in thin sections and geochemical analysis. Free gold was not found in thin sections, but geochemical ratios between arsenic and gold suggest that the latter occurs within the lattice of arsenic bearing minerals.

The recently discovered giant Huoshaoyun zinc-lead deposit in the Karakorum Range, northwestern Tibet, China, consists of a major zinc-lead carbonate and a minor lead-dominant sulfide mineralization with metal reserves of zinc and lead of over 16 million tonnes. The zinc-lead carbonate mineralization is composed of smithsonite and cerussite, with laminated, massive, veined and botryoidal textures, showing sedimentary and metasomatic structures. The lead-dominant sulfide mineralization is composed mainly of galena and minor sphalerite and pyrite, with laminated, brecciated, and veined textures. The laminated sulfide mineralized zones occur at the top of the deposit, whereas the zinc-lead carbonate mineralized bodies are located below the sulfide zones. Lead-dominant sulfide veins cut the zinc-lead carbonate ores and the host limestone. The sequence of formation of the lead-zinc ores with various mineral colors in thin sections is as follows: (1) light-colored to yellowish, fine- to coarse- and subhedral to euhedral smithsonite; (2) yellowish to reddish, fine- to coarse- and subhedral to euhedral smithsonite; (3) light-colored veined smithsonite; (4) white coarse-grained, xenomorphic cerussite; (5) colorless euhedral to sub-angular quartz crystals; (6) euhedral to anhedral lead-zinc sulfides and gypsum. The mineralization events of the Huoshaoyun deposit are: (1) early hydrothermal sedimentary smithsonite mineralization; (2) hydrothermal replacive smithsonite mineralization; (3) vein-type smithsonite mineralization; (4) open space filling and replacive cerussite mineralization; (5) lead-zinc sulfide mineralization. The fluid inclusions of cerussite indicate that the hydrothermal fluids of the cerussite ore-forming stage are characterized by a temperature range of at least 186-206 degrees C and low salinities (0.7-1.2 wt% NaCl eq.). The source of oxygen and carbon for the zinc-lead carbonate mineralization is possibly consistent with the involvement of marine water and a magmatic fluid, and is probably dominated by the magmatic fluid. The source of sulfur for the lead-dominant sulfide mineralization is possibly related to a magma reservoir. The zinc-lead-carbonate portion of the deposit represents a primary hypogene non-sulfide mineralization.

In this ongoing study, raw materials are being investigated for their potential as rare earth element (REE) sources. Amongst other sample groups, REE-mineral-bearing phosphate stockpile ore is analysed with respect to its quantitative mineralogical distribution and geochemical composition. Laser granulometry, ICP-MS geochemistry, SEM-EDX, and automated mineralogy tools are currently used. Total rare earth oxide (TREO) concentrations are as high as 0.7% to 0.9% but may reach up to 1.8%. Determining the fraction of extractable element content from a geometallurgical point of view is one major goal of the study. The phosphate ore consists predominantly of apatite, Fe-oxide minerals (hematite, magnetite, minor goethite) intergrown with ilmenite, quartz, and phyllosilicates like phlogopite or vermiculite. Minor, variable amounts of gorceixite, carbonates, rutile, and barite occur locally. Accessory heavy minerals are pyrochlore, Ba-pyrochlore, zirconolite, and baddeleyite. The main REE ore mineral is the REE-phosphate monazite with varying Ce-La-Nd proportions. Minor amounts of REE are also bound to pyrochlore, apatite, and zirconolite.

Advanced tropical weathering of alkaline-carbonatite rock led to the accumulation of increased amounts of economically important minerals and elements - such as apatite, anatase, and rare earth elements within the supergene profile from the Catalao Region, Brazil. Whole rock geochemical analyses reveal a vertical zonation of the phosphate ore, trending from the alkali-rich least altered bed rock at the bottom of the profile to iron and titanium dominated areas in the uppermost parts of the profile. Due to multiphase hydrothermal and supergene processes, the initial mineral paragenesis of the parental rocks is not detectable any longer. The mineral paragenesis is dominated by siliceous matrix and iron hydroxides with different portions of apatite and magnetite. The least altered rock displays the lowest content in rare earth elements (REE) indicating an upward enrichment in REE within the supergene weathering profile.

Hormuz Island is a salt diapir in southern Iran, which also comprises transported blocks of rhyolitic and rhyodacitic rocks, which were brought to the surface during the island's diapiric emergence from the Persian Gulf. The rhyolites (558 +/- 7 Ma) and rhyodacites, have both formed from the same peraluminous calc-alkaline I-type magma, in a volcanic arc settings at an active continental margin. The volcanic rocks contain significant quantities of accessory apatite. The majority of the small crystals of apatites (type-I) have crystallized during an early magmatic phase. Additionally, large single crystals of apatite (type-II) occur together with magnetite in veins within the rhyodacite rocks. The geochemical investigation of the two types of apatite revealed they both formed from the same magma source. Based on the microthermometric characteristics of primary fluid inclusions, two different events during the formation of apatite type-II crystals were distinguished. Our study revealed that in addition to the igneous fluids, a second set of fluid inclusions was trapped in the core of the crystals, indicating a post magmatic interaction with external basinal fluids during the growth of apatite type-II. On Hormuz Island, iron oxides occur as well in different styles from massive iron oxide bodies, magnetite-apatite veins, to red magnetic-hematitic soils. Based on the volcanic structures and textures of the massive iron oxide bodies as well as geochemical results from the magnetite, it is proposed that a source potential for both Fe and P could have been an immiscible iron-rich volatile phase which evolved from the parental felsic magma. Results from fieldwork, microscopy, and geochemistry revealed that mega-crystals of hematite and specularite in the magnetite-apatite veins were formed from magmatic-hydrothermal fluids released from the crystallizing magmas. The occurrence of exotic banded iron ores, red soils and alternating bands of hematite with evaporite minerals could be the result of seawater-rhyolite interactions by circulating exhalative hydrothermal fluids.

The main purpose of this study is to introduce a geographic information system (GIS)-based, multi-criteria decision analysis method for selection of favourable environments for Besshi-type volcanic-hosted massive sulphide (VHMS) deposits. The approach integrates two multi-criteria decision methods (analytical hierarchy process and ordered weighted averaging) and theory of fuzzy sets, within a GIS environment, to solve the problem of big suggested areas and missing known ore deposits in favourable environment maps for time and cost reduction. We doubled the fuzzy linguistic variables’ significance as a method to apply the arrange weights that the analytical hierarchy process (AHP)-ordered weighted averaging (OWA) hybrid procedure depends on. Another aim of this work is to assist mineral deposit exploration by modelling existing uncertainty in decision-making. Both AHP and fuzzy logic methods are knowledge-based, and they are affected by decision maker judgments. We used data-driven OWA approach in a hybrid method for solving this problem. We applied a new knowledge-guided OWA approach on data with changing linguistic variables according to the mineral system for VHMS deposits. Additionally, we used a vector-based method combination, which increased the precision of results. Results of knowledge-guided OWA showed that all of the mines and discovered deposits have been predicted with 100% accuracy in half of the size of the suggested area. To summarize, results improved the selection of possible target sites and increased the accuracy of results as well as reducing the time and cost, which will be used for field exploration. Finally, the hybrid methods with a knowledge-guided OWA approach have delivered more reliable results compared to exclusively knowledge-driven or data-driven methods. The study proved that expert knowledge and processed data (information) are critical important keys to exploration, and both of them should be applied in hybrid methods for reaching reliable results in mineral prospectivity mapping.

The African portion of Southwest Gondwana is endowed with an enormous wealth of mineral resources. Certain types of ore deposits occur in metallotects that share common geological and metallogenetic features. These can include host rocks, the age and mode of origin of the mineralisation, the commodity elements or minerals, and the geodynamic significance of formation. This chapter describes metallotects that are significant for the regional and supraregional geological and plate tectonic evolution, and bear metallogenetically and economically important mineral resources. The size of metallotects or individual deposits described here is variable, from the world-class Cu-Co-resource of the Central African Copperbelt (CACB) to economically insignificant but metallogenetically relevant tin deposits in the Cape Peninsula of South Africa. The chapter includes settings such as Late Mesoproterozoic extensional, volcanosedimentary continental to shallow marine basins with the deposits contained therein. It also describes the Neoproterozoic, more continuous, deeper-water and locally seafloorbasalt- bearing Damara Belt with its metabasalt-hosted massive sulphide Cu-Zn deposits and sediment-hosted Pb-Zn deposits along the basin margins. However, for some of the metallotects, the age of the mineralisation is epigenetic and unrelated to the period of deposition of the host rocks. The comparatively poorly exposed, studied and explored West Congo Belt is also included, particularly since it bears a lithologically, structurally and metallogenetically strong resemblance to the Damara Belt further south. Orthomagmatic copper sulphide deposits, such as the ones of the Mesoproterozoic Okiep District, represent a comparatively small but historically and metallogenetically important metallotect in the Northern Cape Province of South Africa. In contrast, ore deposits related to highly fractionated felsic to exotic magmatic rocks have formed during the late to post-orogenic stages in collisional plate tectonic settings.

The known ore deposits and mineralization trends are important key exploration criteria in mineral exploration within a specific region. Fry analysis has conventionally been considered as a suitable method to determine the mineralization trends related to linear structures. Based upon literature sources, to date, no investigation has been carried out that includes the Sensitivity Analysis of Feature's Number (SAFN), Sensitivity Analysis of Window Size (SAWS), and Sensitivity Analysis of Spatial Distribution (SASD) of Fry analysis related to mineral locations. In this work, SAFN, SAWS, and SASD are performed by moving several different sub-windows among the main window in order to identify the main trends of mineralization by Fry analysis in the Bavanat region of Iran, which is qualified by its regional and local faults pattern. Based upon our investigation, the effectiveness of the window size and the number of features on Fry analysis are 15-30%. The determined main trends of sub-windows increase, whereas its distribution function of Fry outputs is more similar to the distribution function of Fry outputs of the main window. Moreover, the directions of rose diagrams could be changed due to the edge effects of marginal features around the selected window. However, by selecting an appropriate window, this problem can be solved. Additionally, by an appropriate window selection, the most suitable regional situation is an area that contains the largest number of deposits with a similar metallogenetic origin. Based upon our investigation, the distribution function of the Fry outputs is the main factor that directly controls the identified mineralization pattern of the selected windows.

Hormuz Island is a salt diapir in southern Iran, which also comprises transported blocks of rhyolitic and rhyodacitic rocks, which were brought to the surface during the island's diapiric emergence from the Persian Gulf. The rhyolites (558 ± 7 Ma) and rhyodacites, have both formed from the same peraluminous calc-alkaline I-type magma, in a volcanic arc settings at an active continental margin. The volcanic rocks contain significant quantities of accessory apatite. The majority of the small crystals of apatites (type-I) have crystallized during an early magmatic phase. Additionally, large single crystals of apatite (type-II) occur together with magnetite in veins within the rhyodacite rocks. The geochemical investigation of the two types of apatite revealed they both formed from the same magma source. Based on the microthermometric characteristics of primary fluid inclusions, two different events during the formation of apatite type-II crystals were distinguished. Our study revealed that in addition to the igneous fluids, a second set of fluid inclusions was trapped in the core of the crystals, indicating a post magmatic interaction with external basinal fluids during the growth of apatite type-II. On Hormuz Island, iron oxides occur as well in different styles from massive iron oxide bodies, magnetite-apatite veins, to red magnetic-hematitic soils. Based on the volcanic structures and textures of the massive iron oxide bodies as well as geochemical results from the magnetite, it is proposed that a source potential for both Fe and P could have been an immiscible iron-rich volatile phase which evolved from the parental felsic magma. Results from fieldwork, microscopy, and geochemistry revealed that mega-crystals of hematite and specularite in the magnetite-apatite veins were formed from magmatic-hydrothermal fluids released from the crystallizing magmas. The occurrence of exotic banded iron ores, red soils and alternating bands of hematite with evaporite minerals could be the result of seawater-rhyolite interactions by circulating exhalative hydrothermal fluids.