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Updated: May 16, 2026

Metal-silicate Partitioning at High Pressure and Temperature: Experimental Methods and a Protocol to Suppress Highly Siderophile Element Inclusions
Published on: June 13, 2015
Porphyry-copper ore shells form at stable pressure-temperature fronts within dynamic fluid plumes
P Weis1, T Driesner, C A Heinrich
1Department of Earth Sciences, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH) Zurich, 8092 Zürich, Switzerland. weis@erdw.ethz.ch
Porphyry copper and gold deposits form from magma chamber fluids. Numerical models reveal how fluid dynamics stabilize metal precipitation, controlling ore deposit size, shape, and grade.
Area of Science:
- Geochemistry and Economic Geology
- Magmatic-Fluid Systems
Background:
- Porphyry-type ore deposits are significant sources of copper and gold.
- These deposits form from fluids originating in crustal magma chambers.
- Metal concentration occurs in ore shells within vein networks, created by hydraulic fracturing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of dynamic permeability responses in metal precipitation.
- To understand how fluid dynamics control ore deposit characteristics.
- To explore the applicability of these processes to epithermal gold deposits and geothermal systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilized numerical modeling to simulate fluid flow and metal precipitation.
- Analyzed the interplay between magmatic fluid up-flow and meteoric fluid convection.
- Examined the influence of heat advection and lateral cooling on deposit formation.
Main Results:
- Dynamic permeability responses can stabilize a metal precipitation front.
- The boundary between lithostatic and hydrostatic fluid pressures is critical.
- Heat advection and lateral cooling dictate economic deposit characteristics (size, shape, grade).
Conclusions:
- The described self-sustaining process explains key features of porphyry deposits.
- This model may also apply to epithermal gold deposits and geothermal energy systems.
- Understanding these processes is vital for resource exploration and geothermal potential assessment.
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