Geology And Geochemistry Of Epithermal Systems

This thoroughly revised and expanded new edition incorporates the most recent research findings on the subject, such as the discovery of dramatic undersea hydrothermal vents. It describes the key process in the generation of ore deposits and emphasizes solid theoretical understanding.

Many Neogene hydrothermal ore deposits have been formed on and near the Japanese islands from the middle Miocene to the present day and today many subaerial and submarine active geothermal systems are active. This book summarizes the geochemical and tectonic features, and the evolution of various types of ore deposits and current island arc and backarc hydrothermal systems in Japan starting with the Mesozoic.

This book is intended primarily for exploration geologists and post graduate students attending specialist courses in mineral exploration. Exploration geologists are engaged not only in the search for new mineral deposits, but also in the extension and re-assessment of existing ones. To succeed in these tasks, the exploration geologist is required to be a "generalist" of the Earth sciences rather than a specialist. The exploration geologist needs to be familiar with most aspects of the geology of ore deposits, and detailed knowledge as well as experience play an all important role in the successful exploration for mineral commodities. In order to achieve this, it is essential that the exploration geologist be up to date with the latest developments in the evolution of concepts and ideas in the Earth sciences. This is no easy task, as thousands of publications appear every year in an ever increasing number of journals, periodicals and books. For this reason it is also difficult, at times, to locate appropriate references on a particular mineral deposit type, although this problem is alleviated by the existence of large bibliographic data bases of geological records, abstracts and papers on computers. During my teaching to explorationists and, indeed, during my years of work as an explorationist, the necessity of having a text dealing with the fundamental aspects of hydrothermal mineral deposits has always been compelling. Metallic mineral deposits can be categorised into three great families, namely: (I) magmatic; (2) sedimentary and residual; (3) hydrothermal.

Volume 76 of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry presents an extended review of the topics conveyed in a short course on Geothermal Fluid Thermodynamics held prior to the 23rd Annual V.M. Goldschmidt Conference in Florence, Italy (August 24-25, 2013). It covers Thermodynamics of Geothermal Fluids, The Molecular-Scale Fundament of Geothermal Fluid Thermodynamics, Thermodynamics of Aqueous Species at High Temperatures and Pressures: Equations of State and Transport Theory, Mineral Solubility and Aqueous Speciation Under Hydrothermal Conditions to 300 °C – The Carbonate System as an Example, Thermodynamic Modeling of Fluid-Rock Interaction at Mid-Crustal to Upper-Mantle Conditions, Speciation and Transport of Metals and Metalloids in Geological Vapors, Solution Calorimetry Under Hydrothermal Conditions, Structure and Thermodynamics of Subduction Zone Fluids from Spectroscopic Studies and Thermodynamics of Organic Transformations in Hydrothermal Fluids.