TABLE OF CONTENTS The geology and mineralogy of copper-zinc ores is similar to that of copper-lead-zinc ores, and in most cases, these ores are grouped together with copper-lead-zinc ores. There are several geological formations of massive sulfide copper-zinc deposits. These include:
Ores related to volcanic formation
Ores related to marine mafic extrusive rocks - Breccia type massive sulfide ores
Ores related to marine felsic ore, mafic extrusive rocks - epithermal ores
Copper-zinc scarns
The copper-zinc ores of volcanic formation occur in two principal formations: (a) areas dominated by mafic volcanic rock and (b) areas containing sub-equal amounts of mafic volcanic rock and sedimentary strata. These deposits are characterized [1] by significant variation in the mineralogical compositions and the alteration associated with the depth of the deposit. Deposits that are formed at a depth of more than 500 m are associated with a sequence of primary mafic flows. Typical deposits from this group are the Noranda district, Matagami Lake district and Flin Flon district (Canada).
Deposits that are shallow (i.e. 300-1500 m) are formed by mafic and felsic rock. The volcanogenic deposits contain up to 80% pyrite, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and often pyrrhotite. The ratio of copper and zinc varies widely. The complexity of the ore is also highly variable. With respect to processing characteristics, these ores can be regarded as complex massive sulfide ores and their floatability is related to the degree of alteration. There are two distinct types of alteration of...
