On Mineralogical Studies and the Use of Mineralogical Information in Solving Petro- and Ore Genesis Problems

• Published in: Geology of ore deposits Vol. 63; no. 7; pp. 625 - 633
• Main Author: Marin, Yu. B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Moscow Pleiades Publishing 01.12.2021; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aggregates; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Geochronology; Grain boundaries; Indicators; Methods; Mineral Resources; Mineralization; Mineralogy; Minerals; Ontogeny; Parameter identification; Parameters; Physics; Properties; Reliability; Reliability analysis; Sequencing; anatomy and ontogeny of minerals; typomorphism; mineralogical laws and patterns; petro- and ore genesis; indicator minerals and geochronometers; mineralogical studies; mineral individuals and aggregates
• ISSN: 1075-7015; 1555-6476
• DOI: 10.1134/S1075701521070059

The deep penetration of crystal chemistry and physics of minerals into mineralogy, as well as the introduction of modern physical methods, has advanced mineralogical research to a qualitatively new level. Having yielded progress in the knowledge of the composition and properties of minerals, they have somewhat displaced mineralogy from solving its fundamental tasks, i.e., establishing mineralogical patterns. Numerous effective genetic interpretations have been made by new methods, but ignorance of the laws of mineral anatomy and ontogeny have resulted in many errors. Insufficient attention to the study of zoning, sectorality, micro- and nanoinclusions, and grain boundaries of mineral individuals precludes obtaining important information reflecting a mineral’s development, alteration, and relationships with other minerals, and calls into question the reliability of the conclusions. It is necessary to discuss again the rules for obtaining and using mineralogenetic information and the place and sequence of mineralogical research in solving of petro- and ore genesis problems. Petro- and ore genesis processes occur in wide thermodynamic and spatiotemporal ranges, which leads to the appearance of mineral generations, stages, and phasing reflected in the compositional and structural features of mineral individuals and aggregates. The rational study of minerals in solving genetic problems can be represented as a multistage process of establishing the sequence of mineral formation, identifying their indicator parameters, geochronological dating, and reconstruction of the petro- and ore genesis conditions. When determining the range of indicator minerals, it is important to take into account their place in the geological evolution of the studied object. The most important requirement for sampling indicator minerals and geochronometers is that their properties should match the specific parameters of the studied object or process. This is a prerequisite for reliable interpretation of genetic information obtained in mineralogical studies. The effective use of indicator properties of mineral individuals and aggregates for solving genetic tasks is possible only in the case of a systematic approach to studying objects, as well as accurate spatial and temporal referencing of the determined parameters, the reliability of which is yielded by ontogenetic analysis with detailed study of the structure of individuals and aggregates. Only knowledge of minerogenetic laws, ontogeny methods, and the feasible sequence of their application in mineral studies will allow the results obtained to be used effectively in correlating rocks, determining the genetic and formation types of mineralization, as indicators of its scale, stage, etc.