Porphyry Molybdenum Climax Type Deposits By Adam Gorecki
Porphyry Molybdenum: Climax Type Deposits By: Adam Gorecki
Molybdenum Facts ¢ Current price is ~$9 per pound l Down from ~$35 per pound in July 2008 (Source Info. Mine. com) ¢ Mining Operations l Principle Ore: Climax Type Deposits • • l Byproduct of Copper Operations • • ¢ . 1% -. 3% Mo. S 2 Ex: Morenci, Az Yearly Production (2008) l l ¢ . 2% -. 5% Mo. S 2 Ex: Henderson, Co 212, 000 metric tons worldwide 61, 400 metric tons in the United States Industrial Forms l Molybdic Oxide (Mo. O 3) • l Tariff 3. 2% ad val. Ferromolybdenum (Fe. Mo) • (Source USGS) Tariff 4. 5% ad val. Hexagonal molybdenite on quartz of Wikipedia) (Courtesy
Molybdenum Processing ¢ Hydrometallurgy A process using nitric acid to leach sulfides is done creating molybdic acid: Mo. S 2 + 6 HNO 3 H 2 Mo. O 4 + 2 H 2 SO 4 + 6 NO l Baking molybdic acid at 115° C under considerable pressures dehydrates the solution leaving technical molybdic oxide: H 2 Mo. O 4 H 2 O + Mo. O 3 l ¢ Roasting Baking molybdenite (molybdenum disulfide) in excess of 500° C oxidizes the molybdenite creating technical molybdic oxide: 2 Mo. S 2 + 9 O 2 2 Mo. O 3 + 4 SO 3 l Molybdenite unit cell (Courtesy of Xtal. Draw)
Molybdenum Uses ¢ Alloy for cast iron, steel and superalloys l l ¢ Pigment l ¢ Molybdenum Orange Chemicals and Catalysts l ¢ Strength Toughness Hardenabilty Wear and Corrosion Resistance Lubricant (Molysulfide) Common Products l l l Filaments Propeller Shafts Rifle Barrels Spark Plugs Electric Elements Alloy in: • • • (Source USGS) Aeronautics Automobiles Arms Industry Forged nickel chrome molybdenum 56° wedge (Courtesy of: http: //www. fourteengolf. com/)
Climax Type Mining Operations ¢ Rio Grande Rift/Colorado Mineral Belt l Urad-Henderson Mine • Sub-surface shaft mine l Climax Mine • Open-pit mine l Mt. Emmons Deposit • Proposed mine l Questa Mine • Sub-surface shaft mine ¢ Basin & Range l Mount Hope Deposit • Proposed open-pit mine l Pine Grove Deposit • Proposed mine Distribution of Colorado Mineral Belt Deposits (From Wallace et al. , 1978)
Climax Type Tectonic Setting ¢ Stockworks l Repetitive More Felsic Intrusions of Increasing Depth • Alkali-calcic, fluorine-rich rhyolite or aplite (Source Westra & Keith, 1981) ¢ Traces of F and Rb opposed to Cl • Assimilation from Continental Crust Country Rock l ¢ • Quartz rich Extensional Environments l Rio Grande Rift • l Basin & Range Province • ¢ Oligocene (~36 -28 ma) Miocene (~8 ma) High Temperature Magma Source l l Hotter deep mantle source 500° C (Source Hall et. al, 1974) Rio Grande Rift (Courtesy of www. ucar. edu)
Climax Type Tectonic Setting Schematic Climax Type Tectonic Setting: Urad and Henderson Deposits (Courtesy of Wallace et. al, 1978)
Climax Type Tectonic Setting: Urad and Henderson Deposits (Courtesy of Carten et. al, 1988)
Climax Type Ore Deposits ¢ Contact Controlled l Radiating Veinlets • ¢ Fracture Controlled l l l ¢ l l Inverted Bowl Shield Umbrella Orebody Host Rock l l ¢ Mineralized Brecciated and Crackle Zones Mineralized Joint Surfaces Mineralized Breccia Dikes Orebodies l ¢ 1 cm wide quartz with gradational molybdenum film Country Rock Intrusive Bodies Fluid Evolution l l l l (Moving Away From the Source) High-Silica Zone K-Feldspar Potassic Molybdenite Ore Zone Quartz-Magnetite-Topaz Sericite-Quartz-Pyrite Quartz-Kaolin High Level Garnet Chlorite-Calcite-Epidote Propylitic Zone (Source Wallace et al. , 1978) Climax Mine from the summit of Mt. Democrat (Courtesy of Adam Gorecki)
Climax Type Ore Deposits Schematic Climax Type Ore Deposits: Climax Deposit (Courtesy of Wallace et al. , 1968)
Porphyry Molybdenum: Climax Type Deposits QUESTIONS?
- Slides: 11