The non-uniform distribution of mineral deposits in space and time reflects the evolution of the earth in terms of hydrosphere-atmosphere, changes in global heat flux and trends in tectonic environments to plates and (Orzo and Groves, 1992; Cawood and Hawkesworth, 2015; Their formation and conservation are specific to a particular moment in the Earth's history, associated with the conditions prevailing in that period. The two factors of evolution hydrosphere-atmosphere and changes in global heat flux are specifically linked. The former include deposits such as iron formations and Pb-Zn deposits for which metal transport is strongly dependent on redox conditions in the atmosphere and in the atmosphere. hydrosphere (Barley & Groves, 1992; Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). Similarly, changes in global heat flow from a very hot earth to a progressively colder earth have influenced the formation and distribution of hydrospheres. komatiites associated with nickel deposits and the Kambalda type (Barley & Groves, 1992; Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The last factor, long-term tectonic trends, is much more complex as it involves the supercontinent cycle. The spatial and temporal distribution of mineral deposits is important for understanding the processes that were at work within their tectonic environments when they formed (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). The tectonic environment and type of mineral deposit have a strong influence on the formation, preservation and distribution of mineral deposits (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015; DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). The supercontinental cycle, which involves the cyclical merger and breakup of supercontinents, plays an important role in the formation of the types of deposits driven by the process of tectonism involving convergence, collision, and extension (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015; Skinner, 2005; Spencer et al., 2015). It should be noted that there are deposits that fall into more than one tectonic context such as the sedimentary-exhalative deposit (SEDEX) and the Mississippi-Valley-type deposit (MVT) (DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). A. (Orogenic-Convergent Settings) B. (Anorogenic Settings) Ore Type 3Ga 2Ga 1Ga P Ore Type 3Ga 2Ga 1Ga P Before we go into detail about tectonic settings and their age-related preservation potential, let's first give a look at the theory underlying the lithospheric subcontinental mantle (SCLM). SCLM is the layer within the lithospheric mantle beneath the continental crust that influences the thickening of the lithosphere (David I. Groves et al., 2005). The buoyancy of the Archean SCLM compared to the denser Proterozoic SCLM favored the preservation of early-formed deposits (DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007; David I. Groves et al., 2005). The high global heat flux and stabilized Archean craton together with the buoyancy of SCLM have enabled maximum potential for preservation of deposit types such as platinum group elements-PGEs in layered intrusions, diamonds in alkali pipes, and oxide of iron Cu-Au (IOCG) (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015; DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007; Basic mantle magmatic deposits such as PGEs are found towards the central Archean craton, basal magma forms due to upwelling of the hot mantle plume beneath the Archean SCLM (Barley & Groves, 1992; DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). of diamond-associated deep alkaline magmatism deposits that form during the Neoarchean and become common in younger igneous host rocks as they are more susceptible toatmospheric (DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). Calc-alkaline magmatism stages produced porphyry Cu- Formation of Au deposits (Skinner, 2005). Convergent plate margins are sites of major continental growth and are fertile environments for the formation of mineral deposits (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015; Hawkesworth et al., 2013). In convergent zones, preservation potential not only reflects the distortion of the supercontinental cycle but also the emplacement level function that influences the erosion tendency of deposits and thus subsequent preservation (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). The main types of deposits include epithermal Au-Ag and Cu-Mo-Au porphyry that forms in magmatic arc environments. Orogenic gold, which forms in convergent margins, is associated with orogenic events while older Mesozoic epithermal Ag–Au and porphyry Cu deposits are not as common (Barley & Groves, 1992; Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). Gold deposits that form in convergent margins (e.g., porphyry-skarn-epithermal Cu-Mo Au-Ag systems) are subject to exhumation and erosion, are formed through the collision of their host arcs with continental blocks, and are preserved to older ages. ancient Mesozoic (Barley & Groves, 1992; DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). The transition from plume-influenced buoyant plate tectonics to modern-style plate tectonics, with the change from the negatively buoyant subcontinental lithospheric mantle, has strongly influenced the preservation patterns of other deposits, for example orogenic gold and bulk sulphides volcanic (VMS). ) deposits (David I. Groves et al., 2005). VMS deposits occur in oceanic lithosphere in mid-ocean ridge or suprasubduction zone environments (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). They are incorporated into the continental record through accretion events associated with periods of ocean closure and continental assembly/land accretion and thus correspond to supercontinent assembly cycles (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015 ). These deposits are preferentially associated with the break-up and dispersal phases of the cycle, such as Gondwana in the Early Paleozoic and Pangea in the Mesozoic (Skinner, 2005). The preferential development of VMS deposits appears to be associated with Wilson cycle periods of elevated sea levels associated with continental dispersal after the breakup of Gondwana in the Early Paleozoic and post-Pangean Mesozoic (Skinner, 2005). Extensional settings where thinning and extension can be related to hotspot activity. Anorogenic granites such as those of the Bushveld Complex (Sn, W, Mo, Cu), pyroxenite-carbonatite intrusions such as Phalaborwa (Cu-Fe-PU-REE), and kimberlites (diamonds), and VMS represent types of mineral deposits formed in this context ( Skinner, 2005). As continental rifting extends to the point that incipient oceans begin to open, basaltic volcanism marks the site of a mid-ocean ridge, and this site is also accompanied by exhalative hydrothermal activity and abundant formation of VMS deposits. Such environments also provide environments for chemical sedimentation and precipitation of banded iron formations (Skinner, 2005). Precambrian manganese deposits show a similar temporal pattern to BIF as most deposits are related to enrichments of manganiferous BIF with manganese carbonate layers (David I. Groves et al., 2005). Extension environments include VMS, Ni–Cu sulfide, Fe-Oxide deposits–Cu–Au, and CD Pb–Zn (DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). Their general distribution is similar to orogenic gold deposits with peaks in the Neoarchean and late Paleoproterozoic and a more continuous distribution in the Phanerozoic but with significant peaks in the Paleozoicearly and middle corresponding to the Gondwana and Pangea assemblage (Barley & Groves, 1992; David I. Groves et al., 2005). This temporal association with orogenic gold reflects their common formation in backarc basin settings and the greater preservation potential of this association in the long-term rock record compared to mid-ocean ridge environments (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). Mid-ocean ridges represent the culmination of extensional processes. Exhalative activity at these sites gives rise to “black-smoker” vents that provide the environments for the formation of Cyprus-type VMS deposits (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). Basalts that form on mid-ocean ridges also undergo crystallization fractionated at subvolcanic depths to form podiform chromite deposits and Cu–Ni–PGE sulphide segregations (Skinner, 2005). Geodynamic environments such as Pb–Zn CD deposits occur in extensional zone settings, including rifts and passive margins, backarc basins, and intracratonic rifts. The greatest pulse of mineralization of this type is recorded between the end of the Paleoproterozoic and the beginning of the Mesoproterozoic (Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). This time frame corresponds to the breakup of Nuna and the beginning of the Rodinian cycle and therefore does not easily fit the preservation model outlined above (DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). Intracontinental subsidences as part of environmental deposits may explain their preservation. Fe-oxide-Copper-Gold (IOCG) occupy a variety of extensional contexts within pre-existing cratons and are related to pulses of alkaline or A-type anorogenic magmatism near craton margins or lithospheric boundaries within cratons ( Cawood & Hawkesworth, 2015). The development of IOCG deposits in intracontinental environments and the relationship with mantle-derived magmatism means that their temporal distribution is not directly related to the supercontinent cycle (Barley & Groves, 1992). The IOCG deposit type has been expanded to include many different styles of iron-oxide-rich mineralization that formed in a variety of tectonic contexts, but only deposits with significant copper- and iron-bearing sulfide and gold-bearing resources are considered here (David I. Groves et al., 2005). Precambrian deposits, protected from uplift and erosion in the centers of floating cratons. The first appearance of iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits at approximately 2.55 Ga closely follows the development of the early Precambrian subcontinental lithospheric mantle (Sawkins, 1989). The types of gold-bearing deposits also show different temporal distributions related to the change from a more buoyant plate tectonic style in the initially warmer Earth to a modern plate tectonic style typical of the Phanerozoic (David I. Groves et al., 2005). The temporal distribution of economically significant Precambrian IOCG deposits shows major peaks in the latest Archean (ca. 2.57 Ga), Paleoproterozoic (ca. 2.05 Ga; e.g. Palabora), and Mesoproterozoic (ca. 1.59 Ga; e.g. Olympic Dam) which are significantly offset by major periods of crustal growth at ca. It appears that giant Precambrian IOCG deposits of 2.7 and 1.9 Ga. required the pre-existence of the Archean (and/or Paleoproterozoic) floating subcontinental lithospheric mantle for their formation and subsequent preservation (David I. Groves et al., 2005). which formed and were preserved in orogenic belts resulting from the convergence of tectonic crusts that peaked during the Late Archean (Barley & Groves, 1992). This was due to the presence of higher heat flow, thicker oceanic crust, and an anoxic atmosphere along with numerous arc-related orogenic depositsin the Late Archean, it reflects the preservation of greenstone belts in stable shield areas of the world (Skinner, 2005) . Archaean cratons are often enriched with a range of mineralization types including orogenic gold, komatiite-hosted nickel, and banded iron formation (BIF) (Jenkin et al., 2015). The formation of the Late Archean floating subcontinental lithospheric mantle was particularly important in preserving the types of deposits formed earlier within cratonic margins and in providing crucial conditions for the formation of others (David I. Groves et al., 2005) . In terms of atmosphere-hydrosphere, during the Archean the atmosphere contained very little free molecular oxygen (although the actual quantities are still hotly debated) and what little existed was the result of the inorganic dissociation of water vapor. A reduced atmosphere in the Archean helps explain many of the features of mineral formation during that period, including the widespread mobility of Fe2+, the development of banded iron-forming (BIF) minerals, and the preservation of detrital grains of uraninite and pyrite in sedimentary sequences such as those of the Witwatersrand and Huronian basins (Skinner, 2005). Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The concentration of deposits in the late Archean and late Paleoproterozoic to early Mesoproterozoic appears to have formed near the margins of the craton during alkaline magmatism derived from previously metasomatized mantle lithosphere (David I. Groves et al., 2005). Ni-Cu sulfide deposits are intracontinental rifting associated with the breakup of supercontinents that exhibit a temporal distribution related to Archean rifting (DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). These deposits have a high magnesium content due to the warm Earth conditions in which they formed. The assembly of the first large continents during the middle Proterozoic was associated with metal deposits that formed in anorogenic continental basins ( Barley & Groves, 1992 ). Mineralization includes massive volcanic sulphides (VMS), komatiite-nickel deposits and porphyritic copper. Sea level rise between 1.8 and 1.6 Ga led to the preservation of large marine platforms and intracontinental basins. Anorogenic magmatism followed by fragmentation occurred within the continent (Barley & Groves, 1992; DI Groves & Bierlein, 2007). Between 1.3 and 1.0 Ga, also called the Grenville orogeny, orogenic activity along with continental melting led to the formation of copper deposits in intracontinental rifts (Barley & Groves, 1992). Carbonatites of the Bushveld and Phalaborwa complex were emplaced within the continental crust during 2.0 Ga and stabilized by 3.0 Ga ( Sawkins, 1989 ). Future metals exploration can be improved by understanding the above-mentioned factors that contribute to the different styles of deposits and their distribution. The behavior, type, and concentration of mineral deposits reflect their formation environment (Kesler & Ohmoto, 2006). These provide key understanding of magma evolution, tectonic processes and the state of the atmosphere-hydrosphere (Barley & Groves, 1992). List of references: Barley, M. E., & Groves, D. I. (1992). Supercontinent cycles and distribution of metal deposits over time. Geology, 20(4), 291–294. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(1992)0202.3.CO;Cawood, P. A., & Hawkesworth, C. J. (2015). Temporal relationships between mineral deposits and global tectonic cycles. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 393(1), 9–21. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP393.1Groves, D. I., & Bierlein, F. P. (2007). Geodynamic settings of reservoir systems.2015.05.0114