FROM SEISMOGENIC PROCESSES TOWARD A UNIFIED THEORY? NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STRUCTURE OF ORE DEPOSITS

Faulting associated with the formation of hydrothermal ore deposits has been successfully linked to seismogenic processes. Evidence for this derives from fault rock textures, fluid inclusions, geometries of fault-related veins or breccias and hydrothermal-deformation experiments, while the concept itself has a theoretical basis in simple rock mechanics. Furthermore, using approaches similar to earthquake hazard estimation, it is now possible to predict distributions of hydrothermal ore deposits around fault systems (e.g. Coulomb Failure Stress Change calculations of fault slip events). In this presentation, a review of our understanding of active faulting, fluid flow and mineralization is provided before I discuss current limitations. In particular, existing models tend to be ad hoc, relevant to only a subset of deposit types, which raises the question of whether a unifying theory is possible. One promising avenue of ongoing research is that of Self-Organized Criticality (SOC), which considers mineral systems in terms of mass and energy flux at multiple scales. SOC may explain commonalities between different deposit types, including associations with geological or geodynamic threshold barriers, overprinting mineralization events within the one deposit and mineralization present along structures or lithological surfaces with unusual orientations (relative to mineralization style elsewhere in the deposit).