The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies

Dear Colleagues,

Mineral are key to human understanding of the Earth and extraterrestrial objects and, although accessory minerals constitute only a minor proportion of rocks, they preserve critical clues to petrogenesis, mineralization, and tectonic processes. With the increasing accumulation and study of in situ trace element microanalytical data from single mineral grains, accessory minerals have become important tracers in ore deposit geochemistry and mineral exploration.

This Special Issue aims to compile the latest innovative insights from the in situ microanalysis of accessory minerals, highlighting their applications in:

• ​Deposit classification​ (elemental and isotopic signatures);
• ​Metallogenic age, environment, and processes​;
• ​Material source tracing​;
• ​Mineral exploration.

Commonly occuring accessory minerals (e.g., apatite) exhibit diagnostic trace element abundances and ratios that serve as fingerprints for deposit-type discrimination. Beyond hosting rare-earth and critical elements, accessory minerals often carry high U-Th concentrations, making them ideal probes for geochronology​ (e.g., zircon, monazite, apatite, titanite, rutile, and cassiterite), petrogenetic and metallogenic processes​, and source characterization. Redox-sensitive elements (Fe, V, Mn, Ce, and Eu) in accessory minerals quantitatively constrain ore-forming conditions (e.g., oxygen fugacity). In situ mineral domain analysis (e.g., core-mantle-rim) further deciphers fluid evolution during mineralization.

In summary, this Special Issue seeks to compile ​cutting-edge research​ applying ​the in situ microanalysis of accessory minerals​ to ore deposit studies, ​with particular emphasis on​ innovative approaches pioneered by ​early-career researchers.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Minerals.

Prof. Dr. Lei Liu
Dr. Jingya Cao
Dr. Youyue Lu
Guest Editors

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