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Minerals
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The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies
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The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 September 2026 | Viewed by 1689

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lei Liu

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Guest Editor
School of Geosciences and Info-Physics, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China
Interests: ore deposit geochemistry; precambrian geology; banded iron formations; Cu-Au deposits; W-Sn deposits; rare metal deposits; apatite geochemistry; zircon geochemistry; rutile geochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jingya Cao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
Interests: ore deposit geochemistry; mineralogy; igneous geochemistry; isotope geochemistry; ore deposit geology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Youyue Lu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Wuhan Centre of Geological Survey, China Geological Survey (Central South China Innovation Center for Geosciences), Wuhan 430205, China
Interests: mineral exploration; W-Sn deposits; Pb-Zn deposits; rare metal deposits; ore deposit geochemistry; mineralization chronology; zircon geochemistry; nanling mineralization belt
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

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 Geosciences.

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

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Cu-Au deposits
  • rare metal deposits
  • W-Sn deposits
  • geochemical prospecting
  • ore deposit geochemistry
  • apatite geochemistry
  • tourmaline geochemistry
  • monazite geochemistry
  • in situ mineral microanalysis

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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20 pages, 4485 KB  
Article
Geochronology, Genesis and Redox Condition of the Lisong Granites in the Guposhan Region, Nanling Range: Constraints from Zircon U-Pb Dating, Whole-Rock Geochemistry, and Apatite Geochemistry
by Weijian Zhou, Mengqing Tang, Wenjing She, Yongxin Zhou, Liu Yang, Gaofeng Du, Na Liu, Jinyu Zhang and Jingya Cao
Minerals 2026, 16(3), 313; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16030313 - 17 Mar 2026
Viewed by 393
Abstract
The Guposhan ore field, located in the Nanling metallogenic belt, is well known for large-scale Sn-W mineralization genetically linked to the Late Jurassic Guposhan pluton. The Lisong pluton, a product of regional magmatism, occurs in the central part of the Guposhan ore field. [...] Read more.
The Guposhan ore field, located in the Nanling metallogenic belt, is well known for large-scale Sn-W mineralization genetically linked to the Late Jurassic Guposhan pluton. The Lisong pluton, a product of regional magmatism, occurs in the central part of the Guposhan ore field. However, the critical factors responsible for the absence of intensive Sn polymetallic mineralization in the Lisong pluton remain poorly understood. Our geochronological results show that the coarse-grained hornblende-bearing and hornblende-free biotite monzogranites of the Lisong pluton were emplaced at 162.9 ± 1.5 Ma and 162.2 ± 2.3 Ma, respectively, which are contemporaneous with the Guposhan pluton. Geochemically, these intrusions are characterized by high SiO2, Al2O3, and total alkalis (K2O + Na2O), high Ga/Al ratios (3.09–3.69), and peraluminous compositions (A/CNK = 1.15–1.23), consistent with high K calc-alkaline A-type granites. Similar to the adjacent Guposhan pluton, the Lisong granites yield variable εHf(t) values from −3.0 to 5.7, apatite 87Sr/86Sr ratios of 0.69747–0.71190, and old two-stage Hf model ages (TDM2) of 0.85–1.40 Ga. These features suggest that the Lisong and Guposhan granites may share a common magma source involving mixing of crustal and mantle-derived melts. Apatite grains from the Lisong granites display negative Eu anomalies (δEu = 0.03–0.22) and near-normal to positive Ce anomalies (δCe = 0.99–1.07), which we interpret to reflect plagioclase fractional crystallization and reduced melt conditions, respectively. Bulk rock geochemistry and multi-element systematics of the Lisong granites indicate that they represent early-stage magmatic products. Their relatively low differentiation signatures were unfavorable for Sn enrichment and mineralization in the melt, which likely explains the lack of intensive Sn polymetallic mineralization in the Lisong pluton. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies)
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29 pages, 6927 KB  
Article
Chemical Signatures of Apatite in the AQW2 Deposit: Petrogenetic Insights on a Wide Archean–Paleoproterozoic Iron Oxide–Copper–Gold Mineral System in the Carajás Mineral Province
by Ligia Stama, Lena V. S. Monteiro, Nazaré A. Barbosa, Luiz F. Dutra, Giovanna C. Moreira, Sarah A. S. Dare, Rodrigo Oliveira de Araujo Mabub and Fernando Martins Vieira Matos
Minerals 2026, 16(3), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/min16030308 - 15 Mar 2026
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Abstract
Iron oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) deposits are widespread throughout the Carajás Province, Brazil, reflecting multiple Precambrian hydrothermal events. The Aquiri region is a relatively unexplored geological frontier in the northwestern Carajás Province. The AQW2 IOCG deposit is hosted by a Neoarchean mafic intrusive suite within [...] Read more.
Iron oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) deposits are widespread throughout the Carajás Province, Brazil, reflecting multiple Precambrian hydrothermal events. The Aquiri region is a relatively unexplored geological frontier in the northwestern Carajás Province. The AQW2 IOCG deposit is hosted by a Neoarchean mafic intrusive suite within metavolcano–sedimentary rocks. The pre-mineralization (Na and Na-K) and mineralization (Fe-Ca and Fe-P) hydrothermal stages appear as replacement fronts and as cement within ductile-deformed breccias. Late-mineralization (Fe-K, chlorite, and calcic-rich) assemblages occur in multidirectional veins controlled by brittle structures. Early- and main-mineralization apatite (Ap I-III) is enriched in F, Mn, and Sr, depleted in Y, shows unusually high Fe and Si (Ap III), and exhibits a pronounced positive Eu anomaly (Ap II). These characteristics indicate an alkaline fluid composition, substantial fluid–rock interaction, and episodic CO2 degassing with the release of overpressured fluids, resulting in multiple brecciation events. A rapid decrease in temperature due to boiling is interpreted as a principal mechanism for copper precipitation. Late-mineralization apatite (Ap V–VI) is characterized by relatively higher Cl, Y, and LREE contents, lower Sr and Mn, and negative Eu-anomaly ratios, suggesting control by shallower paleostructures and more oxidizing conditions associated with the influx of basinal brines. These results highlight the evolution of the AQW2 deposit within a broader IOCG system and provide new insights into the metallogenic processes responsible for copper resources essential to the clean energy transition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Accessory Mineral Geochemistry in Ore Deposit Studies)
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