Search Results (202)

This study explores the magmatic and hydrothermal evolution of porphyry–skarn–transitional Cu-Mo-W-Au systems within the Nilüfer Mineralization Complex (NMC), located in the westernmost segment of the Eocene Tavşanlı Metallogenic Belt, NW Türkiye. Through integration of field data, whole-rock geochemistry, Re–Os molybdenite dating, and amphibole–biotite mineral chemistry, the petrogenetic controls on mineralization across four spatially associated mineralized regions (Kirazgedik, Güneybudaklar, Kozbudaklar, and Delice) were examined. The earliest and thermally most distinct phase is represented by the Kirazgedik porphyry system, characterized by high temperature (~930 °C), oxidized quartz monzodioritic intrusions emplaced at ~2.7 kbar. Rising fO₂ and volatile enrichment during magma ascent facilitated structurally focused Cu-Mo mineralization. At Güneybudaklar, Re–Os geochronology yields an age of ~49.9 Ma, linking Mo- and W-rich mineralization to a transitional porphyry–skarn environment developed under moderately oxidized (ΔFMQ + 1.8 to +0.5) and hydrous (up to 7 wt.% H₂O) magmatic conditions. Kozbudaklar represents a more reduced, volatile-poor skarn system, leading to Mo-enriched scheelite mineralization typical of late-stage W-skarns. The Delice system, developed at the contact of felsic cupolas and carbonates, records the broadest range of redox and fluid compositions. Mixed oxidized–reduced fluid signatures and intense fluid–rock interaction reflect complex, multistage fluid evolution involving both magmatic and external inputs. Geochemical and mineralogical trends—from increasing silica and Rb to decreasing Sr and V—trace a systematic evolution from mantle-derived to felsic, volatile-rich magmas. Structurally, mineralization is controlled by oblique fault zones that localize magma emplacement and hydrothermal flow. These findings support a unified genetic model in which porphyry and skarn mineralization styles evolved continuously from multiphase magmatic systems during syn-to-post-subduction processes, offering implications for exploration models in the Western Tethyan domain. Full article

Thermodynamic simulations of fluid–rock interactions provide valuable insights into mineral deposit formation mechanisms. This study investigates the Pulang porphyry Cu-Au deposit in the Sanjiang Tethys Orogen, employing both Gibbs energy minimization (GEM) and the Law of mass action (LMA) method to understand alteration overprinting and metal precipitation. The modeling results suggest that the ore-forming fluid related to potassic alteration was initially oxidized (ΔFMQ = +3.54~+3.26) with a near-neutral pH (pH = 5.0~7.0). Continued fluid–rock interactions, combined with the input of reduced groundwater, resulted in a decrease in both pH (4.8~6.1) and redox potential (ΔFMQ~+1), leading to the precipitation of propylitic alteration minerals and pyrrhotite. As temperature further decreased, fluids associated with phyllic alteration showed a slight increase in pH (5.8~6.0) and redox potential (ΔFMQ = +2). The intense superposition of propylitic and phyllic alteration on the potassic alteration zone is attributed to the rapid temperature decline in the magmatic–hydrothermal system, triggering fluid collapse and reflux. Mo, mainly transported as HMoO₄⁻ and MoO₄⁻², precipitated in the high-temperature range; Cu, carried primarily by CuCl complexes (CuCl₄⁻³, CuCl₂⁻, CuCl), precipitated over intermediate to high temperatures; and Au, transported as Au-S complexes (Au(HS)₂⁻, AuHS), precipitated from intermediate to low temperatures. This study demonstrates that fluid–rock interactions alone can account for the observed sequence of alteration and mineralization in porphyry systems. Full article

The Sidi Aissa Pb-Zn-(Ag) District, located within the Nappe Zone of northern Tunisia, has been reinterpreted as a typical intermediate-sulfidation (IS) epithermal mineralization system based on field observations and lithogeochemical analyses. Previously described as vein-style Pb-Zn deposits, the local geological framework is dominated by extensional normal faults forming half-grabens. These faults facilitated the exhumation of deep Triassic autochthonous rocks and the extrusion of 8-Ma rhyodacites and Messinian basalts. These structures, functioning as pathways for magmatic-hydrothermal fluids, facilitated the upward migration of acidic fluids, which interacted with the surrounding wall rocks, forming a subsurface alteration zone. The mineralization, shaped by Miocene extensional tectonics and magmatic activity, occurred in three stages: early quartz-dominated veins, an intermediate barite-rich phase, and late-stage supergene oxidation. Hydrothermal alteration, characterized by silicification, argillic, and propylitic zones, is closely associated with the deposition of base metals (Pb, Zn) and silver. The mineral assemblage, including barite, galena, sphalerite, and quartz, reflects dynamic processes such as fluid boiling, mixing, and pressure changes. Full article

The Mazenod Lake region of the southern Great Bear Magmatic Zone (GBMZ) of the Northwest Territories, Canada, comprises the north-central portion of the Faber volcano-plutonic belt. Widespread and abundant surface exposure of several coalescing hydrothermal systems enables this paper to document, without ambiguity, the relationships between geology, structure, alteration, and mineralization in this well exposed iron-oxide–copper–gold (IOCG) mineral system. Mazenod geology comprises rhyodacite to basaltic-andesite ignimbrite sheets with interlayered volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks dominated by fine-grained laminated tuff sequences. Much of the intermediate to mafic nature of volcanic rocks is masked by low-intensity but pervasive metasomatism. The region is affected by a series of coalescing magmatic–hydrothermal systems that host the Sue–Dianne magnetite–hematite IOCG deposit and several related showings including magnetite, skarn, and iron oxide apatite (IOA) styles of alteration ± mineralization. The mid to upper levels of these systems are exposed at surface, with underlying batholith, pluton and stocks exposed along the periphery, as well as locally within volcanic rocks associated with more intense alteration and mineralization. Widespread alteration includes potassic and sodic metasomatism, and silicification with structurally controlled giant quartz complexes. Localized tourmaline, skarn, magnetite–actinolite, and iron-oxide alteration occur within structural breccias, and where most intense formed the Sue–Dianne Cu-Ag-Au diatreme-like breccia deposit. Magmatism, volcanism, hydrothermal alteration, and mineralization formed during a negative tectonic inversion within the Wopmay Orogen. This generated a series of oblique offset rifted basins with continental style arc magmatism and extensional structures unique to GBMZ rifting. All significant hydrothermal centers in the Mazenod region occur along and at the intersections of crustal faults either unique to or put under tension during the GBMZ inversion. Full article

The Shabaosi gold field is located in the western Mohe Basin, part of the northern Great Xing’an Range, NE China, and contains multiple gold deposits. However, the sources of the ore-forming materials, the fluid evolution, and the genesis of these gold deposits have been disputed, especially regarding the classification of these deposits as either epithermal or orogenic gold systems. Based on detailed field geological investigations and previous research, we conducted systematic research on the Shabaosi, Sanshierzhan, Laogou, and Balifang gold deposits using fluid inclusion and H-O-S-Pb isotope data, with the aim of constraining the fluid properties, sources, and mineralization processes. Fluid inclusion analyses reveal diverse types, including vapor-rich, vapor–liquid, CO₂-bearing, CO₂-rich, and pure CO₂. Additionally, only a very limited number of daughter mineral-bearing fluid inclusions have been observed exclusively in the Laogou gold deposit. During the early stages, the peak temperature primarily ranged from 240 °C to 280 °C, with salinity concentrations between 6 and 8 wt% NaCl equiv., representing a medium–low temperature, low salinity, and a heterogeneous CO₂-CH₄-H₂O-NaCl system. With the influx of meteoric water, the fluids evolved gradually into a simple NaCl-H₂O system with low temperatures (160–200 °C) and salinities (4–6 wt%). The main mineralization stage exhibited peak temperatures of 220–260 °C and salinities of 5–8 wt% NaCl equiv., corresponding to an estimated formation depth of 1.4–3.3 km. The δD_V-SMOW values (−138.3‰ to −97.0‰) and δ¹⁸O_V-SMOW values (−7.1‰ to 16.2‰) indicate that the magmatic–hydrothermal fluids were progressively diluted by meteoric water during mineralization. The sulfur isotopic compositions (δ³⁴S = −0.9‰ to 1.8‰) and lead isotopic ratios (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.398–38.579, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.571–15.636, and ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.386–18.477) demonstrate that the gold predominantly originated from deep magmatic systems, with potential crustal contamination. Comparative analyses indicate that the Shabaosi gold field should be classified as a epizonal orogenic gold system, which shows distinct differences from epithermal gold deposits and corresponds to the extensional tectonic setting during the late-stage evolution of the Mongol–Okhotsk orogenic belt. Full article

The Qieliekeqi siderite deposit, located in the Tashkurgan block of western Kunlun, is a carbonate-hosted iron deposit with hydrothermal sedimentary features. This study integrates whole-rock geochemistry, stable isotopes, and zircon U–Pb–Hf data to investigate its metallogenic evolution. Coarse-grained siderite samples, formed in deeper water, exhibit average Al₂O₃/TiO₂ ratios of 29.14, δEu of 2.69, and δCe of 0.83, indicating hydrothermal fluid dominance with limited seawater mixing. Banded samples from shallower settings show an average Al₂O₃/TiO₂ of 17.07, δEu of 3.18, and δCe of 0.94, suggesting stronger seawater interaction under oxidizing conditions. Both types are enriched in Mn, Co, and Ba, with low Ti and Al contents. Stable isotope results (δ¹³C_PDB = −6.0‰ to −4.6‰; δ¹⁸O_SMOW = 16.0‰ to 16.9‰) point to seawater-dominated fluids with minor magmatic and meteoric contributions, formed under open-system conditions at avg. temperatures of 53 to 58 °C. Zircon U–Pb dating yields an age of 211.01 ± 0.82 Ma, with an average εHf(t) of −3.94, indicating derivation from the partially melted ancient crust. These results support a two-stage model involving Late Cambrian hydrothermal sedimentation and Late Triassic magmatic overprinting. Full article

The Jiapigou mining district (>180 t Au) is an important gold district in China. For a long time, the ore genesis of the gold deposits in the Jiapigou district has been a subject of controversy and differing opinions, which has severely hindered metallogenic theories and mineral exploration. Here we present a comprehensive investigation including geology, fluid inclusions (FIs), and H–O–S isotopic data for the Naizhigou deposit in the Jiapigou district to elucidate the sources of orefluids and metals, as well as the metallogenic mechanism. The results show the following: (1) The Naizhigou deposit is characterized by quartz vein-type ores and is hosted in the Middle Jurassic granitic pluton. Native gold and sulfides were mainly deposited in the second stage (quartz–polymetallic sulfides) compared with the first (quartz–pyrite–molybdenite) and third (quartz–calcite) stages. (2) The FI studies indicated that the orefluids evolved from the early–main-stage CO₂–H₂O–NaCl system to the late-stage H₂O–NaCl system and have homogenization temperatures of 289–363, 210–282, and 124–276 °C and salinities of 4.1–20.9, 5.8–16.4, and 6.1–12.7 wt% NaCl equivalent, respectively. Fluid boiling and fluid mixing collectively controlled the precipitation of gold and ore-forming elements. (3) The δD values of the FIs hosted in quartz from the three stags range from −81 to −75 ‰, from −99 to −86 ‰, and from −110 to −101 ‰, while δ¹⁸O_water values of these FIs range from 5.3 to 5.9 ‰, from 1.1 to 5.2 ‰, and from −2.1 to −0.7 ‰, respectively. Pyrite samples from the three stages in the Naizhigou deposit have δ³⁴S values of 2.1 to 2.5 ‰, 3.1 to 4.3 ‰, and 3.8 to 3.9 ‰, respectively. The stable isotopes indicate that the orefluids and metals mainly originated from magma. A comparative study of regional observations reveals that the Naizhigou deposit is a magmatic-related mesothermal gold deposit, rather than a metamorphism-related orogenic gold deposit. The estimated ore-forming depths are 4.0–20.7 km, with exhumation depths of 4.1–5.5 km, which indicated that the deposit has been well preserved. Regionally, the new exploration strategies should place greater emphasis on work concerning ore-related plutons, ore-controlling faults, and hydrothermal alteration. Full article

Copper is typically acknowledged as a critical mineral and one of the vital components of various of today’s fast-growing green technologies. Porphyry copper systems, which are an important source of copper and molybdenum, typically consist of large volumes of hydrothermally altered rocks, mainly around porphyry copper intrusions. Mapping hydrothermal alteration zones associated with porphyry copper systems is one of the most important indicators for copper exploration, especially using advanced satellite remote sensing technology. This paper presents a sophisticated remote sensing-based method that uses ASTER satellite imagery (SWIR bands 4 to 9) to identify hydrothermal alteration zones by combining the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) and the median absolute deviation (MAD) algorithms. All six SWIR bands (bands 4–9) were analyzed independently, and band 9, which showed the most consistent spatial patterns and highest validation accuracy, was selected for final visualization and interpretation. The MAD algorithm is effective in identifying spectral anomalies, and the DWT enables the extraction of features at different scales. The Urmia–Dokhtar magmatic arc in central Iran, which hosts the Zafarghand porphyry copper deposit, was selected as a case study. It is a hydrothermal porphyry copper system with complex alteration patterns that make it a challenging target for copper exploration. After applying atmospheric corrections and normalizing the data, a hybrid algorithm was implemented to classify the alteration zones. The developed classification framework achieved an accuracy of 94.96% for phyllic alteration and 89.65% for propylitic alteration. The combination of MAD and DWT reduced the number of false positives while maintaining high sensitivity. This study demonstrates the high potential of the proposed method as an accurate and generalizable tool for copper exploration, especially in complex and inaccessible geological areas. The proposed framework is also transferable to other porphyry systems worldwide. Full article

High-enthalpy geothermal resources in volcanic settings often lack clear surface manifestations, requiring integrated, data-driven approaches to identify hidden reservoirs. In this study, we apply a multivariate clustering technique—genetic K-Means clustering (GKMC)—to a comprehensive soil gas dataset collected from 1050 sampling sites across the ~100 km² Garehagua mining license, located in the southern rift zone of Tenerife (Canary Islands). The survey included diffuse CO₂ flux measurements and concentrations of key soil gases (He, H₂, CH₄, O₂, N₂, Ar isotopes, and ²²²Rn, among others). Statistical-graphical analysis using the Sinclair method allowed for an objective classification of geochemical anomalies relative to background populations. The GKMC algorithm segmented the dataset into geochemically coherent clusters. One cluster, defined by elevated CO₂, helium, and ²²²Rn levels, showed a clear spatial correlation with inferred tectonic lineaments in the southern rift zone. These anomalies are interpreted as structurally controlled conduits for the ascent of deep magmatic-hydrothermal fluids. The findings support the presence of a concealed geothermal system structurally constrained in the southern region of Tenerife. This study demonstrates that integrating GKMC clustering with soil gas geochemistry offers a robust methodology for detecting hidden geothermal anomalies. By enhancing anomaly detection in areas with subtle or absent surface expression, this approach contributes to reducing exploration risk and provides a valuable decision-support tool for targeting future drilling operations in volcanic terrains. Full article

To efficiently delineate mineral-induced geochemical anomalies within the Hongyahuo area, principal component analysis (PCA), S-A multifractal modeling, and singularity modeling were employed to examine multi-element datasets derived from 641 soil samples collected from natural gully systems. The isometric log-ratio (ilr) transformation was implemented in conjunction with histogram and quantile-quantile plot analysis to assess and compare the multivariate statistical properties of elemental data across three formats—original, logarithmic, and ilr-transformed. The findings demonstrate the following: (1) following ilr transformation, the issue of data closure was resolved, resulting in elemental distributions more closely approximating normality; (2) PCA revealed two distinguishable elemental associations: PC1 corresponds to the Cu-Fe-Mn-Ni-Pb-Zn group, indicative of a medium- to high-temperature hydrothermal mineralization assemblage associated with Cu-Pb-Zn polymetallic mineralization linked to magmatic intrusion and fracture systems, signifying overprinted copper polymetallic mineralization events; PC2 reflects the Au-As-Sb elemental combination, associated with low-temperature hydrothermal processes indicative of Au-Sb mineralization; (3) the decomposition of the S-A model indicated that low-background and high-anomaly zones for PC1 are primarily situated within andesitic units, where nearby intermediate to felsic intrusions and structural fracture zones have likely served as sources for Cu-polymetallic mineralization; (4) the spatial distribution of the singularity index suggested that anomalous regions characterized by a PC1 singularity index α < 2 were relatively confined, offering strategic implications for mineral exploration targeting; and (5) when integrated with regional metallogenic background, three prospecting targets were identified, leading to the subsequent discovery of two copper ore bodies through anomaly validation. Therefore, this integrative analytical framework is demonstrated to be a robust approach for delineating geochemical anomalies. Full article

The Bundelkhand granite (BG) constitutes the bulk of the granitoid complex in the Bundelkhand Craton and preserves imprints of its evolution from the magmatic to a protracted hydrothermal stage as deduced from the petrography. In order to reconstruct such a path of evolution in this study, thermobarometric calculations were attempted on the mineral chemistry of the major (hornblende, plagioclase, biotite) and minor (epidote, apatite) magmatic phases. They yielded magmatic temperatures and pressures (in excess of 700 °C and ~5 kbar), although not consistently, and indicate mid-crustal conditions at the onset of crystallization. Temperatures in the hydrothermal regime within the BG are better constrained by the chemistry of the chlorite and epidote minerals (340 to 160 °C) that conform with the ranges of homogenization temperatures of aqueous–biphase inclusions in matrix quartz in the BG and subordinate quartz veins. These reconstructions indicate that fluid within the BG evolved down to lower temperatures and towards the deposition of quartz and, more importantly, bears a striking similarity to the temperature–salinity characteristics of fluid in the giant quartz reef system. Scanty mixed aqueous–carbonic inclusions in the BG are indicative of the CO₂-poor nature of the BG magma and the exsolution of CO₂ at lower pressure (~2.6 kbar). The dominant mechanism of fluid evolution in the BG appears to be the incursion of meteoric fluid, which caused fluid dilution. Laser Raman microspectrometry reveals many types of solid phases in aqueous–carbonic inclusions in the BG domain. The occurrence of unusual, effervescent-type inclusions, though infrequent, bears a striking similarity to that reported in the giant quartz reef domain. Thus, the highlight of the present work is the convincing fluid inclusion evidence that genetically links the BG with the giant quartz reef system, although many cited discrepancies arise from the radiometric dates. We visualize the episodic release of silica-transporting fluid to the major fracture system (now occupied by the giant reef) from the BG, thus making the fluid in the two domains virtually indistinguishable. Full article

This study investigates pegmatites with exceptionally rare mineralogical and chemical signatures, hosted by the 1.8 Ga peralkaline albite-enriched granite, which corresponds to the renowned Madeira Sn-Nb-Ta-F (REE, Th, U) deposit in Pitinga, Brazil. Four distinct pegmatite types are identified: border pegmatites, pegmatitic albite-enriched granite, miarolitic pegmatite, and pegmatite veins. The host rock itself has served as the source for the fluids that gave rise to all these pegmatites. Their mineral assemblages mirror the rare-metal-rich paragenesis of the host rock, including pyrochlore, cassiterite, riebeckite, polylithionite, zircon, thorite, xenotime, gagarinite-(Y), genthelvite, and cryolite. These pegmatites formed at the same crustal level as the host granite and record a progressive magmatic–hydrothermal evolution driven by various physicochemical processes, including tectonic decompressing, extreme fractionation, melt–melt immiscibility, and internal fluid exsolution. Border pegmatites crystallized early from a F-poor, K-Ca-Sr-Zr-Y-HREE-rich fluid exsolved during solidification of the pluton’s border and were emplaced in contraction fractures between the pluton and country rocks. Continued crystallization toward the pluton’s core produced a highly fractionated melt enriched in Sn, Nb, Ta, Rb, HREE, U, Th, and other HFSE, forming pegmatitic albite-enriched granite within centimetric fractures. A subsequent pressure quench—likely induced by reverse faulting—triggered the separation of a supercritical melt, further enriched in rare metals, which migrated into fractures and cavities to form amphibole-rich pegmatite veins and miarolitic pegmatites. A key process in this evolution was melt–melt immiscibility, which led to the partitioning of alkalis between two phases: a K-F-rich aluminosilicate melt (low in H₂O), enriched in Y, Li, Be, and Zn; and a Na-F-rich aqueous melt (low in SiO₂). These immiscible melts crystallized polylithionite-rich and cryolite-rich pegmatite veins, respectively. The magmatic–hydrothermal transition occurred independently in each pegmatite body upon H₂O saturation, with the hydrothermal fluid composition controlled by the local degree of melt fractionation. These highly F-rich exsolved fluids caused intense autometasomatic alteration and secondary mineralization. The exceptional F content (up to 35 wt.% F in pegmatite veins), played a central role in concentrating strategic and critical metals such as Nb, Ta, REEs (notably HREE), Li, and Be. These findings establish the Madeira system as a reference for rare-metal magmatic–hydrothermal evolution in peralkaline granites. Full article

In this article, we consider the roles of transcrustal magma- and fluid-conducting faults (TCMFCFs) in the formation of mineral deposits, showing the importance of deep sources of heat and hydrothermal solutions in the genesis and history of deposit formation. As a result of the impact on the lithosphere of mantle plumes rising along TCMFCFs, intense block deformations and tectonic movements are generated; rift systems, and volcanic–plutonic belts spatially combined with them, are formed; and intrusive bodies are introduced. These processes cause epithermal ore formation as a consequence of the impact of mantle plumes rising along TCMFCF to the lithosphere. At hydrocarbon fields, they play extremely important roles in conductive and convective heat, as well as in mass transfer to the area of hydrocarbon generation, determining the relationship between the processes of lithogenesis and tectogenesis, and activating the generation of hydrocarbons from oil and gas source rock. Detection of TCMFCFs was carried out using MMSS (the method of microseismic sounding) and MTSM (the magnetotelluric sounding method), in combination with other geological and geophysical data. Practical examples are provided for mineral deposits where subvertical transcrustal columns of increased permeability, traced to considerable depths, have been found; the nature of these unique structures is related to faults of pre-Paleozoic emplacement, which determined the fragmentation of the sub-crystalline structure of the Earth and later, while developing, inherited the conditions of volumetric fluid dynamics, where the residual forms of functioning of fluid-conducting thermohydrocolumns are granitoid batholiths and other magmatic bodies. Experimental modeling of deep processes allowed us to identify the quantum character of crystal structure interactions of minerals with “inert” gases under elevated thermobaric conditions. The roles of helium, nitrogen, and hydrogen in changing the physical properties of rocks, in accordance with their intrastructural diffusion, has been clarified; as a result of low-energy impact, stress fields are formed in the solid rock skeleton, the structures and textures of rocks are rearranged, and general porosity develops. As the pressure increases, energetic interactions intensify, leading to deformations, phase transitions, and the formation of chemical bonds under the conditions of an unstable geological environment, instability which grows with increasing gas saturation, pressure, and temperature. The processes of heat and mass transfer through TCMFCFs to the Earth’s surface occur in stages, accompanied by a release of energy that can manifest as explosions on the surface, in coal and ore mines, and during earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Full article

Integrated ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar and U-Pb geochronology, combined with microstructural analysis of Early Cretaceous volcanics from eastern China, challenge conventional interpretations of flat ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age spectra. K-feldspar sample JD-1K (122.12 ± 0.81 Ma) preserves magmatic sanidine characteristics (homogeneous composition, disordered monoclinic structure), while hydrothermally altered perthite JD-2K yields a flat plateau age of 99.83 ± 0.73 Ma (~20 Ma younger than coeval K-feldspar, biotite, and zircon samples). Microstructural analyses using energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM−EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods unequivocally demonstrate that the concordant ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar age spectrum of sample JD-2K is a result of isotopic resetting during fluid-mediated recrystallization processes, rather than primary post-crystallization thermal stability. In step-heating experiments, contrasting argon release patterns correlate with microstructural heterogeneities. This study challenges the paradigm that flat ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar spectra uniquely signify post-crystallization thermal histories, demonstrating that hydrothermal alteration can fully reset argon systems to produce misleadingly concordant ages. This study highlights the complexity of interpreting isotopic data in hydrothermally altered rocks, emphasizing the necessity of integrated petrological-geochemical analyses to differentiate primary magmatic signals from secondary overprints. Full article

The Aït Abdellah copper deposit in the Bou Azzer-El Graara inlier of the Moroccan Anti-Atlas provides key insights into structurally and lithologically controlled mineralization in Precambrian terranes. The deposit is hosted in feldspathic sandstones of the Tiddiline Group, which unconformably overlie the Bou Azzer ophiolite, and is spatially associated with a NE–SW-trending shear zone. This zone is characterized by mylonitic fabrics, calcite veining, and an extensive network of fractures, reflecting a two-stage deformation history involving early ductile shearing followed by brittle faulting and brecciation. These structural features enhanced rock permeability, enabling fluid flow and metal precipitation. Copper mineralization includes primary sulfides such as chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite, chalcocite, digenite, and covellite, as well as supergene minerals like malachite, azurite, and chrysocolla. Sulfur isotope values (δ³⁴S = +5.9% to +22.8%) indicate a mixed sulfur source, likely derived from both ophiolitic rocks and volcano-sedimentary sequences. Carbon and oxygen isotope data suggest fluid interaction with marine carbonates and meteoric waters, potentially linked to post-Snowball Earth deglaciation processes. Fluid inclusion studies reveal homogenization temperatures ranging from 195 °C to 310 °C and salinities between 5.7 and 23.2 wt.% NaCl equivalent, supporting a model of fluid mixing between magmatic-hydrothermal and volcano-sedimentary sources. The paragenetic evolution of the deposit comprises three stages: (1) early hydrothermal precipitation of quartz, dolomite, sericite, pyrite, and early chalcopyrite and bornite; (2) a main mineralizing stage characterized by fracturing and deposition of bornite, chalcopyrite, and Ag-bearing sulfosalts; and (3) a late supergene phase with oxidation and secondary enrichment. The Aït Abdellah deposit is best classified as a shear zone-hosted copper system with a complex, multistage mineralization history. The integrated analysis of structural features, mineral assemblages, isotopic signatures, and fluid inclusion data reveals a dynamic interplay between deformation processes, hydrothermal alteration, and evolving fluid sources. Full article