Method for rapid prediction of potential of porphyry copper mineralization based on spectral characteristics of tourmaline

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12416572-B2
Application number	US-202318492788-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 24, 2023
Priority date	Jul 7, 2023
Publication date	Sep 16, 2025
Grant date	Sep 16, 2025

Abstract

A method for rapid prediction of porphyry copper mineralization potential based on spectral characteristics of tourmaline, includes collecting and collating data related to magma-fluid evolution, petrography and mineralogy of a porphyry copper deposit in a working area, systematically, distinguishing magmatic tourmaline from hydrothermal tourmaline in the working area, and further distinguishing phases and generations of the hydrothermal tourmaline; collecting hydrothermal tourmaline samples of the same phase and generation; performing short-wave infrared spectroscopy measurement on the collected hydrothermal tourmaline samples; extracting spectral characteristics of the Fe—OH wavelength and Mg—OH wavelength of the tourmaline samples based on The Spectral Geologist (TSG); and when the Fe—OH wavelength is less than 2245.75 nm, and the Mg—OH wavelength is greater than 2356.57 nm in the short-wave infrared spectrum of the samples, indicating that the porphyry copper deposit in an area where the samples are located has a great metallogenic potential.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for rapid prediction of porphyry copper mineralization potential based on spectral characteristics of tourmaline, comprising:
(1) collecting and collating data related to magma-fluid evolution, petrography and mineralogy of a porphyry copper deposit in a working area, systematically, distinguishing magmatic tourmaline from hydrothermal tourmaline in the working area, and further distinguishing phases and generations of the hydrothermal tourmaline;
(2) collecting hydrothermal tourmaline samples of a same phase and generation;
(3) performing short-wave infrared spectroscopy measurement on the collected hydrothermal tourmaline samples;
(4) extracting spectral characteristics of a Fe—OH wavelength and a Mg—OH wavelength of the hydrothermal tourmaline samples based on The Spectral Geologist (TSG); and
(5) when the Fe—OH wavelength is less than 2245.75 nm, and the Mg—OH wavelength is greater than 2356.57 nm in the short-wave infrared spectrum of the samples, indicating that the porphyry copper deposit in an area where the samples are located has a great metallogenic potential; and when the Fe—OH wavelength is greater than 2245.75 nm, and the Mg—OH wavelength is less than 2356.57 nm in the short-wave infrared spectrum of the samples, indicating that the porphyry copper deposit in an area where the samples are located has a small metallogenic potential.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the step 1, the tourmaline is divided into magmatic tourmaline or hydrothermal tourmaline according to a process of magma-fluid evolution of the porphyry copper deposit.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in the step 1, the phases and generations of the hydrothermal tourmaline closely related to mineralization are determined by combining petrographic and mineralogical characteristics with cut-through relationship and matrix support information.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a collection area in the step 2 comprises a surface, and interior and periphery of an ore body in drill holes.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein structural types of the collected tourmaline samples in the step 2 comprise a disseminated type, a finely veined type, and a dotted type.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the step 3 further comprises washing and drying the collected hydrothermal tourmaline samples to avoid an influence of impurities on the spectral characteristics.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step 3 further comprises washing and drying the collected hydrothermal tourmaline samples to avoid an influence of impurities on the spectral characteristics.

Assignees

• Univ China Geosciences Beijing
• Tibet Julong Copper Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zheng Youye
• Cheng Hongjun
• Luosang Jiancuo
• Wei Jiangang
• Dou Xiaofang
• Ci Qiong
• Liu Xiaofeng
• Suolang Zhuoga
• Wu Song

Classifications

• G01N33/24 Primary

  Earth materials (G01N33/42 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G01N1/34

  Purifying; Cleaning {(processes or apparatus for extracting or separating nucleic acids from biological samples C12N15/1003)} · CPC title

• G01N21/3563 Primary

  for analysing solids; Preparation of samples therefor · CPC title