Chemical characteristics of minerals in ultrabasic rocks and their relations to metallogenesis

The most productive chromite ore deposits are formed through crystallization of chromite-ore magmas under definite physico-chemical conditions. The formation of chromite ore is controlled mainly by the degree of differentiation of ultrabasic magma. How to measure the degree of ultrabasic magmatic differentiation is key to understanding the mechanism of formation of chromite ore. Many geologists base their understanding of ultrabasic magmatic differentiation on whether there are obvious petrographical-facies zones in ultrabasic rocks. This viewpoint needs further discussing because most ultrabasic rock bodies showing petrographical zonation contain no mineral deposits. On the contrary mineral deposits may occur in the ultrabasic rocks without obvious petrographical zonation. Therefore, the author suggests to use the chemical characteristics of minerals to determine the degree of ultrabasic magmatic differentiation as a guide to search for chromite ore deposits.