Origin of emerald deposits of Brazil

Precambrian emerald deposits of Brazil are found in a typical geologic setting with Archean basement and supracrustal, ultramafic, granitoid and rocks. Volcano-sedimentary series occur as imbricated structures or as bodies affected by complex folding and deformation. Emerald mineralization belongs to the classic biotite-schist deposit, which formed by the reaction of pegmatitic veins within ultrabasic rocks. At the same time, pegmatite-free emerald deposits linked to ductile shear zones are also known. Emerald formation is attributed to infiltrational metasomatic processes provoking a K-metasomatism of the ultrabasic rocks and also a desilication of the pegmatites. A new classification based on the geological setting, structural features, and ore paragenesis is proposed.