Hydrothermal mineralization in the fields of temperature and pressure gradients

In this paper, we consider numerical simulation of mineral deposition from hydrothermal solutions under variable temperature and pressure conditions. The influence of solution source temperature depth, composition, and degree of oxidation on the composition of the products of mineral formation was evaluated. Conditions and reasons for the development of solution supersaturation/undersaturation with respect to major vein minerals were analyzed. Coupled variations in the degrees of dissociation of acids and complexes of major elements play the leading role in the formation of particular mineral assemblages. Chemical composition and degree of oxidation of the source of solutions modify vein mineralization but do not fundamentally change its character. The cooling, heating, and decompression of solutions result in the formation of distinctive mineral assemblages. This allows the use of data on the qualitative and quantitative composition of veins for the estimation of the conditions of solution evolution and its source.