Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits, also known as

volcanic-associated, volcanic-hosted, and volcano-sedimentary-hosted massive sulfide

deposits, are major sources of Zn, Cu, Pb, Ag and Au, and significant sources for Co, Sn, Se,
Mn, Cd, In, Bi, Te, Ga and Ge. They typically occur as lenses of polymetallic massive sulfide
that form at or near the seafloor in submarine volcanic environments, and are classified
according to either base metal content, gold content and host-rock lithology.

There are close to 350 known VMS deposits in Canada and over 800 known worldwide.
Historically, they account for 27% of Canada's Cu production, 49% of its Zn, 20% of its
Pb, 40% of its Ag and 3% of its Au.

Primitive bimodal mafic volcanic-dominated oceanic rifted arc and bimodal, felsic-
dominated siliciclastic continental back-arc terranes contain some of the world's most
economically important VMS districts.
Schematic of the modern TAG sulphide deposit on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge represents a classic
cross-section of a VMS deposit, with a concordant semi-massive to massive sulphide lens
underlain by a discordant stockwork vein system and associated alteration halo, or "pipe". From
Hannington et al (1996).
Base metal classification of
worldwide and Canadian VMS
deposits as defined first by Franklin
et al. (1981) and modified by Large
(1992) to include the Zn-Pb-Cu class.
The preponderance of Cu-Zn and
Zn-Cu VMS deposits in Canada is
due to the abundance of
Precambrian primitive oceanic arc
settings. Worldwide there is a larger
proportion of felsic-hosted, more
Pb-rich continental and continent
margin arc settings.
Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide ("VMS")
deposits are base metal-rich mineral deposits, which can also contain lesser amounts of
precious metals. Their ores can be major sources of zinc, copper, lead, with gold and
silver byproducts.

VMS deposits are found worldwide, and often form in clusters, or camps. Several major
VMS camps are known in Canada, these include the Flin Flon - Snow Lake, Bathurst and
Noranda camps. These high-grade deposits are often in the range of 5 to 20 Mt, but can
be considerably larger. Some of the largest VMS deposits in Canada include the Flin Flon
mine (62 Mt), the Kidd Creek mine (+100 Mt) and the Bathurst No. 12 mine (+100 Mt).

VMS deposits consist of massive or semi-massive accumulations of sulphide minerals

which form in lens-like or tabular bodies parallel to stratigraphy or bedding. VMS
deposits form on, or below, the ocean floor and are typically associated with volcanic
and/or sedimentary rocks. Characteristics of well-preserved VMS deposits include the
presence of concordant lenses of massive and semi-massive sulphides which have been
exhaled into the ocean as metal-rich brines from black and white smokers, or chimneys.
These sulphide zones can overlie discordant (typically copper +/- gold rich) stockworks
and/or alteration zones which form below the seafloor.
Over the past 30 years various classification schemes have been proposed for VMS deposits, based on a variety of
criteria (cf. Franklin et al. (1981) and Lydon (1984). More recently, VMS deposits have been classified by Barrie and
Hannington (1999) and Franklin et al. (2005) based on setting and host rock association into five subclasses, consisting
of:

Bimodal-mafic: hosted by mixed volcanic sequences, typically with greater abundances of mafic than felsic volcanics.
Mineralization is often associated with the felsic strata. Examples include the Noranda, Flin Flon-Snow Lake and Kidd
Creek camps (Canada). McIlvenna Bay is part of the bimodal-mafic subclass of VMS deposits.

Mafic Associated: hosted by mafic volcanic rocks (commonly ophiolites) dominant. Examples include the Cyprus deposits
(Oman) and those in the Newfoundland Appalachians (Canada).

Mafic-siliciclastic: hosted within sequences of mafic volcanic and siliciclastic rocks; felsic rocks can be a minor
component; and mafic (and ultramafic) intrusive rocks are common. Examples include the Besshi camp (Japan) and the
world-class Windy Craggy deposit (Canada).

Felsic-siliciclastic: hosted within siliciclastic sediment-dominated settings with abundant felsic volcanics and minor
mafics. Examples include the Bathurst camp (Canada) and the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Spain and Portugal).

Bimodal-felsic: hosted within bimodal volcanic sequences, with greater abundances of felsic than mafic rocks, and minor
sediments. Examples include the Kuroko deposits (Japan) and the Buchans deposits (Canada).

VMS deposits often have a strong metal zonation, this is seen as the segregation of various metal-bearing sulphides
throughout a deposit. In general, copper sulphide (chalcopyrite) forms in the central (or higher temperature) parts of the
deposit, such as the stockwork and vent-proximal sulphide lenses. Gold concentrations can often be highest in these
copper-rich zones. In contrast, zinc and lead sulphides (sphalerite and galena) form in the more distal (or lower
temperature) parts of the deposit further away from the vent. Silver is more commonly associated with the zinc- and/or
lead-rich parts of the deposit. Generally non-economic iron sulphides (pyrite and pyrrhotite) occur with the base metal
sulphides. The iron-sulphides can also be zoned, typically with pyrrhotite associated with zones of more copper-rich
mineralization and pyrite associated with zones of more zinc- and lead-rich mineralization.
 VMS deposit zonation, Po = pyrrhotite, Cp
= chalcopyrite, Py = pyrite, Sp = sphalerite,
Gn = galena, Ba = barite (Lydon, 1984).

VMS mineralization tends to form along a specific favourable

horizon within a volcanic, volcaniclastic or sedimentary sequence.
Long-lived systems can have several periods of VMS formation at
different favourable horizons. Identification of these favourable
horizons can be a significant property- or regional-scale vector for
the discovery of new zones of mineralization.

VMS deposits typically form during periods of rifting, within volcanic arcs, fore arcs, and in extensional back arc
basins. Rifting causes extension and thinning of the crust, allowing hot, subvolcanic magmas to rise and form metal-
bearing hydrothermal cells that ultimately produce the VMS mineralization. The localization of lenses of massive and
semi-massive sulphides are often controlled by synvolcanic faults and fissures, which permit a focused discharge of
hydrothermal fluids on the seafloor. This focused discharge of the metal-bearing hydrothermal fluids, as well as flow
and subsequent ponding within paleo-topographic lows, allows for the economic concentration of sulphides in these
deposits.

http://www.foranmining.com/s/VMSDeposits.asp
Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Deposits
adapted into HTML from notes from The Prospecting School on the Web by Dave Watkins, Falconbridge Copper Corp
and Bruce Downing, Geological Consultantand

Prospecting and Evaluating Ni-Cu-Co Type Magmatic Massive Sulphides

Adapted to HTML from the magazine Newfoundland Mining

for The Prospecting School on the Web

vms deposits

Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Deopsitsclassification

composition , alteration, mineral and metal zoning distribution , and genetic model
references

Volcanic-associated massive sulphide (VMS) deposits occur throughout the world and throughout the geological time
column in virtually every tectonic domain that has submarine volcanic rocks as an important constituent. VMS deposits
are major sources of Cu and Zn and contain significant quantities of Au, Ag, Pb, Se, Cd, Bi, Sn as well as minor amounts
of other metals.
As a group, VMS deposits consist of massive accumulations of sulphide minerals (more than 60% sulphide minerals)
which occur in lens-like or tabular bodies parallel to the volcanic stratigraphy or
bedding.
They are usually underlain by a footwall stockwork of vein and stringer sulphide mineralization and hydrothermal
alteration (Figure 1). They may occur in any rock type, but the predominant hosts are volcanic rocks and fine-grained,
clay-rich sediments. The deposits consist of ubiquitous iron sulphide (pyrite, pyrrhotite) with chalcopyrite, sphalerite,
and galena as the principal economic minerals. Barite and cherty silica are common gangue accessory minerals.
Volcanogenic Massive Sulphides Figure 1( NOTE :LARGE .jpg 64K)
Several classifications exist for VMS deposits depending on the footwall lithology and geotectonic
setting.
Cyprus type: associated with tholeiitic basalts in ophiolite sequences (back arc spreading ridge), copper rich with
gold. e.g. Troodos Massif (Cyprus).

Besshi-type: associated with plate volcanics and continental turbidites, copper/zinc with gold and silver.
e.g. Sanbagwa (Japan).

Kuroko-type: associated with felsic volcanics particularly rhyolite domes (back arc rifting), copper/zinc/lead with gold and silver, e.g.
Kuroko deposits (Japan).

Primitve-type: associated with differentiated magmas of uncertain origin, copper/zinc and gold.
e.g. Canadian Archean rocks.

The stockwork zone beneath these deposits is the conduit through which the hydrothermal fluids rise and consists of vein sulphide
mineralisation. Hydrothermal alteration forms a pipe around the stockwork zone and grades from an inner chloritised zone to an outer
sericitic zone. The thin bedded exhalite which exists around the edges of the sulphide mound generally consists of pyritic, hematitic or
siliceous material.

Formation of the massive sulphide lens depends on the conditions at eruption. If the density of the hydrothermal fluid is greater than
that of the seawater it will settle in ponds and form brine pools, however if the density is less than that of seawater the fluid will rise
forming plumes from which the sulphide and oxide particles will rain down.

A mound structure as shown above is formed as the hydrothermal fluid erupts and is slowed by the presence of eruption breccia at the
vent. This allows the formation of chimney structures which collapse and add to the amount of sulphide breccia, further slowing the
eruption of later fluids. This gives these fluids more time to cool and mix with seawater, increasing sulphide precipiation into the
mound. With a crust developing on the outer surface the mound grows from within, with earlier sulphides being replaced by later
eruptions.

Most of the sulphide formations would be oxidised in seawater as soon as hydrothermal activity ceased, therefore the mounds must be
well preserved for deposits to exist. This is likely to occur with anoxic seafloor conditions, immediate burial under other flows or
resulphidation due to burial metamorphism.

The origin of the fluids is dominantly seawater but magmatic sources have been advocated while the metals originate from the
footwall lithologies up to 3km below the deposit.
Alteration
Petrologically and chemically distinctive alteration zones produced by the reaction of ore forming fluid with wall rocks
underlie, and in some instances also overlie VMS deposits. The alteration zones may greatly increase target size for
exploration because they extend beyond the deposit boundaries and may be several times larger than: the deposit itself.
They fall into three main groups:
1.pipes beneath deposits
a) Cu-Zn deposits: vertically extensive conical shaped stringer zones with black colored chlorite or talc rich core
enveloped by a sericite - quartz halo; Na2O, CaO and sometimes SiO2 are depleted from the core of the zone; K2O may
be enriched on the fringe. (Figure 1) eg. Millenbach Mine, Noranda, Quebec
b) carbonate rich volcanic and sedimentary rocks: sericite + quartz + siderite; not zoned - eg. Misttabi Mine, Sturgeon
Lake, Ontario
c) Zn-Pb-Cu deposits: zonation is opposite to Cu-Zn deposits with sericite + quartz core surrounded by chloritic outer
fringe eg. Buttle Lake, B.C.
2.semi-conformable alteration zones - regionally extensive semi-conformable zones at depth below deposits possibly
representing a geothermal aquifer; characterized by Fe, Mg enrichment, Na depletion; variable silicification and quartz +
epitote alteration (Figure 1) eg. Anderson Lake Mine, Snow Lake, Manitoba
3.hanging wall alteration (Figure 1) - occurs in some deposits as a mineralogically defined zone of diffuse clay minerals +
sericite + dolomite in relatively unmetamorphosed rock to epidote + silica + (sericite) in low grade metamorphic areas
ea. Kuroko deposits, Hokuroko District, Japan.

Mineral and Metal Zoning

The distribution of metalss and sulphide types is commonly zoned on the scale of an individual lens and in clusters of
lenses. Cu is usually high relative to Zn + Pb in the core of the pipe and in the spine of the massive sulphides.The ratio of
Zn + Pb to Cu increases around the outside of the pipe and towards the upper part and margins of the massive
zone.
Au and Ag usually are highest in the fringe areas. Barite also tends to occur at fringes. Proportions of Zn, Pb and Ba also
tend to increase in lenses peripheral to the center of the deposit, both laterally and vertically (up-strastigraphy).
Pyrrhotite + magnetite may occur in the core zone with pyrite usually becoming dominant at the fringes.
Distribution
VMS deposits tend to cluster in districts (or camps) and locally within districts. The average massive sulphide camp in
Canada has about 9 deposits, but ranges from four (Manitowadge) to 21 (Noranda), However, an individual deposit
may consist of a number of closely associated, discrete lenses ranging from several thousand to several million tons in
size (ea. Millenbach Mine was 16 geologically discrete ore lenses). The largest deposits in this group may be in excess
of 100 million tons (ea. Kidd Creek, Bathurst No. 12).
Within a camp, deposits may occur laterally at a discrete time - stratigraphic interval. However, they may also be
vertically stacked through several thousand feet of volcanic stratigraphy.
VMS deposits are spatially associated with structural features and rock types that are reflective of the geological
environment of deposition. Common relationships include:
- synvolcanic faults and scarps that focus, channel, or trap hydrothermal fluids
- dyke swarms, diatremes, ring structures and other features indicative of proximity to volcanic centres
- features associated with rapid subsidence or collapse (ea. calderas, grabens) felsic domes, breccia domes, etc. that
occupy volcanic centers
- subvolcanic intrusions in the footwall sequence

Genetic Model
VMS deposits are generally accepted to have formed at or near discharge vents of hydrothermal systems on the sea
floor (Figure 1) . Moat models of the hydrothermal system accept a seawater convection cell driven by the heat of a
cooling subvolcanic igneous body with metals being leached from surrounding rocks through which the hydrothermal
fluids circulate.
Discharge is focused along fault or fracture systems. Sedimentary structures in the massive component of the
deposits may result from mechanical reworking and downslope transportation of sulphide ores after initial
deposition. Underlying alteration and stringer mineralization result from the interaction of hot discharging fluids with
the footwall rocks.
"Black smokers" are modern day analogues to fossil VMS deposits. They have been observed over the past several
years forming in deep submarine trenches off the Pacific Coast of North America. A schematic representation of the
growth of a modern mound-chimney sulphide deposit is provided in
References
Franklin, J.M.; Sangster, D.M.; Lydon, J.W.; 1981, Volcanic Associated Massive Sulphide Deposits; Economic Geology
75th Anniversary Volume; pp. 485-627.
Classification
VMS deposits are classified with respect to host rock type and on the basis of ore composition. The host rock
classification is a useful field system as it can be relates to the geological environment which can be determined from
geologic maps. The major groups are:

1.felsic volcanic hosted - 50% of deposits - eg. Buttle Lake (Westmin - Vancouver Island, B.C.), Noranda

2.mafic volcinic hosted - 30% of deposits - eg. Anyox

3.mixed volcanic/sedimentary association - 20% of deposits - eg. Windy Craggy, Tatshenshini Area, B.C.

Compositionally, VMS deposits form two broad groups:

1.Cu-Zn - eg. Noranda, Windy Craggy, Britannia (Britannia Beach, B.C.)

2.Zn-Pb-Cu - eg. Buttle Lake

Economically significant quantities of Au and Ag may occur in all the above lithological andcompositional groups. There
is only a poor correlation between the ore composition types and host rock type. Another massive sulphide category -
Pb, Zn deposits -forms in a sedimentary environment VMS deposits tend to occur in districts. Up to two dozen deposits,
might be clustered in an area of a few tens, of square kilometres. Known VMS districts are good hunting grounds for
new discoveries. Deposits within a specific district tend to have similar metal ratios and a fairly narrow range in
composition. In any given district, deposits will tend to range in size from less than one million tonnes to several tens of
millions of tonnes, with most deposits at the small end of the range and only a few large deposits.

http://earthsci.org/mineral/mindep/depfile/ma_sulp.htm
http://earthsci.org/mineral/mindep/depfile/vms.jpg
Besshi-Type VMS Deposits
of the Rudny Altai (Central
Asia)
economicgeology.org1280 ×
1236Telusuri pakai
gambarFig. 21
Cyprus-type Massive Sulphides
Kuroko-type deposits
http://www.unalmed.edu.co/rrodri
guez/genesis-
depositos/Besshi%20&%20Sedex%2
0Deposits.htm