Timescales of porphyry copper deposits: what they do tell us?

Massimo Chiaradia, University of Geneva
It is more than 10-years since the last detailed look at the role that volcanic and magmatic processes play in the role of ore deposits formation. The topic is still current and ready for a wide-ranging reassessment.
This meeting addressed the fundamental controls on metal transport and deposition in magmatic system

[@kathykarns9829]

So the first thing to do when evaluating a system is find as many different igneous rocks as possible. If you only see a few the system is weak if you find many the chances are it lived a long time. Same with structures. The keel of the iceberg should go into the garnet-in stability field at 40km. The influence of isostatic and tectonic forces then work to break up the evolving system after enough metallic segregation. The system probably fails most favorably on compression. The mechanical compression failure products may eventually become the porphyry systems we seek. The relaxation products likely become the deep cumulate component we wish we could get to. Sometimes we can find bits and pieces of them. Sometimes even in plain granite! The real tops and bottoms of porphyry copper deposits are spread over 40-50 km depth. Age dates are not just curiosities. Date as many rocks as there are!