‘Common ore and yangue minerals Ic is estimated thar chere are about 3800 kaown. minerals that have been identified and classified (Battey and Pring, 1997). Only a very small propor- tion of these make up the bulk of the rocks of the Earth’s est, as the common rock forming min- corals, Likewise, a relatively small number of min- cerals make up most of the economically viable ore deposits of the world, ‘The following compilation sa breakdown of the more common ore minerals in terms of chemical classes hased essentially on ‘the anionic pare of the mineral formula, Also included sr some ofthe mere common “gangue,” ‘which are those minasals that farm part of the ore body, but do not contribute to the economically oxtractable pare of the deposit. Most af thse are alteration assemblages formed ducing hydeothor- ‘mul processes. The compilatioa, including idesl chemical toemulae, is subdivided into six sec- tions, namely nasive elemeats, halides, sulfides and salfo-salts, oxides and hydroxides, cxy-salts (cuch as carbonstas, phosphates, rungstates, sul- fatas), and silicates. More dotailod descriptions of both ore and gangue minerals cen be found in a varioty of mineralogical cexts, such as Deor etal. (1989), Berry er al. (1983), and Battey and Pring, [1997]. More information on ore mineral textures and occurzences can be found in Craig and ‘Vaughan (1994| and bxes (1990). 1 Neeive elements Both metals and non-metals exist in nature in the native form, where essentially only one element exists in the structure. Copper, silver, gold, and platinum are all characterized by cubic close packing of atoms, have high densities, and aro ‘malleable and soit. The carbon aroms in die mond ace linked in tetrahedsal groups forming well cleaved, very hard, transhicent crystals, Sulfur oc- ‘curs as rings of eight aroms and forms bipyramids co is amorphous, Metals Gold -Au Silver -Ag Platinum —Pt Palladium—Pa Copper-Cu Non-mezals sulfur-$ Diamond -C Graphite-C 2 Halides ‘The halide mineral group comprises compounds. ‘made upby ionic bonding. Minerals suchas halite and sylvite ace cubic, have simple chemical for- ‘mulao, end ace highly soluble ia water. Halides sometimes form as ore minerals, such as chlorar- agyrite and atacamite. Halite - NaCl sylvite- KCl Chlorargyrire - AgCl Fluorite ~CaF, Atacamite ~ Cu Cl(O#ls 3 sulfides and sulfo-satts ‘This is a large and complex group of minerals in ‘which bonding is both ionic and covaleat in char acter. The sulfide group has che general formula, Ages, Where X, the larger atom, is typically S but can be As, Sb, Te, Bi, or Se, and A is one or more metals, The sulfo-salts, winich are much rarer than sulfides, have the general formula AyByXp where A is commonly Ag, Cu, ot Pb, Bis com monly As, Sb, 0: Bi, and X is 5. The sulfide and sulfo-sal minerals ace generally opaque, heavy and havea metallic to sub-metallic lustre Sulfides Chaleocite -Cu,s Bornite-Cu,FeS, Galena-Pbs ‘Sphalerite—Zns Chaleopyrite -CuFes, Pyrthotite—Fe,_,S Pentlandite(Fe.NibSe Millerite—NiS Covellite -Cus Cinnabar — Hgs Skucterudite ~|Co.NiAS,Sperylite— Pras, [Beaggito cooperite-(P4,Da NaS Moncheite (Pt,PdTe-BI), Cobalsite - Cones, Gersdortfite NiAsS Loellingite~FeAs, Molyhdenste —n1c8, Realgar~ Ass (Onpiment~ As Stibnice -Sb,S; Bismuuthinite—BizS Argontito- ApS Calaverice -AuTe, Pyrite—FeS, Laurite RUS, sutjo-sales ‘Tetrahedrite ~(Cu, Ag) Sb,S,, Tennantite-(CuAgl2ASiS.: Enargite— CuyAss, 4 Oxides and hydroxides ‘This group of minerals is variable in its properties, bbuc is characterized by one or more metal in combination with oxygen of a hydroxyl group. ‘The oxides end hydroxides typically exhibit ionic onding. The oxide minerals can be hard, dense, and refractory in nature |magnotite, cassiteito| bout can also be sofeer and less dense, forming as ‘products of hydrothermal alraration and weather: ing (homatice, anatase, pysolucite). Hydcoxides, such as goethite and gibbsite, are typically the products of extrome weathering and aleeration, Omtdes Cuprite CuO Hematite~ Fe,0, imenite— FeTIO3 Horeynite -FoAl,O, Gehnite-ZaAl0, Magnetite ~Fe,0, Chromite ~FeCr,0, Rutile-Ti0,, Anatase -Ti0, Pyrolucise-Ma©, CCassiterire- 810, Uraniaite-U0, ‘Thoriaaite -ThO,, ‘Columbite-tantalite — (Fe, MnNb,Ta},0, Hydronides (or oxvhydroxides) Goethive -FeQXOH) Gibbsite —Al|OH), Boohmite- AlO(OH) Manganite -MaQ\OH) 9 Ony-salts ‘The catbonace group of minerals form when anionic carbonate groups (COP) are linked by intermediate cations such as Ca, Mg, and Fe. Hydroxyl bearing and hydrated carbonetes can also form, usually as a cesult of weathering and aleeratioa. The other oxy-salts, such as the tung- seates, sulfates, phosphates, and vanadates, aze analogous to the carbonates, but are built around an anionic group of the form KOT. Carbonates Caleize-Cac0, Dolomite — CaMgiCo,|, Aankerite~CaFe(CO,| Siderite -FecO; Rhodochrosite- MnCO, Smithsoniee -ZaCO, Cerussite - PhCO, Azurite - COH}{COs|, Malachite -Cu,(OH,CO, Tungstates Scheclite- CaW0, Wolframito—(Fe.MaWO, sulfares Bacyte(s)—BasO, “Anhydsite-CaSd, Alunite -KAl{OH},(50,), Gypsum —CaS0,2H,0 Epsomite -MgSO,.7H,0 Phosphates Xenatime - YPO, Monazite-|CeLa,ThIPO, Apatite Cas|PO,)(F,.CLOH)