Crossing the magmatic-hydrothermal interface within ore-forming systems with numerical models (CROWN)

• Applicant: Privatdozent Dr. Philipp Weis
• Subject Area: Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry ; Hydrogeology, Hydrology, Limnology, Urban Water Management, Water Chemistry, Integrated Water Resources Management
• Term: since 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 441251539

Future exploration for mineral resources will target greater depths and submarine settings, which is costly and technically challenging. For this development, we need robust predictive models that can capture the first-order processes within entire ore-forming systems. Magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits form our largest resources of Cu, Mo, Sn and W and are formed by fluids released from magmatic intrusions into a hydrothermal system within the country rock. The potential to form world-class deposits critically depends on cross-boundary fluid fluxes at this magmatic-hydrothermal interface, which is the key unknown in our current understanding of these deposits and can so far only be parameterized in numerical simulations. Capturing these interface processes requires a fundamentally new modelling approach with a continuum that extends beyond the roots of hydrothermal systems and bridges the gap between fluid flow and magma dynamics. The CROWN project will break new ground by developing a consistent formulation for fluid generation and transport in a coupled model for viscous flow according to the Navier-Stokes-Equations and porous flow with Darcy’s Law. Furthermore, and very important for geological realism, the model simulates dynamic permeability changes and focused flow caused by fractures. The simulations will be constrained with conceptual models from the literature, including recent own studies. The proposal also highlights potential direct collaborations with other projects proposed for the DOME SPP centering on magmatic-hydrothermal ore deposits. The topic further connects to other SPP-proposals centering on laboratory experiments, providing additional potential for collaboration.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2238: Dynamics of Ore-Metals Enrichment - DOME