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  3. Earth MRI focus areas

Basin brine path

Basin brine path systems emanate from marine evaporite basins and extend downward and laterally through permeable strata to discharge points in the ocean. Basin brines evolve to become ore fluids by scavenging metals from various rock types along gravity-driven flow paths. The mineralogy of the aquifers controls the redox and sulfidation state of the brine and the suite of elements that can be scavenged. Cu- and Pb-Zn sulfide deposits form where oxidized brines encounter reduced S. Unconformity U deposits form where oxidized brines are reduced. Ba and Sr deposits form where reduced brines encounter marine sulfate or carbonate.
Color on map:

Deposit types

Name Commodities Critical minerals
Basin brine Petroleum, salt, potash, Li, Rb, Cs, Mg, Sr, Br, I, Zn Potash, Li, Rb, Cs, Mg, Sr
Reflux and hydrothermal dolomite Building stone, aggregate, Mg Mg
Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) Zn, Pb, Ag, Cu, Co Sn, Ge, Co, Ga, In
Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) Cu, Co, Ag, Pb, Zn Co, PGE, Re, Ge, Ga, V, U
Uranium (unconformity and breccia pipe) U, V, Cu, Co, Mo, Re, Se, Sc, REE U, V, Re, Sc, REE, Co
Barite (replacement and bedded) barite (witherite) Barite
Strontium (replacement and bedded) Sr (celestite, strontianite) Sr

References

Source: Hofstra, A.H., and Kreiner, D.C., 2020, Systems-Deposits-Commodities-Critical Minerals Table for the Earth Mapping Resources Initiative: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2020-1042, 24 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20201042.

List of Earth MRI focus areas with mineral system = Basin brine path

85 focus areas match these criteria.

Focus area Region States Mineral Systems Deposit types Commodities
Big Delta-Circle-Livengood Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Black River-Charley River-Eagle Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Brooks Range-Central Belt Sed Cu Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Brooks Range-Northeastern Sed Cu Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Brooks Range-Northern Foreland Sed Cu Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Central Alaska Range Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Barite; Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Farewell Terrane Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Nome Complex Sed Cu Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Seward Peninsula Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Talkeetna Mountains-Eastern Alaska Range Sed Cu Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Western and central Brooks Range (Brooks Range zinc belt) Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Wrangell Mountains-Kennecott Sed Cu Alaska Alaska Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Upper Mississippi Valley mineral district North Central Illinois; Iowa; Wisconsin Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; iron; lead; silver
Williston Basin potash North Central Montana; North Dakota Basin brine path Basin brine bromine; iodine; petroleum; salt
Berks County Pennsylvania barite Northeast Pennsylvania Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Cheshire County-Westmoreland district Northeast New Hampshire Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; silver; lead
Franklin-Sterling Hill Mining District Northeast New Jersey Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Hartford-Deerfield Mesozoic Basin Northeast Connecticut; Massachusetts Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Rossie-Balmat-Edwards Mining Districts Northeast New York Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Taconic allochthons Northeast New York; Massachusetts; Vermont Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Vermont zinc Northeast Vermont Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; iron; lead; silver
Bannock County dolomite Northwest Idaho Basin brine path Reflux and hydrothermal dolomite (none)
Bear Lake dolomite Northwest Idaho Basin brine path Reflux and hydrothermal dolomite (none)
Belt Basin Northwest Idaho; Montana Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Black Butte (Sheep Creek) Northwest Montana Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; gold; lead; silver; uranium
Butte County dolomite Northwest Idaho Basin brine path Reflux and hydrothermal dolomite (none)
Central Idaho barite Northwest Idaho Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Cuddy Mountain barite Northwest Idaho Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Junction District Pb-Zn Northwest Idaho; Montana Basin brine path Reflux and hydrothermal dolomite; Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Kenelty mine Northwest Montana Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) gold; silver
Klamath Mountains barite Northwest California Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Metaline zinc-lead district Northwest Washington Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Missoula barite (Elk Creek-Coloma District) Northwest Montana Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; gold; lead; silver
Mount Evans Summit Northwest Montana Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
NE Washington Sedex Northwest Washington Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
North Stevens County barite Northwest Washington Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Nugget Sandstone Copper Northwest Idaho; Utah; Wyoming Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Rock Creek/Montanore (Libby) Northwest Montana Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Sierra Nevada Foothills barite Northwest California Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Soap Gulch Northwest Montana Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
South Stevens County barite Northwest Washington Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Spar Lake (Troy) Northwest Idaho; Montana Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Triumph sedex mineral system Northwest Idaho Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Wickiup Creek Northwest Montana; Wyoming Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Central Colorado sediment-hosted Cu Rocky Mountains Colorado; New Mexico Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; silver; uranium
Annapolis Subdistrict South Central Missouri Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Central Kentucky Mineral District South Central Kentucky Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; calcite; copper; lead; silver
Central Missouri Barite-Lead District South Central Missouri Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Copper Ridge Zinc District South Central Tennessee Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Fall Branch-Greeneville District South Central Tennessee Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper
Illinois-Kentucky Fluorspar District South Central Illinois; Kentucky Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Indian Creek Subdistrict South Central Missouri Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Mascot-Jefferson City Zinc District South Central Tennessee Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Mine La Motte-Fredericktown Subdistrict South Central Missouri Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Northern Arkansas MVT Mineral District South Central Arkansas Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Old Lead Belt Subdistrict South Central Missouri Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Ouachita barite deposits South Central Arkansas Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Pennsylvanian Phosphate, Black Shale, Underclay South Central Alabama; Arkansas; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Maryland; Michigan; Missouri; Nebraska; New York; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Texas; Virginia; West Virginia Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Powell River Zinc District South Central Tennessee Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
South Central Kentucky and North Central Tennessee Mineral District South Central Kentucky; Tennessee Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Sweetwater Barite District South Central Tennessee Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Tri-State District South Central Kansas; Missouri; Oklahoma Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Viburnum Trend South Central Missouri Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Washington County Barite District South Central Missouri Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Del Rio/Hot Springs Barite Mining Districts Southeast; South Central North Carolina; Tennessee Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
CAMP event-Culpeper basin Southeast Virginia Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Cartersville barite Southeast Georgia Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Timberville and Austinville-Ivanhoe MVT districts Southeast Virginia Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) cadmium; copper; lead; silver
Valley and Ridge barite (Brannon Springs area-Etowah and St. Clair Counties) Southeast Alabama Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; iron; lead; silver
Valley and Ridge barite (Pleasant Valley area-Calhoun County) Southeast Alabama Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; iron; lead; silver
Valley and Ridge barite (Sinks area-Bibb County) Southeast Alabama Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; iron; lead; silver
Virginia barite Southeast Virginia Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Brown County celestite district Southwest Texas Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded); Strontium (replacement and bedded) (none)
Colorado Plateau sediment-hosted copper Southwest Arizona; Colorado; New Mexico; Utah Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; gold; lead; silver; uranium
Goodsprings mining district Southwest Nevada Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Great Basin North Central Nevada Sedex Southwest Nevada Basin brine path Zinc-lead (MVT and sedex) copper; lead; silver
Greystone and Argenta Mines Southwest Nevada Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
New Mexico-Texas-Colorado sediment-hosted Cu Southwest Colorado; New Mexico; Oklahoma; Texas Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; lead; silver; uranium
Northumberland district Southwest Nevada Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Northwest Arizona and southwest Utah uranium breccia pipes Southwest Arizona; Utah Basin brine path Uranium (unconformity and breccia pipe) copper; molybdenum; selenium; silver; uranium
Paradox Basin brine Southwest Colorado; Utah Basin brine path Basin brine bromine; iodine; petroleum; salt
Smackover Formation lithium Southwest Alabama; Arkansas; Florida; Louisiana; Mississippi; Texas Basin brine path Basin brine bromine; iodine; petroleum; salt
Snake Mtns. Southwest Nevada Basin brine path Barite (replacement and bedded) (none)
Tutsagubet Mining District (Apex mine) Southwest Utah Basin brine path Copper (sed-hosted and replacement) copper; gold; lead; silver; uranium
Utah Paleozoic Dolomite Southwest Utah Basin brine path Reflux and hydrothermal dolomite aggregate; building stone