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Volcanogenic seafloor

Volcanogenic seafloor systems are driven by igneous activity along spreading centers, back arc basins and magmatic arcs. In spreading centers and back arc basins, seawater evolves to become an ore fluid by convection through hot volcanic rocks. In magmatic arcs, ore fluids exsolved from subvolcanic intrusions may mix with convecting seawater. Ore deposits form where hot reduced ore fluids vent into cool oxygenated seawater. Sulfides and sulfates precipitate in or near vents. Mn and Fe precipitate at chemoclines over wide areas in basins with seafloor hydrothermal activity.
Color on map:

Deposit types

Name Commodities Critical minerals
Copper-zinc sulfide Cu, Zn Co, Bi, Te, In, Sn, Ge, Ga, Sb
Zinc-copper sulfide Zn, Cu Ge, Ga, Sb, Co, Bi, Te, In, Sn
Polymetallic sulfide Cu, Zn, Pb, Ag, Au Sn, Bi, Te, In, Ge, Ga, Sb, As
Barite Barite Barite
Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules) Mn, Fe, Ni Mn, Co, Ge, Te, REE, Sc
Algoma iron Fe unknown

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 = Volcanogenic seafloor

50 focus areas match these criteria.

Focus area Region States Mineral Systems Deposit types Commodities
Central Seward Peninsula Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Coast Mountain Belt Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Eastern Alaska Range Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Eastern Interior Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Johnson River Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Kougruk Fault zone Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Nome belt Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Northern Brooks Range Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Prince William Sound Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Southeast Alaska VMS Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Southern Brooks Range-Ambler Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Southern Talkeetna Mountains Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Western Alaska Range Alaska Alaska Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Neoarchean Greenstone Belts of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota North Central Minnesota; North Dakota; South Dakota Volcanogenic seafloor Algoma iron; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; iron; lead; silver
Pembine-Wausau and Minnesota Paleoproterozoic North Central Michigan; Minnesota; Wisconsin Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; iron; lead; silver
Barrett-Big Hill mining area Northeast Maine Volcanogenic seafloor Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Callahan mine area Northeast Maine Volcanogenic seafloor Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Catoctin Formation metavolcanics in Maryland Northeast Maryland Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Connecticut Valley-Gaspe trough volcanics Northeast Massachusetts; New Hampshire; Vermont Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide copper; gold; silver
Massachusetts Hawley mineral belt Northeast Massachusetts Volcanogenic seafloor Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; iron; lead; silver
New England Peri-Gondwanan Arc Systems Northeast Maine; New Hampshire Volcanogenic seafloor Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; iron; lead; mercury; silver; thallium
New England Peri-Laurentian Arc Systems Northeast Connecticut; Maine; Massachusetts; Vermont Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide copper; gold; silver
Westminster Terrane Northeast Maryland Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide copper
California Coast Ranges massive sulfide Northwest California; Oregon; Washington Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Central Washington massive sulfide Northwest Washington Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
North central California massive sulfide Northwest California Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Copper-zinc sulfide copper; gold; silver
Northeast Oregon -Idaho massive sulfide Northwest Idaho; Oregon; Washington Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Northeastern Washington massive sulfide Northwest Washington Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Olympic Peninsula deposits Northwest Washington Volcanogenic seafloor Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules) iron
Oregon Cyprus-type massive sulfide Northwest California; Oregon Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Payette National Forest manganese Northwest Idaho Volcanogenic seafloor Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules) iron
Sierra Nevada foothills massive sulfide Northwest California Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; silver
Central Laramie Range Rocky Mountains Wyoming Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; iron; lead; silver
Central Rocky Mountains VMS Rocky Mountains Colorado Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Medicine Bow Mountains Rocky Mountains Colorado; Wyoming Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; iron; lead; silver
Sierra Madre Rocky Mountains Colorado; Wyoming Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Sweetwater Arch Rocky Mountains Wyoming Volcanogenic seafloor Algoma iron; Manganese-oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; iron; lead; silver
Wyoming Metasedimentary and Metavolcanic Belts Rocky Mountains Wyoming Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules); Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; iron; silver
Ducktown District South Central Georgia; Tennessee Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide copper; gold; iron; silver; sulfur
Barite Hill mining district Southeast Georgia; South Carolina Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Blue Ridge VMS deposits Southeast Alabama; Georgia; North Carolina; South Carolina; Virginia Volcanogenic seafloor Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Chopawamsic Ordovician VMS—Mineral, Valzinco district Southeast Virginia Volcanogenic seafloor Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Kings Creek Mining District Southeast North Carolina; South Carolina Volcanogenic seafloor Barite; Polymetallic sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Puerto Rico volcanogenic Mn Southeast Puerto Rico Volcanogenic seafloor Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules) iron
Artillery Mountains manganese Southwest Arizona Volcanogenic seafloor Manganese oxide (layers, crusts, nodules) iron
Great Basin Central Nevada VMS Southwest Nevada Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; silver
Great Basin West VMS Southwest California; Nevada; Oregon Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; silver
Sangre de Cristo VMS Southwest Colorado; New Mexico; Texas Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Southern Basin and Range VMS Southwest Arizona Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver
Southwest New Mexico VMS Southwest New Mexico Volcanogenic seafloor Copper-zinc sulfide; Polymetallic sulfide; Zinc-copper sulfide copper; gold; lead; silver