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Mineral Occurrence
DEPOSIT
CHARACTER
Vein 01
CODE MINFILE DEFINITION
Occurrences in which mineralization occurs within one or more simple or complex veins, or vein sets which may be
associated with fault or shear zones.
Stockwork 02 Occurrences in which mineralization occurs within a network of veinlets in the country rock.
Breccia 03
Mineral occurrences hosted and/or controlled by the angular, broken rock fragments held together by a mineral
cement or in a fine-grained matrix. The breccia may be sedimentary, igneous or tectonic in origin.
Pipe 04
Unconsolidated 05
Podiform 06
Layered 07
Stratabound 08
Stratiform 09
Mineralization in pipes which are generally funnel shaped or cylindrical,, particularly mineralized breccia pipes,
diatremes, etc.
Occurrences within material whose particles are not cemented together. May occur at surface or at depth but is
usually assumed to be surficial material.
Mineralization in a lenticular or rodlike shape with either diffuse or sharp boundaries. May vary from a few centimetres
to tens of metres in size.
Mineralization within a tabular succession with different components of igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rocks
which can be identified by mineralogical, textural or structural criteria.
General term for mineralization confined by physical or chemical controls to specific stratigraphic units. Such deposits
can include veins, lenses, layers, etc. which may or may not be transgressive relative to the enclosing stratigraphy.
Specific term used for mineralization which is generally sheet-like in form and concordant to layering in enclosing
rocks. Generally applied to deposits such as sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX) and volcanogenic massive sulphide
(VMS) deposits.
Concordant 10 Mineralization which is structurally conformable with the major mineralogical textural or structural fabric of the hostrock.
Discordant 11 Mineral occurrences which are not parallel to the major mineralogical, textural or structural fabric of the hostrock.
Massive 12 Mineralization which constitutes a larger percentage of the rock volume than the matrix or gangue minerals.
Disseminated 13 Mineralization which occurs as scattered grains in the hostrock. There is no genetic connotation.
Shear 14
A tabular zone of rock that has been crushed and brecciated by many parallel fractures due to shear strain. Such an
area is often mineralized by ore-forming solutions.
Unknown ** Insufficient information to allow classification.
4.5 DEPOSIT CLASSIFICATION(*) (R07) (E07)
Deposit classification is a general interpretation of the origin of an occurrence based on the best
available geological data. The database will accept up to four classifications for any given occurrence.
This field is mandatory and at least one classification must be assigned. The coding of deposit
classification should be ranked, that is, provide the order in which the classifications are to be entered.
The ranked order will be reflected in the printout.
A genetic description should be incorporated in the Capsule Geology and should indicate the geological
evidence for the interpretations.
DEPOSIT
CLASSIFICATION
Replacement 01
Magmatic 02
CODE MINFILE DEFINITION
Deposits form by a solution and deposition mechanism by which new (ore) minerals grow and replace existing
minerals. Usually used in the context of ore minerals replacing carbonate minerals or other soluble rock.
Mineralization is directly related to a crystallization process in magma, exclusive of pegmatites. The deposits may
constitute the entire rock mass, form a compositional layer, or occur as disseminated minerals in an igneous rock.
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