The impact of tectonic stress chemistry on mineralization processes: A review

Abstract

Tectonism often plays an important role in the mineralization process, which is generally thought to be the main controlling factor in the accumulation of economic materials (e.g., gold, coal, oil and gas) through deformation. However, numerous experimental and theoretical studies have suggested that tectonic stress not only causes deformation (physical changes) in rocks and minerals but also promotes their chemical changes by acting directly on chemical bonds and causing bond scission or regeneration, called tectonic stress chemistry (TSC). In recent years, TSC actions caused by tectonic activities have provided new ideas and evidence for explaining the chemical structural evolution of coal, hydrocarbon formation, organic (coal-derived) and inorganic graphitization and hydrothermal mineralization under shear stress. These background studies have provided incentives and insights into how tectonic stress affects the chemical structures of minerals, rocks and even ore-forming fluids in the process of mineralization. In this paper, we briefly review: (1) the concept of TSC; (2) the TSC process in the formation of shear zone type gold deposits from stress concentration, brittle fracturing, sudden reduction of fluid pressure, and flash vaporization to gold precipitation; (3) mechanisms of the macromolecular structural evolution of coal and gas generation under shear stress from deformation experiments and molecular dynamic simulations; (4) coal-derived graphitization caused by preferred orientation and extension of the basic structural units (BSUs) under shear stress; and (5) some preliminary experimental explorations on inorganic graphitization in carbonate-hosted shear zones. In addition, some existing problems and possible solutions for these processes are also discussed. Finally, we propose additional potential TSC processes in extensive geological processes, e.g., the relationship between deformation and metamorphism and trigger mechanisms of slow-slip earthquakes. To further explore these processes, a combination of experiments and molecular dynamic simulations should be undertaken by researchers.