Stable Isotopes in Ore-Forming Systems

Stable isotope geochemistry provides essential constraints on the sources, pathways, and evolution of fluids, melts, ligands, and metals involved in mineralizing processes. Isotopic systems such as traditional S, O, H, C, N, B, Cl, Fe, Cu, Ni, Zn, V, Ca, Li, Mg, and others are increasingly used to interrogate magmatic-hydrothermal, metamorphic, sedimentary, supergene, and volcanogenic ore systems. Recent analytical advances, including in situ microanalysis and non-traditional stable isotope measurements, now allow ore-forming processes to be resolved at scales relevant to mineral textures, fluid inclusions, and paragenesis. This Research Topic will bring together studies that use stable isotopes to better understand mineral deposit formation and the broader geochemical cycling of metals.The goal of this Research Topic is to synthesize current advances in stable isotope applications to ore-forming systems and to define emerging directions for the field. We aim to address how isotopic signatures can be used to distinguish metal and fluid sources, trace fluid-rock interaction, constrain temperature and redox conditions, reconstruct pathways of metal transport and precipitation, and test genetic models for ore deposits. This Research Topic is intended as the second collection of the Commission on Ore Mineralogy of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), following and extending the Commission’s role in promoting integrated mineralogical and geochemical research on ore deposits.We welcome original research articles, reviews, methods papers, mini-reviews, and perspectives addressing stable isotope constraints on ore-forming systems. Contributions may cover magmatic, hydrothermal, metamorphic, sediment-hosted, volcanogenic, lateritic, supergene, and unconventional mineral systems, as well as experimental, theoretical, and analytical developments. Topics of interest include:• Isotope fractionation mechanisms• Source tracing• Fluid evolution• Ore mineral paragenesis• Metal transport and deposition• Multi-isotope approaches• Integration with petrography, mineral chemistry, and geochronology• Implications for mineral exploration and critical raw materialsStudies linking microanalytical isotope data with deposit-scale processes are particularly encouraged. Topic editors: Jakub Ciazela, Nicola Mondillo Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82509/stable-isotopes-in-ore-forming-systems