Mineralogical Features of Chalcopyrite and Sphalerite in Copper–Pyrite Ore Tailings in the Light of Prospects for the Purposeful Formation of Man-Made Deposits

Abstract

The purposeful formation of man-made deposits is connected with the creation of such conditions under which a waste material acquires preset process properties while stored. This will enable future environmental clean processing of waste. Aiming to determine general mechanisms of formation of process properties in copper-pyrite ore tailings, the comprehensive analysis of mineralogical composition of tailings from three concentration plants processing ore from six large copper-pyrite deposits in the South Ural was performed. The crystal-chemical formulas of the basic ore minerals are studied and systematized. The morphological varieties of ore minerals are identified. It is found that even in case of deposits of the same genetic type, processing regimes and parameters of current mill tailings depend on the initial mineralogical features of waste based on which man-made deposits are formed. These features have influence on the mechanisms and stages of the secondary minerogenesis in the man-made deposits.