Cyprus-type (also known as mafic-type) volcanogenic (“VMS”) deposits
are commonly polymetallic, copper-rich, stratabound mineral deposits,
hosted by submarine mafic-volcanic rocks that form on, or near the
seafloor at mid-ocean ridges and back-arc basins in an extensional tectonic
regime.
Hydrothermal fluids sourced at depth migrate along feeder zones and
precipitate near the seafloor to form mound-like accumulations
Mineralized with pyrite, chalcopyrite, pyrrhotite, and sphalerite along with
other metals including gold and silver
The deposits often have metal zoning patterns with copper forming near
the centre, closer to the feeder zone, and zinc depositing on the outer
margins of the deposit
Deposition of the massive sulfide deposits is often followed by various
stages of deformation, including uplift, basin inversion, compressional
deformation, and metamorphism.
Styles, Textural Evolution, and Sulfur Isotope Systematics of Cu-Rich Sulfides from the Cambrian Whalesback Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit, Central Newfoundland, Canada, Jonathan Cloutier et. al
Volcanogenic Massive Sulphide Deposits, Alan G. Galley, Mark D. Hannington, Ian R. Jonasson
The Occurrence of Gold in Sulphide Deposits of the TAG Hydrothermal Field, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, Mark D. Hannington, et. al
