Spokane Paper - The Formation and Enrichment of Ore-Bearing Veins. Supplementary Paper

At the New York meeting of the Institute, April, 1907, I presented a paper entitled, The Formation and Enrichment of Ore-Bearing Veins,' in which paper I advanced the following propositions: (1) That the majority of mineralized veins are the product of expiring vulcanism; (2) that most of these veins were primarily mineralized by comparatively rich solutions in comparatively short periods of time; (3) that the solutions gained their metal-values from a comparatively rich source; (4) that there is a bary-sphere containing large amounts of the useful metals; (5) that eruptions spring from various depths and bring various kinds of magmas towards the surface; and (6) that only those eruptions which disturb the barysphere and bring a magma rich in metals sufficiently near the surface to be leached by vein-making solutions are productive of valuable ore-deposits, other eruptions producing barren veins. Ore-deposits due to magmatic segregation were not included in this general survey. As a result of considerable further study I have modified my views in some respects, while in others I feel more sure than ever of the ground taken at that time. That ore-bodies are infrequent occurrences and born of extraordinary conditions I think is now generally accepted. The theory that persisted for a time—namely, that ore-bodies were formed by the ordinary ground-water, which consists of extremely dilute solutions, derived from leaching extremely lean surface-rocks, and which must occupy enormously long periods of time in concentrating the values so leached, is, I think, now pretty generally regarded as not applicable to the great majority