Abstract
Sedimentary series, as well as crystalline basements, are cross-cut by fracture networks along which fluids of different origins (meteoric, connate, metamor-phic, magmatic) have percolated. Chemical interactions with rocks along these pathways produce secondary minerals among which phyllosilicates are usually the dominant species. The mineral deposit sealing the fracture and the altered wall rocks are described as hydrothermal veins. These veins have long been studied as guides for prospective ore deposits (Rose and Burt 1979). Pioneer studies have demonstrated that the altered wall rock is zoned, and that the zones develop simultaneously by outward growth of several alteration fronts (Sales and Meyer 1950). Compared to pervasive alteration systems (Chapter 7), the volume ratio of altered versus unaltered rock is several orders of magnitude lower in a vein system. Nevertheless, veins are of great importance in environmental problems because they concentrate clays in the zones of fluid circulation.
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Meunier, A. (1995). Hydrothermal Alteration by Veins. In: Velde, B. (eds) Origin and Mineralogy of Clays. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-12648-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-12648-6_6
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