Thickness and spatial distribution of veins in a porphyry copper deposit, Rosia Poieni, Romania

Abstract

A statistical analysis of the vein thickness distributions of veins in the Rosia Poieni porphyry copper deposit, Romania, indicates that vein thickness data conform to a power-law distribution whereas the spatial distribution of veins follows a negative exponential law. A high clustering of the veins is indicated by both the spacing distribution and the C v values. The similar vein densities observed at the open-pit scale are representative of a saturation level of vein nucleation. Differences in the spacing distribution and in the mean vein thickness are explained by different initial nucleation rates in the deepest and the lowest parts of the porphyry copper. The highly clustered organization of the system is explained by vein linkage processes during their growth and modification of the fluid pressure and local stress during the hydrofracturing.