Finite Element Modelling of Three-Dimensional Steady-State Convection and Lead/Zinc Mineralization in Fluid-Saturated Rocks

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Zhao, Chongbin^{a; b} | Hobbs, B.E.^a | Mühlhaus, H.B.^a | Ord, A.^a | Lin, Ge^b

Affiliations: [a] CSIRO Division of Exploration and Mining, P.O. Box 1130, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia | [b] Changsha Institute of Geotectonics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, China

Abstract: We use the finite element method to model three-dimensional steady-state convective pore-fluid flow and the relevant mineralization in fluid-saturated rocks when they are heated from below. In particular, we investigate lead/zinc precipitation and dissolution patterns caused by the reactive sulfide and sulfate fluids mixing in three-dimensional hydrothermal systems. The related numerical results demonstrated that: (1) The finite element method is useful in and applicable to the modelling of three-dimensional ore body formation and mineralization problems in fluid-saturated porous rocks; (2) The mixing of reactive sulfide and sulfate fluids is an important mechanism to generate high-grade lead/zinc deposits in three-dimensional hydrothermal systems in the upper crust of the Earth.

Keywords: Finite element analysis, natural convection, chemical reaction in porous materials, flow through porous materials, minerals occurrences and deposits, reactive flows

DOI: 10.3233/JCM-2003-3106

Journal: Journal of Computational Methods in Sciences and Engineering, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 73-89, 2003