NUMERICAL GEODYNAMIC MODELLING OF COUPLED MECHANO-THERMO-HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES AND ITS APPLICATION IN PREDICTIVE EXPLORATION IN THE FENGHUANGSHAN ORE FIELD, TONGLING

摘要

Mineralisation is the result of the coupled multi-geodynamic processes in the crust. The coupled mechano-thermo-hydrological (MTH) processes are the basic physical processes that govern the location of the hydrothermal mineralization, which can be simulated in the computer by using of the numerical codes, such as FLAC. The numerical modeling results can be used not only to explain the features of existing ore deposits, but also to predict the favorable mineralization locations. This paper has summarized the basic equations describing coupled MHT processes in the water-saturated porous rocks, the principles of FLAC, and its application to the MHT processes related to copper mineralization in the Fenghuangshan ore field. We used the FLAC to simulate the syn-deformation cooling and fluid flowing evolution after the intrusion was emplaced and solidified. The modeling results suggest a most prospective exploration area where the subsequent exploration supported the prediction and the test bore hole disclosed the high quality copper ore bodies in the target, demonstrating a positive role of the numerical MTH modeling in facilitating predictive ore discovery.