GEOE 401 – Mineral Deposits Fall 2024 Syllabus

Course Instructor
Ali İmer
Rm.: 107
aimer@metu.edu.tr

Lab Instructors
Akın Çil, Rm.: 123, akin.cil@metu.edu.tr, Sections 1 and 2
Atilla Kılıç Rm.: M-04, atikilic@metu.edu.tr, Section 1
Devin Aykasım Rm.: 119, daykasim@metu.edu.tr, Section 2

Course Description:
Overview of the formation and characteristics of principle types of mineral deposits, mainly including
metalliferous deposits and diamond deposits, as well as some industrial mineral deposits.

Course Objectives:
This course is intended to provide a basic theoretical understanding of: (1) the minerals industry and
current mineral exploration practices, and (2) the nature, form, and global distribution of selected
mineral deposit types, and (3) the linkages between regional geological and tectonic processes and ore
formation. The laboratory sessions are designed to introduce students to the major characteristics of
ore and alteration minerals, and common mineral associations and textures that are observed in
mineral deposits.

Grading:
Lecture Midterm Exam……………………………………………………………………30% (15% each)
Lecture Final Exam……………………………………………………….......................... 30%
Laboratory Final Exam…………………………………………………………….………20%
Laboratory Assignments…………………………………………………..........................20%
• Lecture Midterm Exams (60 minutes each) will consist of several short-answer questions relating
to topics covered in the lectures.
• Lecture Final Exam (2 hours) will be a mixed-format exam and will consist of short-answer
questions and essay-type questions. Questions will be asked relating to all aspects of the course.
• Laboratory Final Exam (2 hours) will consist of hand samples for identification, description, and
genetic interpretation.
• Laboratory Assignments will consist of examination and description of hand specimens (e.g.,
mineral and rock samples).

Lecture Hours:
Section 1 – Tuesday, 08:40–10:30 in GR126
Section 2 – Tuesday, 15:40–17:30 in GR126

Laboratory Hours:
Section 1 – Thursday, 08:40–10:30 in GR126
Section 2 – Thursday, 15:40–17:30 in GR126

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Attendance and general classroom rules:
Participation in lectures is essential for your success but is not mandatory. Late admission to the
classroom is only allowed within the first 5 minutes of the lecture. You must attend the laboratory
sessions in the course section in which you are enrolled (switching sections during labs is not
permitted). You cannot make up a missed laboratory session, so make sure you attend all the labs to
obtain full scores. If you miss a lab due to illness, you will have to provide a medical report. I strongly
recommend you arrive the classroom on time, especially on days of laboratory sessions. A 10%
penalty on your assignment score will apply for every 10 minutes you are late for a lab session.

Use of cell phones and other handheld electronic devices in lectures and exams is strictly forbidden
(with the exception of tablets used for following lecture notes). Operation of such devices in the
classroom is disruptive influences not conducive to learning. Their usage in class is therefore
inconsiderate to your fellow classmates and to your instructor. During the exams, I will consider a
functioning mobile phone as cheating.

Lecture Notes:
I will post the lecture notes on ODTUClass prior to the lectures so that you can follow along during
lectures. It is your responsibility to print out and bring your notes to the class. I also recommend
having a notebook ready as there is a lot of material that are not present in the slides that I will talk
about in the class.

Tentative Course Schedule*

Week Lecture Laboratory

Oct. 8–10 Introduction; The Minerals Industry; The Periodic No lab
Table
Oct. 15–17 Oxides and Native Metals; Sulfides and Sulfosalts Ore and Gangue Minerals I
Oct. 22–24 Sulfides and Sulfosalts Ore and Gangue Minerals II
Oct. 31 Ore Textures; No lecture on Oct. 29th (Republic No lab
Day)
Nov. 5–7 Hydrothermal Fluids/Alteration Ore Textures

Nov. 12 Lecture Mid-term Exam I

Nov. 14 No lecture Alteration
Nov. 19–21 Orthomagmatic Deposits Orthomagmatic Deposits
Nov. 26–28 Pegmatites, Greisens and Skarn Deposits Pegmatites and Skarn Deposits
Dec. 3–5 Porphyry Deposits Porphyry Deposits
Dec. 10–12 Epithermal Deposits Epithermal Deposits

Dec. 17 Lecture Mid-term Exam II

Dec. 19 Mesothermal Deposits; Volcanic-hosted Massive No lab
Sulfide Deposits
Dec. 24–26 Sediment-hosted Pb-Zn Deposits Mesothermals, VHMS and Sediment-
hosted Pb-Zn Deposits
Dec. 31–Jan 2 Banded Iron Formations (BIFs); Placer Deposits, BIFs, Residual Deposits and Weathering
Residual Deposits and Weathering; Diamonds

* Note: Course schedule may be subject to change (though not drastically from what is already posted)
depending on the class progress.

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Office Hours:
Open door policy or appointment via e-mail.

Course Learning Outcomes:

Following the completion of this course, students are expected to successfully: (1) demonstrate a
broad understanding of the characteristic features of economically important mineral deposit types,
(2) demonstrate knowledge on the fundamentals of ore forming processes, (3) identify various ore
minerals, alteration styles, and interpret textural relationships with respect to ore depositional
processes, and ultimately (4) synthesize observational and theoretical information to generate
geological models, thereby developing basic strategies during the exploration of mineral deposits.

Useful Textbooks:
Evans, A.M. (1993) Ore geology and industrial minerals: an introduction, 3rd edition, Blackwell
Scientific, 390 p. [available in the library at QE390.E92]
Robb, L. (2005) Introduction to ore-forming processes, Blackwell Science Ltd., 373 p. [available in the
library at QE390.R32 2005]
Taylor, R. (2009) Ore textures: recognition and interpretation, Springer
[book downloadable from http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-642-01783-4]

Journals:
Economic Geology [QE1.E15] [Also available through institutional online access]
Mineralium Deposita [QE351.M27] [Also available through institutional online access]
Ore Geology Reviews [Open online access]
Exploration and Mining Geology [TN260.E96] [Also available through institutional online access]
Mining Turkey [Online; http://www.miningturkeymag.com/]

Formal Notices

Academic Honesty:
The METU Honour Code is as follows: "Every member of METU community adopts the following honour
code as one of the core principles of academic life and strives to develop an academic environment where
continuous adherence to this code is promoted. The members of the METU community are reliable, responsible
and honourable people who embrace only the success and recognition they deserve, and act with integrity in
their use, evaluation and presentation of facts, data and documents."

Information for Students with Disabilities:

To obtain disability related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities
must contact the course instructor and the ODTÜ Disability Support Office as soon as possible. If you
need any accommodation for this course because of your disabling condition, please contact me. For
detailed information, please visit the website of Disability Support Office: http://engelsiz.metu.edu.tr/