Smirnov dedicated one chapter to "porphyry copper" – that chapter is 10 pages. Modern USGS reports on just the are 100+ pages with references up to 2020.
| Limitation | Consequence for the User | |------------|--------------------------| | | No coverage of modern concepts like orthomagmatic hydrothermal systems, epithermal low-sulfidation vs. high-sulfidation, or SEDEX and VMS subtypes as understood today. | | Lack of economic context | No discussion of cut-off grades, mineral economics, geometallurgy, or critical minerals (lithium, REEs, cobalt). | | Poor PDF quality | Scanned editions often have missing pages, illegible figures, no searchable text, and crude black-and-white diagrams. | | Absence of modern case studies | No examples from major recent discoveries (e.g., Pebble, Oyu Tolgoi, Salar de Atacama). | | No exploration techniques | Smirnov describes deposits as they are, but does not teach geophysics, geochemistry, or drilling strategies. | geologia de yacimientos minerales smirnov pdf better
"Geología de Yacimientos Minerales" by V.I. Smirnov is a seminal, comprehensive text defining the Soviet school of economic geology through a genetic classification of mineral deposits. The work systematically categorizes deposits into endogenous, exogenous, and metamorphogenic groups based on their geological origin. For a detailed summary of Smirnov's classification, see this document on Smirnov dedicated one chapter to "porphyry copper" –
Depósitos por reemplazo metasomático en el contacto entre intrusivos y rocas carbonatadas. high-sulfidation, or SEDEX and VMS subtypes as understood
Deposits in riverbeds, lakes, or oceans (e.g., placers, iron formations).