A global database of porphyry copper deposits and prospects

Porphyry copper deposits are the world's primary source of copper and can also host a variety of secondary commodities identified as critical by the U.S. Geological Survey (U.S. Geological Survey, 2022). These deposits occur primarily along convergent plate margins, and their metal association and geochemical characteristics are reflective of whether the deposit formed in continental/island arc, back-arc, or syn- to post-collisional environments (e.g., Hofstra and others, 2021). Based on this association, understanding the location, age, and endowment of global porphyry deposits can be leveraged to identify prospective regions for discovery of new porphyry deposits along these ancient margins. This data release is a compilation and update from previously published global and regional datasets of porphyry copper deposits and prospects. The data sheet includes deposit names and their location, age (if known, and including analytical method), deposit classification based on Hofstra and others (2021), interpreted tectonic origin, and grade-tonnage compiled from public databases where available. The final spreadsheet represents the most up-to-date published information of global porphyry copper deposits and prospects as of Spring 2024.

References

Hofstra, A., Lisitsin, V., Corriveau, L., Paradis, S., Peter, J., Lauzière, K., Lawley, C., Gadd, M., Pilote, J., Honsberger, I., Bastrakov, E., Champion, D., Czarnota, K., Doublier, M., Huston, D., Raymond, O., VanDerWielen, S., Emsbo, P., Granitto, M., and Kreiner, D., 2021, Deposit classification scheme for the Critical Minerals Mapping Initiative Global Geochemical Database: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021–1049, 60 p., https://doi.org/ 10.3133/ ofr20211049.

U.S. Geological Survey, 2022, 2022 Final List of Critical Minerals: Federal Register Document 2022-04027, p. 10381-10382. (available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/02/24/2022-04027/2022-final-list-of-critical-minerals).