oxidation zone
Surface corrosion region
The oxidation zone is the upper portion of an ore deposit where minerals have been chemically altered by exposure to air and water.
Oxygen-rich groundwater transforms original sulfide minerals into oxides, carbonates, and other secondary compounds: The oxidation zone contained malachite and azurite rather than the primary copper sulfides below.
Also called the zone of oxidation.
- weatheringAtmospheric breakdown of materials
- rustIron oxide coating
- leachingDissolving out by liquid
- supergeneClustered non-recombining loci
- copperReddish-brown metallic element
malachite · azurite · limonite · ore · enrichment · mineral deposit · corrosion · minerals · groundwater · water table · surface · outcrop · secondary · iron · sulfide · decomposition · chemical breakdown · patina
- soil layersA horizon, B horizon, topsoil, subsoil, albic horizon