Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposit Volcanogenic massive sulfide ore deposits, also known as VMS ore deposits, are a type of metal sulfide ore deposit, mainly copper-zinc which are associated with and created by volcanic-associated hydrothermal events in submarine environments. These deposits are also sometimes called volcanic-hosted massive sulfide (VHMS) deposits. The density generally is 4500 kg/m. They are predominantly stratiform accumulations of sulfide minerals that precipitate from hydrothermal fluids on or below the seafloor in a wide range of ancient and modern geological settings. In modern oceans they are synonymous with sulfurous plumes called black smokers. They occur within environments
Pentlandite Thompson Belt, Canada, and a few examples from Brazil. Pentlandite, but primarily chalcopyrite and PGEs, are also obtained from the supergiant Norilsk nickel deposit, in trans-Siberian Russia. The Sudbury Basin in Ontario, Canada, is associated with a large meteorite impact crater. The pentlandite-chalcopyrite-pyrrhotite ore around the Sudbury Structure formed from sulfide melts that segregated from the melt sheet produced by the impact. Pentlandite is a catalyst for production of hydrogen and oxygen from water using electricity. It is said to be as effective at this as platinum, which is significantly rarer and more expensive. Pentlandite Pentlandite is an iron-nickel sulfide,