Supergene

Describes changes caused by surface waters near the ground surface: weathering oxidises the primary ore, dissolves metals and may redeposit them deeper in an enrichment zone. The opposite of hypogene, which refers to deep fluids.

Composition

Typical minerals: chalcocite, covellite, malachite, azurite, smithsonite, goethite, supergene alunite.

Sources

In the atlas

All glossary terms