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Gangue identification and geology

The commercially worthless rock and mineral material that surrounds or is intermixed with valuable ore minerals in a deposit. Common gangue minerals include quartz, calcite, feldspar, and clay minerals. Separating ore minerals from gangue is the primary objective of mineral processing beneficiation , and the ratio of ore to gangue determines the grade and economic viability of a deposit. Field: economic geology. Example: In a typical gold-bearing quartz vein, the quartz itself is gangue while the native gold and gold tellurides are the ore minerals—even though the vein may be over 99% quartz by volume.. Related terms: Ore, Grade, Beneficiation, Tailings.

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Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:41.999576+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Gangue mean in geology?
The commercially worthless rock and mineral material that surrounds or is intermixed with valuable ore minerals in a deposit. Common gangue minerals include quartz, calcite, feldspar, and clay minerals. Separating ore minerals from gangue is the primary objective of mineral processing beneficiation , and the ratio of ore to gangue determines the grade and economic viability of a deposit.
What is an example of Gangue?
In a typical gold-bearing quartz vein, the quartz itself is gangue while the native gold and gold tellurides are the ore minerals—even though the vein may be over 99% quartz by volume.
Which earth-science field uses the term Gangue?
Gangue is used in economic geology.
Which terms are related to Gangue?
Related terms in this reference are Ore, Grade, Beneficiation, Tailings.

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