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Hydrothermal identification and geology

Pertaining to hot, aqueous water-based fluids and the geological processes, alteration, and mineral deposits they produce. Hydrothermal fluids are heated by proximity to magma bodies, radioactive decay, or geothermal gradients and can dissolve, transport, and precipitate metallic and non-metallic minerals. Hydrothermal processes are responsible for a large proportion of the world's metal ore deposits. Field: economic geology. Example: The Carlin-type gold deposits of Nevada formed when hydrothermal fluids heated by deep magmatic sources migrated through sedimentary rocks, precipitating microscopic gold along favorable structural and stratigraphic horizons.. Related terms: Vein, Alteration, Epithermal, Mesothermal.

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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
2026-03-30T15:19:42.027557+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 Hydrothermal mean in geology?
Pertaining to hot, aqueous water-based fluids and the geological processes, alteration, and mineral deposits they produce. Hydrothermal fluids are heated by proximity to magma bodies, radioactive decay, or geothermal gradients and can dissolve, transport, and precipitate metallic and non-metallic minerals. Hydrothermal processes are responsible for a large proportion of the world's metal ore deposits.
What is an example of Hydrothermal?
The Carlin-type gold deposits of Nevada formed when hydrothermal fluids heated by deep magmatic sources migrated through sedimentary rocks, precipitating microscopic gold along favorable structural and stratigraphic horizons.
Which earth-science field uses the term Hydrothermal?
Hydrothermal is used in economic geology.
Which terms are related to Hydrothermal?
Related terms in this reference are Vein, Alteration, Epithermal, Mesothermal.

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