Research on base metal sulfide deposits is among the oldest and best-documented subjects of economic geologists worldwide, c- sidering that copper was first mined about 3000 years ago on the island of Cyprus. During the past 10 years, after the exciting discovery of active sulfide formation on the modem ocean floor, a considerable flow of new ideas has stimulated and influenced the discussion of o- forming processes for copper-zinc-Iead sulfides in sedimentary and volcanic environments. The development of new genetic concepts consequently led to reinterpretation of some apparently well-est- lished formation models. This Proceedings Volume contains a collection of carefully selected papers on current research on the geology and metallogeny of base metal sulfide deposits presented as oral or poster contri- tions at the DMG (Deutsche Mineralogische Gesellschaft) - GDMB (Gesellschaft Deutscher Metallhiitten- und Bergleute - Fachsektion Lagerstiittenforschung) - SGA (Society of Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits) Joint Meeting on Ore Deposits in Aachen, Federal Republic of Germany, September 16-19, 1985. Base metal sulfide deposits with different ore compositions occur in a wide variety of geological and lithological settings of almost any age. This has been taken into account in organizing this volume along the lines of classical host-rock classification. The first group of contributions focuses on sediment-hosted base metal sulfide deposits including examples of Kupferschiefer and Copperbelt-type, as well as lead-zinc mineralization in car- nate host rocks.

Copper belongs to those metals whose concentrations in nature arise from a broad diversity of endogeneous and exogeneous pro- cesses, which applies to essentially all genetic classes of ore deposits. This is the first proceedings volume on copper metallogeny to cover the worldwide distribution of the four main groups of cop- per deposits, including in Part I: copper-nickel deposits with cobalt and platinum group elements; Part II: copper-molybde- num-gold deposits with silver, zinc, and lead; Part III/IV: copper- zinc-lead deposits (with silver etc.). On the occasion of the 27th International Geological Congress in Moscow, USSR, a symposium on copper metallogeny was held, dealing with metallogenesis and mineral deposits. The symposium was organized and sponsored by three international societies en- gaged in the field of ore deposits: The Society of Economic Geol- ogy (SEG), the Society of Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits (SGA) and the International Association on the Genesis of Ore Deposits (IAGOD). Invited papers were presented in four ses- sions: (1) Copper deposits in mafic and ultramafic complexes, (2) Porphyry copper deposits, (3) Copper deposits of volcanic-hydro- thermal association, and (4) Sediment-hosted copper deposits. The sessions were chaired by A. D. Genkin, A. J. Naldrett, J. D. Ridge and G. I. Gorbunov; V.1. Sotnikov, A. Soregaroli, R. H. Sillitoe and V. A. Evstrakhin; F. M. Vokes, A.1. Krivtsov, M. Solomon and N. I. Eremin; G. H. Friedrich, Yu. V. Bogdanov, A.C. Brown and F.P. Krendelev.