A new mode of mineral replacement reactions involving the synergy between fluid-induced solid-state diffusion and dissolution-reprecipitation: A case study of the replacement of bornite by copper sulfides

Mineral replacement reactions are one of the most important phenomena controlling the geochemical cycle of elements on Earth. In the early years, solid-state diffusion was proposed as the main mechanism for mineral replacement reactions, but over the past 20 years the importance of the coupled dissolution-reprecipitation (CDR) mechanism has been recognized. In the presence of a fluid phase and at low temperatures (e.g.,