Sulfur is the fifteenth most abundant element in the continental crust of the Earth (260 ppm), and the sixth most abundant element in seawater (885 ppm). Sulfur (atomic number 16) has the ground-state electronic structure [Ne]3/V, and is the first of the group VIB elements in the periodic table (S, Se, Te, Po). In minerals, sulfur can occur in the formal valence states S S°, S4+, and S6+, corresponding to the sulfide minerals, native sulfur, the sulfite minerals, and the sulfate minerals. In the sulfide minerals, S2~ functions as a simple anion (e.g. CuFeS2, chalcopyrite) and as a compound S2 anion (e.g. FeS2, pyrite). In the sulfosalts, S2~ functions as a component of a complex anion (e.g. ASS3 in tennantite, CU12AS4S13).

The metal sulfides are the raw materials for most of the world supplies of non-ferrous metals and, therefore, can be considered the most important group of ore minerals. Although there are several hundred known sulfide minerals, only a half dozen of them are sufficiently abundant as to be regarded as "rock-forming minerals" (pyrite, pyrrhotite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite and chalcocite; see Bowles and Vaughan 2006). These mostly occur as accessory minerals in certain major rock types, with pyrite being by far the most important volumetrically.

Paleontology is the study of prehistoric life. It combines several fields, including geology (study of rocks), biology (study of living things), and chemistry (study of the basic building blocks of matter), to help piece together the evidence collected from fossils and the surrounding rocks. This evidence is usually incomplete because many important details are not preserved during the fossilization process. To make up for these gaps in information, paleontologists study fossils of similar species, as well as modern-day animals, to help them build a picture of prehistoric creatures and understand how they might have lived.

Porphyry-style Cu-Au/Mo deposits are among the most sought after targets for both base and precious metal exploration in the world today. Of particular interest are the "super porphyry" copper and or gold deposits, because of their size, grade and ability to support large scale, long life, profitable operations.

The term "super porphyry" is interpreted loosely in this publication, relating in general to the largest deposits in any established porphyry province. For a discussion of the accepted terminology and size classification of large porphyry-style deposits, see the introduction section of Richards, (2005) in this publication.