Where are secondary deposits located relative to their primary source?

• A. Away from their primary source
• B. In the same rock as the primary source
• C. Directly above the primary source in the same ore body
• D. Under the surface at the pipe of the primary deposit

Answer: (A)

Secondary deposits form away from their primary source because the minerals are weathered out of the original ore and transported by fluids or gravity, then settle where the energy of movement decreases. This transport often creates placer or alluvial deposits found in riverbeds, beaches, or other distant locations from the original ore body. They are not still in the same rock as the primary source, not directly above the ore body, and not beneath the surface at the primary deposit’s pipe.