Size categories for lode mineral deposits, adapted from Guild (1981), are listed below. These size categories define the terms world class, large, medium, and small. These size categories are used mainly in the parts of Table 1 on the lode deposits in the Russian Far East where specific tonnage and grade data are not yet available. The small category may include occurrences of unknown size. Units are metric tons (tones) of metal or mineral contained, unless otherwise specified.
Table 2. Size categories for lode mineral deposits, adapted from Guild (1981).
Metal
|
World Class >
|
Large >
|
Medium >
|
< Small
|
|
|
|
|
|
Antimony
|
|
50,000
|
5,000
|
|
Barite (BaSO4)
|
|
5,000,000
|
50,000
|
|
Chromium
(Cr2O3)
|
|
1,000,000
|
10,000
|
|
Cobalt
|
|
20,000
|
1,000
|
|
Copper
|
5 million
|
1,000,000
|
50,000
|
|
Gold
|
|
500
|
25
|
|
Iron (ore)
|
|
100,000,000
|
5,000,000
|
|
Lead
|
5 million
|
1,000,000
|
50,000
|
|
Magnesium
(MgCO3)
|
|
10,000,000
|
100,000
|
|
Manganese
(tons of 40% Mn)
|
|
10,000,000
|
100,000
|
|
Mercury
(flasks)
|
|
500,000
|
10,000
|
|
Molybdenum
|
500,000
|
200,000
|
5,000
|
|
Nickel
|
1 million
|
500,000
|
25,000
|
|
Niobium-Tantalum (R2O5)
|
|
100,000
|
1,000
|
|
Platinum group
|
|
500
|
25
|
|
Pyrite (FeS2)
|
|
20,000,000
|
200,000
|
|
Rare earths (RE203)
|
|
1,000,000
|
1,000
|
|
Silver
|
|
10,000
|
500
|
|
Tin
|
|
100,000
|
5,000
|
|
Titanium (Ti02)
|
|
10,000,000
|
1,000,000
|
|
Tungsten
|
30,000
|
10,000
|
500
|
|
Vanadium
|
30,000
|
10,000
|
500
|
|
Zinc
|
5 million
|
1,000,000
|
50,000
|
|
|