Mississippi Valley-Type (MVT) Zinc-Lead Deposits

Low-temperature, carbonated-hosted, strata-bound, Zn-Pb±fluorite±barite deposits are generally referred to as Mississippi Valley-type (MVT) deposits in recognition of the occurrence of many such deposits within the drainage basin of the Mississippi River in the central United States, where they were first studied in detail. MVT deposits contain a substantial proportion of the world’s reserves of zinc and lead. They are the main source of these metals in the United States and contribute significantly to the production of lead and zinc in Canada and Europe.