Producing or containing gossan; indicating the presence of metallic ore deposits through gossan formations.
From gossan + the suffix -iferous (meaning 'bearing' or 'producing,' from Latin ferre 'to carry'), literally meaning 'bearing gossan' or 'gossan-producing.'
Geologists use this term to describe rocks that are basically nature's honest advertisement—these gossaniferous formations were the original geological prospecting tool before modern mining technology, and they still help scientists find valuable ore deposits today.
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