The formation of mineral deposits in mesothermal quartz veins is a
complex process that has been the subject of much research. The
classical fault-valve hypothesis suggests that mineralization occurs
when metamorphic fluids are injected during a brittle event and then
locked in to mineralize, but this hypothesis does not fully explain the
regular spacing of repeated mineralized patterns that are often
observed. This paper proposes a new mechanism for mineralizing systems
based on the theory of cnoidal waves in solids. Cnoidal waves are
standing waves that can persist for long times in materials under
compressive and extensional regimes. We investigate mineral deposits by
analytical and numerical methods and show that the cnoidal wave
instability theory provides a plausible alternative mechanism for
mineralizing systems. This study opens a new avenue for field studies to
demonstrate that the mechanism-based cnoidal waves play an essential
role in the formation of mineral deposits.