Economic Geology
Z. Zandi; A. R. Jafari rad; A. Gourabjeripour; M. Lotfi
Abstract
The Saheb Fe-Cu skarn deposit is located in the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt, SE Saqqez, western Iran and has been formed along the contact between the Oligo-Miocene aged Saheb granitoid and the Permian aged impure calcareous rocks and includes endoskarn and exoskarn. Exoskarn is widely developed ...
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The Saheb Fe-Cu skarn deposit is located in the Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic belt, SE Saqqez, western Iran and has been formed along the contact between the Oligo-Miocene aged Saheb granitoid and the Permian aged impure calcareous rocks and includes endoskarn and exoskarn. Exoskarn is widely developed and include garnet and epidote skarn zones. The majority of mineralized zones are concentrated in garnet skarn. The relatively oxidizing mineralogical assemblage of the Saheb skarn includes garnet (andradite-grossular), pyroxene (diopside-hedenbergite), magnetite and hematite. Magnetite is the main and abundant ore mineral throughout the ore deposit. Based on field evidences and microscopic studies of skarn zone samples, two stages of prograde and retrograde alteration are distinguishable. According to the results of sample analysis of Saheb skarn productive intrusive body by XRF and ICP-MS techniques, the combination of this body is chiefly granite to granodiorite-diorite and belong to the I-type granitoids, metaluminous and K-rich calc-alkaline series. The Saheb granitoid is related to the VAG (Volcanic Arc Granite) tectonic setting.
Economic Geology
S. Maleki; A. A. Calagari; K. Siahcheshm; S. Alirezaei
Abstract
Khak Sorkh iron deposit located about 42 km northwest of Nadushan town in Yazd Province. Host rock include upper Triassic-Jurassic limestone which are intruded by Oligo-Miocene granitoid bodies. Mineralization is dominated by magnetite, and serpentine is the main waste mineral. Skarn mineral assemblages ...
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Khak Sorkh iron deposit located about 42 km northwest of Nadushan town in Yazd Province. Host rock include upper Triassic-Jurassic limestone which are intruded by Oligo-Miocene granitoid bodies. Mineralization is dominated by magnetite, and serpentine is the main waste mineral. Skarn mineral assemblages include clinopyroxene, garnet, tremolite phlogopite and epidote. The characteristics of mineralization are: magnetite mineralization in two generations, presence of serpentine as the main waste mineral, hornfelsed greywacke units which come between intrusive bodies and skarned limestone units, absence of obvious zoning in endoskarn and exoskarn parts, presence of Ni-Co-As sulfides, high amount of Zn, As, Co and Mn in magnetite geochemical results and the increasing Fe along with decreasing Mg contents in magnetite at both deposit and crystal scales from primary to secondary types. Minor elements contents of geochemical results have been used for distinguishing of different mineral deposits (e.g, Dare et al., 2012; Dupuis and Beaudoin, 2011; Nadoll et al., 2012) and they are in good accordance to hydrothermal and skarn type deposits like: low contents of Cr (less than 10 ppm), high contents of Mg (2.2 to 7.5 ppm), low TiO2 (from 0.01 to 0.3 ppm), low amounts of incompatible elements including Ag (
S. J. Moghaddasi; J. Yazdi; T. Namdar Mohammadi
Abstract
Siriz iron deposit is located in Central Iran structural zone, 75 km northwest of Zarand, Kerman Province. Iron mineralization occurred mainly as irregular ore bodies, lenses and veins in Paleozoic metamorphosed dolomitic limestone known as Kuhbanan Formation and the skarn units at the contacts of Siriz ...
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Siriz iron deposit is located in Central Iran structural zone, 75 km northwest of Zarand, Kerman Province. Iron mineralization occurred mainly as irregular ore bodies, lenses and veins in Paleozoic metamorphosed dolomitic limestone known as Kuhbanan Formation and the skarn units at the contacts of Siriz granitoid pluton. The Siriz iron deposit shows a simple mineralogical composition including magnetite, pyrite, chalcopyrite, hematite and iron hydroxides. The Siriz granitoid pluton is composed of quartz syenite, quartz monzonite, syenite and syenogabbro, with a calc–alkaline origin. Based on geochemical studies and classification, this pluton shows A-type characteristics with A1 subclass, originated from a mantle source. The Siriz skarn mineralization system consists of Siriz granitoid pluton as heat and mineralization source, skarn zone, massive magnetite iron ore lenses and veins, and metamorphosed dolomitic limestone (marble). An advance contact metamorphism between Siriz pluton and the dolomitic limestone of Kuhbanan Formation originated a calcic marble with granoblastic texture with garnet-wollastonitemarble (calcite) assemblage in limestone and garnet-clinopyroxene-phlogopite assemblage in dolomitic limestone. The Ca(-Mg) silicate minerals formed at this stage are mainly anhydrous and are not associated with iron mineralization. The peripheral high temperature magmatic-hydrothermal system changed to lower temperature system during the progressive cooling of the Siriz granitoid pluton,. This stage was recognized by formation of epidote, tremolite–actinolite, biotite, muscovite, chlorite, talc, calcite and quartz mineral assemblage in the Siriz iron deposit skarn unit. The association of iron mineralization and the late retrograde mineral assemblages, suggests that the iron mineralization is probably related to the fluid mixing with cooler meteoric water and decline in ore fluid temperature.
F. ayati
Abstract
In the studied area, the Cretaceous limestone rocks with abundant cracks are located on the Jurassic shales. Skarn producer fluids have influx into these cracks from a long distance and created distal skarns. The presence of a recrystallized and skarnified limestone rock layer within the shale, distinct ...
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In the studied area, the Cretaceous limestone rocks with abundant cracks are located on the Jurassic shales. Skarn producer fluids have influx into these cracks from a long distance and created distal skarns. The presence of a recrystallized and skarnified limestone rock layer within the shale, distinct the studied skarn from the most well-known skarns in Iran and puts it in the category of reaction skarns. There are some lenses of mineral deposites within skarns which is consisting mostly of magnetite and hematite. Iron-rich solutions which are drived from intrusive rocks, have left iron as magnetite in carbonate. In addition to the formation of magnetite by hydrothermal solutions, it can also be created in retrograde step by andradite alteration. These skarn is consisting mostly of pyroxene, garnet, tremolite-actinolite, chlorite and epidote. Skarnification process has occurred in two successive stages: progressive and regressive. In progressive stage, carbonate - silicate anhydrous minerals like garnet and pyroxene have occured. At later stages, because of the atmospheric water influence, garnets are altered to epidote, magnetite, calcite and quartz and pyroxenes are altered to tremolite, actinolite, calcite, quartz and opaque minerals. There are two set of garnet in studied skarn, the first one is massive (in progressive stage) and the other one is as veinlet (in regressive stage with epidote and has been created in quartz- calcit veins along with sulfide mineralization). Garnet compositions in iron deposits of studied area lie in grossular - andradite series. The compositions of studied garnet are the same as garnet compositions in Cu-Fe skarns in worldwide.
Y. Bayati Rad; H. Mirnejad; J. Ghalamghash
Abstract
Gol-Gohar iron mine in Sirjan with general tonnage of 1135 milion tons, is one of the most important iron sources in Iran. The main ore minerals in this ore deposit consist of magnetite and subordinate hematite. δ18O of magnetite ranges from 3.8‰ to 4.8‰, while the calculated δ18O ...
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Gol-Gohar iron mine in Sirjan with general tonnage of 1135 milion tons, is one of the most important iron sources in Iran. The main ore minerals in this ore deposit consist of magnetite and subordinate hematite. δ18O of magnetite ranges from 3.8‰ to 4.8‰, while the calculated δ18O of the fluids that are in isotopic equilibrium with magnetite, varies between 10‰ and 11.3‰. Such isotopic attributes indicates that magnetite originated from magmatic fluids that were also equilibrated with sources enriched in 18O. This theory completely corresponds with the breaciated environment of Gol-Gohar ore deposit and the presence of metamorphosed sedimentary and igneous rocks with high δ18O amounts. Magnetite in Gol-Gohar iron, particularly in lower levels, is associatd with sulfide phases, so that the amount of sulfur increases with depth. The main sulfide phase in Gol-Gohar ore is pyrite that occupies the spaces between the magnetite grains and occurs as narrow veinletss. The δ34S values of pyrite (23.46‰-25‰) are similar to those of seawater sulfate (~30‰) and evaporative sulfates (10-30‰) and thus suggest pyrite originated likely from such sources. Texture and pertogrephic studies also show that sulfides were deposited after the formation of magnetite ore in Gol-Gohar.
M. Mirmohammadi; A. Kananian
Abstract
Qareaghaj mafic-ultramafic intrusion (QMUI) is located in northwest Iran, 36 km NW from Urmia city. The QUMI is composed mainly of non-mineralized mafic and Fe-Ti-P-rich ultramafic rocks (FTP). The mafic rocks, mainly coarse-grained gabbro, microgabbro, metagabbro and ortho-amphibolite, ...
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Qareaghaj mafic-ultramafic intrusion (QMUI) is located in northwest Iran, 36 km NW from Urmia city. The QUMI is composed mainly of non-mineralized mafic and Fe-Ti-P-rich ultramafic rocks (FTP). The mafic rocks, mainly coarse-grained gabbro, microgabbro, metagabbro and ortho-amphibolite, have simple mineral assemblage (plg + cpx + ilm). Based on field observations, petrography and geochemistry, they are directly related to each other (comagmatic). The FTP forms numerous layers and sill-like bodies, ranging in thickness from ~5cm to several meters. These rocks with high proportions of olivine, apatite, ilmenite and magnetite, show unusual bulk composition (e.g., SiO2~21-30 wt%, Fe2O3t ~ 26-42 wt%, TiO2~5-11 wt%, MgO~9-20 wt%, P2O5 up to 5.1 wt%, Cr~40-160 ppm, Ni~7-73ppm, ∑REE~10-340ppm). The FTP totally included by mafic rocks with sharp and concordant contact shows magmatic lamination and follows general NW-SE trend of the QMUI. Field relationship, petrography and geochemical data suggest that the FTP is not related to mafic host rocks and indeed intruded later into gabbros during plastic, high temperature deformation in local shear zone.
