M. Boomeri
Abstract
The Esfordi magnetite-apatite ore deposit is located in 35 Km northeast of Bafq city in Central Iran. Bafq is an important mining district which hosts more than 45 iron deposits and a few Zn-Pb massive sulfides, Mn and U deposits. The district is restricted by two main strike-slip faults of Kuhbanan ...
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The Esfordi magnetite-apatite ore deposit is located in 35 Km northeast of Bafq city in Central Iran. Bafq is an important mining district which hosts more than 45 iron deposits and a few Zn-Pb massive sulfides, Mn and U deposits. The district is restricted by two main strike-slip faults of Kuhbanan to the east and Posht e Bdam to the west. The Esfordi ores occur in an Upper Precambrian-Cambrian volcano-sedimentary complex composed of acidic tuff, carbonates, shale, and sandstone. This complex intruded by granitic rocks and basic dykes and affected by regional and contact metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration. The Esfordi magnetite-apatite ores occur on top of the acidic tuff which is near to a carbonate layer. The Esfordi deposit is the most rare-earth elements (REE)-rich and most P-rich member of the iron deposits in the Bafq district. The main minerals in the Esfordi mine are Iron oxides, apatite, actinolite, diopside, talc, andradite, feldspars, quartz and carbonates. The REE minerals are closely related to apatite and were mainly formed in or around apatite grains and within veins and veinlets. This paper identifies the REE minerals and presents preliminary information on mineral composition and geological and mineralogical features of the deposit. The REE-bearing minerals are mainly of phosphate, fluorocarbonate and silicate groups. The REE minerals are highly enriched in light REE such as Ce, La, Nd and Pr. Apatite contains a few percent REE in its composition. However, the main part of REE may be from apatite as it is the main mineral of the deposit and apatite-rich horizons contain high-grade REE ore. The metasomatic assemblage, one head crystals of apatite and many mineralized veins and veinlets indicate that hydrothermal process were definitely active in the Esfordi deposit at later stages.
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.