Economic Geology
H Tajeddin; Ebrahim Rastad; Abdolmajid Yaghoubpour; Mohammad Mohajjel; Richard Goldfarb
Abstract
Barika gold (and silver)-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit is located 18 km east of Sardasht city in the northwestern of Sanandaj–Sirjan metamorphic Zone. The rocks in the vicinity of the Barika deposit predominantly consist of Cretaceous volcanosedimentary sequences of phyllite, slate, ...
Read More
Barika gold (and silver)-rich volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit is located 18 km east of Sardasht city in the northwestern of Sanandaj–Sirjan metamorphic Zone. The rocks in the vicinity of the Barika deposit predominantly consist of Cretaceous volcanosedimentary sequences of phyllite, slate, andesite and tuffite, metamorphosed under greenschist facies grade. Barika deposit is composed of stratiform ore and stringer zone that both are hosted in an altered and sheared metaandesite unit. Fluid inclusion studies indicated that quartz (stringer zone) and barite (stratiform ore) samples homogenized between 132° and 283°C. Salinities of the fluids inclusions show a range from 1.4 to 9.6% wt NaCl equivalent that are close to that of normal seawater. The study indicates the colling occurred in the initial ore fluids, as a result of mixing with sea water, is an important process in the formation of Barika deposit. The δ34S values of sulfide minerals (pyrite, sphalerite and galena) from stockwork mineralization in the Barika deposit range from -0.8 to +5.6 per mil and fall within the range of values observed for volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. The narrow range of measured δ34S values from the sulfide minerals suggests that similar to almost of Kuroko VMS deposits, the ore-forming sulfur derived from the leaching of igneous sulfur from the underlying andesitic rocks. Calculated sulfur isotope temperatures for twelve coexisting galena-sphalerite and galena-pyrite pairs range from 146-293 ْ C that is consistent with temperatures estimated from fluid inclusion studies.
Economic Geology
A. Baharvandi; M. Lotfi; M. Ghaderi; M. R. Jafari; H. A. Tajeddin
Abstract
Shekarbeig barite deposit is located 46 km southwest of Mahabad in northwestern part of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone. The outcropped rock units in the area are Late Protrozoic metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary rocks, equivalent to Kahar Formation. The main ore mineral occurs as stratiform barite lenses in ...
Read More
Shekarbeig barite deposit is located 46 km southwest of Mahabad in northwestern part of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone. The outcropped rock units in the area are Late Protrozoic metamorphosed volcano-sedimentary rocks, equivalent to Kahar Formation. The main ore mineral occurs as stratiform barite lenses in three horizons accompanied by sulfide minerals as massive and/or parallel bands within metamorphosed rhyolitic tuffs (metatuff). The deposit footwall is composed of phyllite and slate crosscut by silicic and sulfide-bearing barite veins and veinlets (stringer zone). Primary minerals in the ore are mainly barite, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite and bornite and secondary minerals are chalcocite, covellite, malachite, siderite, goethite, hematite and other iron hydroxides. Gangue minerals include quartz, sericite, calcite, dolomite, feldspar and chlorite. In terms of metallic ores, the Shekarbeig deposit does not vary much having only pyrite and chalcopyrite. Types of fluid inclusions in the Shekarbeig deposit are two-phase liquid-vapour (LV), mono-phase vapour and mono-phase liquid; two-phase liquid-vapour being the dominant type in both stringer and stratiform parts. Sulfur isotope data indicate that seawater was the main mineralizing fluid for Shekarbeig mineralization. These data suggest that complete reduction of recent seawater sulfate and the rate of mixing of hydrothermal solution with cold waters in deep parts of the basin may result in precipitation of large amount of sulfides in the stringer and stratifrom zones. On the other hand, partial reduction of recent seawater sulfates provided required sulfur for the deposition of barite. Geological evidence, evaluation, lithostratigraphy, mineralization geometry and the results of fluid inclusion and sulfur isotope studies for samples from the Shekarbeig deposit indicate derivation of the hydrothermal fluids of low salinity and moderate temperature from seawater and circulation and upward movement by a heating source (probably subvolcanic intrusions) and finally cooling and deposition of the fluids as sulfate and sulfide on the sea floor due to mixing with seawater, similar to massive sulfide Kuroko-type deposits.
H Mohammaddoost; M Ghaderi; N Rashidnejad-Omran
Abstract
Qamsar cobalt deposit is located 26 km south of Kashan, in the middle part of Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc. Exposed rock units in the area include Eocene volcanics, Qom Formation marine sediments and plutonic bodies. The intrusive bodies have quartz-diorite to granodiorite composition as well as porphyry ...
Read More
Qamsar cobalt deposit is located 26 km south of Kashan, in the middle part of Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc. Exposed rock units in the area include Eocene volcanics, Qom Formation marine sediments and plutonic bodies. The intrusive bodies have quartz-diorite to granodiorite composition as well as porphyry microdiorite. Intruding bodies into the Eocene volcanics and Qom Formation units caused recrystallization and metamorphism and formed assemblages of skarn minerals such as garnet, pyroxene, epidote, tremolite and actinolite. Mineralization occurred as endo-skarn and exo-skarn in massive, vein, brecciated, open space filling and diffusion forms. Magnetite is the main ore mineral and is accompanied by cobaltite, chalcopyrite and pyrite. Fluid inclusion microthermometry studies were performed on prograde stage garnet and pyroxene and retrograde stage quartz. Microthermometry studies show homogenization temperatures from 400 to more than 600°C and from 180 to 200°C as well as salinities between 12 and 20% and between 5.8 and 11.9% wt NaCl equiv. for prograde and retrograde phases, respectively. Isotopic thermometry on pyrite-chalcopyrite pair minerals gives 241 to 528°C and that for quartz-magnetite pair minerals gives 441 to 549 °C. Sulfur and oxygen isotopic ratios offer magmatic origin which mixed with basinal fluid for this mineralization.
E. Haghighi; S. Alirezaei; E. Ashrafpour
Abstract
The Cheshmeh Hafez deposit in Torud-Chahshirin Range, north-central Iran, consists of a polymetal vein mineralization in Cenozoic volcanic host rocks of dominantly basaltic andesite and dacite compositions. The main ore vein, 1800 m long and <1 – 5 m wide, occurs discontinuously in a north-south ...
Read More
The Cheshmeh Hafez deposit in Torud-Chahshirin Range, north-central Iran, consists of a polymetal vein mineralization in Cenozoic volcanic host rocks of dominantly basaltic andesite and dacite compositions. The main ore vein, 1800 m long and <1 – 5 m wide, occurs discontinuously in a north-south direction, and includes chalcedony, fine- to coarse-grained quartz, and jasperoid, associated with galena and subordinate chalcopyrite, sphalerite, bornite, pyrite, tetrahedrite, specular hematite and siderite. Crustiform bands, consisting of grey chalcedony, jasperoid, milky quartz, and various ore minerals are common, and breccias and comb textures are locally developed, in the vein. Supergene processes led to the replacement of galena by cerussite, and of hypogene copper minerals (chalcopyrite and bornite) by covellite and malachite. The main ore vein is accompanied by several smaller quartz and calcite veins in NE-SW and E-W directions, respectively, where the calcite veins are barren. Alteration related to mineralization is restricted to thin halos bordering the vein, and consists of quartz, chlorite, calcite, kaolinite and sericite (illite). Fluid inclusions in quartz associated with ore minerals are studied. Most inclusions are two-phase, liquid-rich, at room temperatures; few are vapor-dominant, and few consist solely of liquid. Primary fluid inclusions display low to moderate homogenization temperatures (135-285) and salinities (1-13 wt% NaCl equivalents). The δ34S values for the ore fluids in equilibrium with the sulfide minerals fall in the range -1.6 to +4.1‰ and suggest a magmatic source for sulfur. The ore and gangue mineralogy, and the alteration assemblages, suggest that the ore fluids were reduced and near-neutral in nature. This, combined with the metal contents, Ag/Au ratio between 16 to 25, iron- poor sphalerite, the crustiform and colloform textures, and the Th and salinity values, imply that mineralization at Cheshmeh Hafez is of epithermal, intermediate- sulfidation, character. The alteration assemblage at Cheshmeh Hafez is indicative of a sub-type of intermediate- sulfidation epithermal deposits with a tendency towards low-sulfidation type
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 ...
Read More
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.
