2007 GSA Denver Annual Meeting (28–31 October 2007)

Paper No. 1
Presentation Time: 1:35 PM

FLUID INCLUSION THERMOMETRY, S-ISOTOP, PETROLOGY OF KUH-E-ZAR SPECULARITE RICH IRON OXIDE GOLD DEPOSIT, NORTH EASTERN IRAN


MAZLOUMI, Ali Reza1, KARIMPOUR, Mohammad H.2, STERN, Charles R.3, RASSA, Iraj4 and SAADAT, Saeid3, (1)Deptartment of Geology, Payam Nour University, Mashhad, 433, Iran, (2)Department of Geological Sciences, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran, and University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, (3)Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, (4)Faculity of Earth Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran, mhkarimpour@yahoo.com

Different types of iron oxides deposit have been identified along the east-west trending Sangan-Drouneh Tertiary to Quaternary volcanic and plutonic belt in northern Iran, including Kuh-e-Zar specularite Au deposit, Tannurjeh magnetite Au, Saadat Abad magnetite Cu-Au and Sangan magnetite deposit (>450 million ton).

At Kuh-e-Zar, 75% of the exposed rocks are Paleocene-Eocene rhyolite-rhyodacite-and andesite tuff. Quartz monzonite, granodiorite, monzogranite and syenogranite plutons and related dykes intrude the volcanic rocks. Intrusive rocks are meta-aluminous, medium to high-K series I-type, and show enrichment in LILE = K, Th, Rb and depletion in HFSE = Nb, Sr, Ti.

Fifteen mineralized faults are identified that control the geometry of mineralization associated with both stockwork and hydrothermal breccias. Paragenesis involves specularite-quartz-gold-chlorite ± chalcopyrite ± pyrite ± galena ± barite. Specularite is fine grained and forms 20 to 60 % of the veins. In a few localities, chalcopyrite and minor pyrite and galena are found. SEM studies reveal that gold is fine grained (<40 micron). Propylitic alteration (Repidolite) covers large area. Silicification is found within the fault zones. Albite-chlorite alteration is identified within the intrusive. Argillic was formed due to sulfide oxidation. Gold grades are 0.07 – 36 ppm, Ag average 20 ppm, As and Sb < 30 ppm, Cu is mainly < 50 ppm in some zone up to 8000 ppm, Pb 50-3000 ppm, and Zn 70-2500 ppm. Alanite (REE) and high W 450 ppm is found at deeper zones. Ore reserves are more than 3 million ton at grades of 3.5 ppm. Temperatures of homogenization of primary two phase liquid rich fluid inclusions in quartz associated with specularite-chalcopyrite-gold are 468-430°C, with specularite-chlorite- gold are 335-295°C, and with low gold specularite-siderite are 270-210°C. The δ34S ‰ (CDT) values of chalcopyrite are between -2.4 and -1.1‰. The origin of the sulfur may be direct input from plutonic.