Mineralogy, alteration, and sulfur isotope geochemistry of the Zehabad intermediate-sulfidation epithermal deposit, NW Iran

The Zehabad Pb-Zn-Au-Ag (Cu) deposit lies in the Alborz magmatic arc of northwestern Iran. Ore-bearing breccia veins hosted by Eocene tuffs emplaced along the 80–130° trending fault and fracture zone. Mineralization occurs in the contact of the late Eocene igneous bodies and the Eocene volcanic and...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Shahbazi, Somaye, Ghaderi, Majid, Alfonso Abella, María Pura|||0000-0002-1515-4999
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/172731
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/172731
https://dx.doi.org/10.3906/yer-1902-1
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Sulfur -- Isotopes
Mineralogy -- Iran
Alborz
Epithermal
Intermediate-sulfidation
Iran
Sulfur isotopes
Zehabad
Sofre -- Isòtops
Mineralogia -- Iran
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria civil::Geologia::Mineralogia
Descripción
Sumario:The Zehabad Pb-Zn-Au-Ag (Cu) deposit lies in the Alborz magmatic arc of northwestern Iran. Ore-bearing breccia veins hosted by Eocene tuffs emplaced along the 80–130° trending fault and fracture zone. Mineralization occurs in the contact of the late Eocene igneous bodies and the Eocene volcanic and volcanosedimentary Karaj Formation. Mineralization formed in five stages: 1) disseminated framboidal pyrite and minor chalcopyrite and sphalerite; 2) quartz veins containing chalcopyrite, bornite, pyrite, and sphalerite; 3) deposition of specularite and gold grains hosted in quartz veins that crosscut chalcopyrite; 4) the main stage of mineralization that contains galena, sphalerite, tennantite-tetrahedrite, pyrite, sulfosalts, and gold; 5) barren quartz-calcite veins with sulfide mineral fragments of earlier stages. The hydrothermal alteration from closest to the veins outwards includes: a) silicification; b) phyllic with quartz, pyrite, sericite, and calcite; c) argillic with illite, kaolinite, and montmorillonite; d) propylitic containing epidote, calcite, chlorite, and sericite and; e) carbonatization that crosscuts all previous alteration types. Quartz and calcite are the most important gangue minerals at the deposit and show a close relationship with mineralization. Sulfur isotope compositions (0.8‰ to –10.1‰) suggest that the ore-forming fluids derived from magmatic sources with a temperature range of 276–288 °C. According to the field (macroscopic), microscopic, alteration, and sulfur isotope studies, the Zehabad base and precious metal mineralization is considered an intermediate-sulfidation epithermal deposit.