Distribution of Platinum-Group Elements in Chromite Ores of the Sorkhband Ultramafic Complex, Kerman, Southeastern Iran

Abstract

The Ordovician Sorkhband ultramafic complex lies in southern Kerman Province of Iran. The wedge shape complex covers an area of more than 100 km2 and is divided into: lower part comprises of dunites, largest podiform chromitite deposits in Iran (Faryab mine), olivine clinopyroxenite dykes and massive's, wehrlite and olivine websterite dykes; and upper part comprises of clinopyroxene bearing harzburgites, with subordinate lenses and dykes of dunite, massive and dyke like olivine clinopyroxenite and minor orthopyroxenite dykes with no significant chromitite mineralization. Chromitite orebodies exhibit variable sizes and shapes, forming pods, lenses, bands, vein-like bodies and rich dissemination. Podiform chromitites in dunite form tabular to lenticular bodies although may occur also as pencil-like masses. The chromitites occur in four distinct textural modes. Massive, disseminated, banded and nodular chromitites are the most common textural types and commonly grade into one other. Massive chromitites have sharp contacts with the enclosing dunite whereas disseminated bodies grade outward into dunite and occasionally pass into interbanded chromitite and dunite. A detailed electron microprobe study reveals very high Cr#, Mg# and very low TiO2 contents for chromian spinels in chromitites. The Sorkhband chromitites contain up to 440 ppb total PGE, and display a systematic enrichment in IPGE relative to PPGE, with a steep negative slope in the PGE spidergrams and very low PPGE/IPGE ratios, a feature typical of ophiolitic podiform chromitites worldwide. The mineral chemistry data and PGE geochemistry of the chromitites indicates that the Sorkhband ultramafic complex was generated from an arc-related magma with boninitic affinity in a supra-subduction zone setting.