First report of Geochemical Characteristics of the Sangan Manganese Occurrence, Northeast Khash (Iran)

Abstract

The Sangan manganese deposit is located 28 km northeast of the Khash city (Southeast of Taftan volcano) in the SistanaBaluchistan province. Structurally and lithologically, this deposit lies in the central part of Iranian flysch zone. The ore body is layer in shape and lies above the Shale with intercalation meta sandstone - lithic tuffs of the Quaternary volcanic units contact and is completely hosted within dark gray to black lithic tuffs and in places interlinks with the dark gray to black lithic tuffs, so that the lithic tuffs play role keybed (line exploration) of manganese ore in the region. The geochemistry characteristics of the Sangan deposit was studied by means of major oxide, trace and Rare Earth Element (REE) contents and the origin of mineralization was discussed. The relatively high Al concentrations (5.95 to 7.22 wt.%, average = 6.61) in the ore of Sangan Mn deposit might result from lithic tuffs, which are the host rocks of the ore. Low titanium values (0.24 to 0.36 wt.%, average = 0.31) indicate limited clastic material entry during mineralization. In chondrite normalized REE graphics in all ore samples were characterized by slight negative Ce (0.10 to 0.11, average = 0.11) and negative Eu (0.18 to 0.22, average = 0.20) anomalies. The negative Ce anomaly was typical to hydrothermal deposits and negative Eu anomaly indicates contamination from the continental crust and or sediment contribution via dehydration. The available data like; Mn:Fe (average 4.07), relatively high Ba (average 508,50), Co:Ni (average 0.18), Co:Zn (average 0.34), total REE (average 117.94), LREE > HREE, LREE:HREE (average 10.33), La:Ce (average 0.56), slight negative Ce and Eu anomalies and discrimination diagrams for Mn deposits indicated that the Sangan manganese deposit is hydrothermal type volcano-hydrothermal mineralization.