Abstract

The Cheshmeh Khuri prospecting area, part of the Tertiary volcanic-plutonic rocks in the Lut Block (central eastern Iran), comprises Middle Eocene granitoid and volcanic (with basaltic andesite to rhyolite composition) sequences that intruded pyroclastic rocks. Copper mineralization is related to the granitoid rocks. The mafic rocks occur mainly as dykes and are related to a younger magmatic activity (post-mineralization) in the area. The main hydrothermal alteration zones include quartz-sericite-pyrite ± carbonate (QSP ± C), argillic, and propylitic. Mineralization (pyrite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena and magnetite) occurs as disseminated, stockwork and vein-type. The granitoids have features typical of high-K calk-alkaline, metaluminous, and belong to magnetite granitoid series. Primitive mantle normalized trace element spider diagrams display enrichment in LILE, such as Rb, Ba, and Cs, compared to those of HFSE. Chondrite-normalized REE plots show moderately to slightly strong LREE enriched patterns, and a negligible negative Eu anomaly. Rb-Sr whole rock–feldspar–biotite-hornblende and zircon U-Pb ages between ~44.6 and ~43.4 Ma (Middle Eocene) were obtained in granitoid samples. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of granitoids range from 0.7047 to 0.7054, and their εNdi values vary from −1.1 to +0.8. Initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios of mafic rocks range from 0.7043 to 0.7047, and the εNdi values vary from +0.7 to +3.5. The whole set of geochemical data of rocks in the study area indicate an origin of the parental melts in a subduction-modified upper mantle in post-collisional extension-related zone. The primitive magmas of granitoids underwent contamination and assimilation through being exposed to the continental crust, while primitive magmas of the mafic rocks do not have relevant crustal contribution. The geochemical and radiogenic isotope data for the granitoids associated with mineralization in the Cheshmeh Khuri area in comparison with those of other prospects in the Lut Block indicate that mantle has played a crucial role in their petrogeneses and metallogeneses. Due to the crustal contamination and assimilation, the proportion of mantle component that was involved in the granitic magma shows a decrease in the Cheshmeh Khuri area. It seems that the Cheshmeh Khuri area has the lowest potential for a significant amount of Cu-Au agglomeration.

Highlights

  • Sr and Nd isotopic compositions were determined for six whole-rock samples and five separate minerals of the Cheshmeh Khuri intrusive and volcanic rocks at the Laboratório de Geologia Isotópica da Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal

  • Petrographical characteristics of intrusive rocks According to cross-cutting relationships observed in the field and U-Pb and Rb-Sr dating, the lithology of the Cheshmeh Khuri area can be divided into the following five groups: 1- Upper Jurassic conglomerate, 2- Middle Eocene pyroclastic rocks, which are intruded by granitoid rocks, 3- Middle Eocene basaltic andesite to dacite rocks, 4- granitoid rocks that are related to the mineralization and 5- mafic rocks

  • Five intrusive units based on the type and abundance of phenocrysts, groundmass and mafic minerals were identified in the Cheshmeh Khuri area

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Summary

August 2018 24 January 2019 2 April 2019

This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Geochemistry, Sr-Nd Isotopes and Zircon U–Pb Geochronology of Intrusive Rocks: Constraint on the Genesis of the Cheshmeh Khuri Cu Mineralization and its Link with Granitoids in the Lut Block, Eastern Iran

12. Discussion
13. Conclusion
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