Determination of mineralization controlling factors of Fath-Abad deposit in sedimentary sequence (Roshtkhar - Khorasan Razavi) in related to oligiste (Iron ore), gold and barite exploration

Executor of project: Dr. Seyed Mehran Heidari

2021

The Fath-abad exploration area is located in the northeast of Rosht-khar city of Khorasan Razavi province. This area is geologically and metallogenically located in the Khaf-Bardaskan volcanic-plutonic belt in the north of the inner fault zone in the structural zone of Central Iran. Geologically, the main exposed rock units are limestone, sandstone, conglomerate with less volcanic and pyroclastic rocks as lava and interlayer with a combination of rhyodacite and tuff. These units belong to the Oligocene period up to the present time. In the north, intrusives with granular and porphyry texture and a combination of mainly monzosinite, monzonite, syenite, monzonite and porphyry diorite are exposed, which in terms of tectonic position belongs to the post-collision tensile environment.

Major alterations includes of iron oxide and argillic. Based on the results of remote sensing studies and surveys, in addition to barite ores, a new potential of spikularite (iron oxide) was identified in the southern, southwestern part of the area. These iron potentials with dimensions of about 100* 500 meters are discontinuously exposed at elevations and in the carbonate rocks along the fault zone with the predominant northwest-southeast direction. Iron ores in this section are concentrated in the fractures, which indicate that the mineralization is hydrothermal. Since the main mineral of this reserve is spicularitet, so the main cause of mineralization is changes in the oxygen fugacity of the environment; So that oxygenated surface waters after penetration into depths and combined with high temperature magmatic fluids, in conditions of high oxygen fugacity and low sulfur fugacity (absence of sulfide minerals) have led to the formation of spicularite ore in the early stage of mineralization. In addition to the potential for iron in this area, there is less strong evidence of gold anomalies, which needs further work.