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Geochemical characteristics of the Kal-e Kafi Cu-Mo-Au porphyry deposit, Central Iran

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Abstract

The Kal-e Kafi intrusive suite, located about 65 km northeast of Anarak Village in Central Iran is host to the significant un-tapped (virgin) Mo-bearing porphyry deposit. Trend-lines, fitted by linear regression, are plotted for values of vertical zonation coefficient (Kz) vs. elevation for the porphyry Cu-Mo deposits of Kal-e Kafi, Sungun (Iran), Aktogay (Kazakhstan), and Tekhut (Armenia). The slope of the trend-line at Kal-e Kafi deposit is much closer to horizontal, compared to the other deposits, signifying that the ore-body is preserved at subsurface. Geochemical anomalies, based on 121 samples, have been delineated and plotted over the 1:50,000 scale geological map of the study area. Contoured geochemical anomalies exceed 10,000 ppm for Pb, 2500 ppm for Zn, 20,000 ppm for Cu and 500 ppm for Mo. Previous work carried out by Technoexport used the “Cu-Mo Ore-Mineralization Vertical Zonation Coefficient” and the “Cu-Mo Ore-Mineralization Vertical Intensity Coefficient” to define fertile ore-bearing host rocks. The anomalies for Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo, besides those determined by the abovementioned coefficients calculated by Soviet geologists, coincide with ore deposits used in this study. Grade-depth log interpretation of drill hole reveals that, at shallower depths, there are patterns of supergene sulfide enrichment, while at deeper intervals, primary sulfide stockwork mineralization occurs. Elevated Au/Ag values at same-depth intervals could be characteristic of the abovementioned mineralization types. Therefore, from a geochemical perspective, they could be considered as Pb-Zn-Cu±Au supergene sulfide enrichment and Cu-Mo±Au primary sulfide stockwork mineralization zones.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the assistance Mr. Adam Wooldridge from Xpotential Geoscientific Consulting and Dr. Ian Basson from Tect Geological Consulting, who had also visited the Kal-e Kafi deposit last year, and kindly technically edited this manuscript. Reviews of the Arabian Journal of Geosciences provided useful and constructive comments that significantly improved the manuscript. The first author would like to remember the late Dr. Eugene Romanko from Zarubezh-Geologia (the former chief-manager of Technoexport operations in Iran) who passed away on March 09, 2009 in Tehran, while he had the opportunity to work with him, where, on his last working day, emphasized the unique significance of the Kal-e Kafi deposit among all mineralizations he had ever studied in Iran, recommending this deposit to be the subject of the Ph.D. thesis in Economic Geology of the first author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Science and Research Branch of Tehran, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Farzad Mahdavi, Nima Nezafati & Mansour Vosughi-Abedini

  2. Department of Geology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

    Ahmad Khakzad

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  1. Farzad Mahdavi
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  2. Ahmad Khakzad
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  3. Nima Nezafati
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  4. Mansour Vosughi-Abedini
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Correspondence to Farzad Mahdavi.

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Mahdavi, F., Khakzad, A., Nezafati, N. et al. Geochemical characteristics of the Kal-e Kafi Cu-Mo-Au porphyry deposit, Central Iran. Arab J Geosci 8, 10739–10758 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1893-5

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