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Geology, geochemistry, and some genetic discussion of the Chador-Malu iron oxide-apatite deposit, Bafq District, Central Iran

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Abstract

The Chador-Malu iron oxide-apatite system (Bafq District, Central Iran) contains the largest known iron ore deposit in Iran (pre-mining reserve of 400 Mt @ 55 % Fe), and comprises the pipe-like northern (this study) and the sill-like southern orebodies of predominantly massive ore, and a sodic-calcic alteration envelope. The geology and geochemistry of the Chador-Malu deposit demonstrates its similar characteristics to the Kiruna-type deposits. There is circumstantial evidence for rare earth elements (REE) mobilization during apatite leaching by high-temperature fluids and associated monazite nucleation. Pervasive actinolitization of the rhyolitic country rocks led to the formation of actinolite-rich metasomatic host rocks, which represent another evidence for high-temperature fluids at Chador-Malu. Hydrothermal mineralization is suggested by small iron ore veins (2–3 cm thick) and breccias cemented by iron oxides, as well as a Fe-metasomatism which overprints all types of host rock alteration. Based on REE geochemistry and spatial relationships, it is proposed that a potential source for metals and P could be late-stage Fe-P melt differentiates of the Cambrian magmatism, which is consistent with the late Fe-metasomatism of the host rocks. The proposed Fe-P melts and the mineralization would be linked by hydrothermal media through the zones of ring fracture at Chador-Malu and similar parts of the Bafq district.

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Acknowledgments

The present study is based on the first author’s MSc thesis at Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Tehran, Iran. The authors express their gratitude to the managers of the Chador-Malu Mining and Industrial Co. for access to the deposit, supporting us during field work and sampling, and funding this research. Some costs were also covered by the Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic) Grant for Graduate Research. This revised version has greatly benefited from the insightful, constructive comments Professor Robert Duncan and other anonymous reviewers kindly provided.

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  1. Department of Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), 424 Hafez Ave., Tehran, 15916-34311, Iran

    Armin Sabet-Mobarhan-Talab, Firouz Alinia, Seyyed-Saeed Ghannadpour & Ardeshir Hezarkhani

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  1. Armin Sabet-Mobarhan-Talab
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  2. Firouz Alinia
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Sabet-Mobarhan-Talab, A., Alinia, F., Ghannadpour, SS. et al. Geology, geochemistry, and some genetic discussion of the Chador-Malu iron oxide-apatite deposit, Bafq District, Central Iran. Arab J Geosci 8, 8399–8418 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1813-8

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