Mineralogy, geochemistry, fluid inclusion and genesis of magnetite-apatite mineralization in the southwest of Hormuz Island, Iran

The study area is located about 8 km south of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan Province. This area is in the south of the Zagros folded zone and part of the Hormuz series. The late Precambrian-early Cambrian rocks comprise intercalations of rhyolite-rhyodacite lava and tuff, crystal tuff, tuffaceous shale, sandstone and evaporite layers. Iron mineralization along with apatite are found as dike, massive, vein-veinlets and disseminated forms in tuffaceous shale and crystalline tuff rock units. Based on iron oxides and apatite contents, mineralization can be divided into iron-oxides (mainly magnetite), iron oxides- apatite and apatite types. The main ore-forming minerals include magnetite, oligist, hematite, goethite and limonite, apatite, and gangue minerals are calcite, quartz and clay minerals. The Hormuz Island ores have a high concentration of rare earth elements (REE) and the total amount of REE in apatite-rich ores is up to 3%. The geochemical studies show that a strong positive correlation between P and REE. Comparison of the chondrite-normalized REE pattern of the Hormuz magnetite-apatite ores with those from the Bafq-Posht-e-Badam block and the Kiruna type iron ore deposits represent genetic similarity of mineralization. The homogenization temperature in the two-phased liquid and vapor (L+V) fluids in apatite minerals vary from 309 to 565°C (average 388°C), and salinity varies between 14.16 to 33.87 (20/80) wt.% NaCl. Finally, based on the field geology, mineralogy, geochemistry and fluid inclusion features, the Hormuz magnetite-apatite mineralization is classified in the Kiruna-type magnetite-apatite deposits group with magmatic-hydrothermal origin.