Identifying and Comparing the Exploration Criteria at Sari Gunay Gold, Dalli Copper-Gold and Zarshuran Gold Deposits in Zagros Orogen

There are important deposits such as Sari Gunay epithermal gold, Dalli porphyry copper-gold, and Zarshuran Carlin deposits with a few common exploration features in the Zagros metallogenic province of Iran. This study used geological maps, remote sensing, geochemical, geophysical, mineralogical, petrographic, fluid inclusion and age dating information to characterize and identify exploration criteria of these deposits. Mineralization at Sari Gunay gold deposit is epithermal, which was formed in association with an alkaline magma and brecciated, altered dacite porphyry about 11 Ma. Mineralization at Zatshuran is Cralin with black shale and carbonate sedimentary hosts, formed indirectly in association with a deep alkaline magma about 14 Ma. Mineralization at Dalli deposit is copper-gold porphyry with diorite host, formed in association with a chalk alkaline magma about 21 Ma. Despite different host rocks, mineralization at Zarhuran and Sari Gunay gold deposits reveals some similarities. Among the common exploration criteria in the two deposits are Oligo-Miocene alkaline magma, mineralization depth of more than 300 meters, northeast trending structures, gold, arsenic and antimony geochemical association, presence of iron oxides such as jarosite and hematite, vuggy breccia textures, and silica and phyllic alteration hosting gold minerlization. The most important exploration criteria at the Dalli deposit, however, are Miocene chalk alkaline magmatism, depth of mineralization of more than 500 meters, strong potassic and phyllic alterations, presence of specularite mineral, northeast trending structures and strong high magnetic anomalies, associated with potassic alteration.