Genesis of Eocene volcanic-hosted copper deposits in the Kuh-e-Jarou Mining District (South Eshtehard): Constraints from geology, mineralization and fluid inclusions

The Saveh-Kashan-Qom copper belt, in the northern part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (UDMA) consists of two of the oldest (gold and copper) zones in Iran (Samani, 1998; Rajabpour et al., 2017) where Upper Eocene-Oligocene Mard Abad-Bouin Zahra volcanic suite is situated. This volcanic suite hosts several copper deposits including Jarou, Gomosh Dasht, Ghezel Cheshme, Bidestan and Afshar Abad that are known as the "Kuh-e-Jarou Mining District". The Kuh-e-Jarou Mining District has a total potential ore reserve of 2 Mt Cu with an average grade of 3 wt.% (Zar-Azin Gostar Consultant Engineering Co., 2009). Upper Eocene volcanic and pyroclastic rocks of rhyodacite, trachyandesite, andesite, and trachytic tuff with high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic affinity consist of the main host rocks for Cu mineralization. These units are primarily intruded by post Eocene intrusive bodies.  The geochemistry and genesis of ore bodies have not been fully understood since most previous studies in this area have been focused on petrology of volcanic and intrusive rocks. Moreover, the main purpose of this study is to investigate mineralization style, geometry, and textural-structural features of orebodies, alterations, and fluid inclusions with implication for genesis of Jarou, Gomosh Dasht, Ghezel Cheshme, Bidestan and Afshar Abad copper deposits. In addition, this research provides more insight into understanding geology and mineralization conditions in the study area with an implication for future exploration.

Seventeen thin polished sections from the ores and the host rocks were prepared and they were studied by a transmitted/reflected polarizing microscope in the Iran Mineral Processing Research Center (Karaj, Iran). Five rock powdered samples were also analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrometry (X′ pert Philips) in order to identify the mineralogy of clay minerals in the mineralogy laboratory of Salamanca University (Spain). Fluid inclusion microthermometry was performed using a Linkam THMS600 heating-freezing stage (-190 to +600 °C) mounted on a ZEISS Axioplan2 microscope in the fluid inclusion laboratory of the Iranian Mineral Processing Research Center (Karaj, Iran). Salinities (wt.% NaCl eq.), density (g/cm3) and pressure (bars) were calculated using the FLINCOR v.1.4 (Brown, 1989) and FLUIDS (Bakker, 2012).

The orebody is controlled by a series of feather-like ruptures and faults and its dominant mineral compositions are chalcopyrite and chalcocite with minor amounts of pyrite, galena, bornite and sphalerite. The gangue minerals are quartz, barite, calcite and chlorite. Four types of hydrothermal alterations including chloritization, sulfidization, silicification and epidotization were recognized. Based on field and petrographic studies, three mineralization stages were distinguished including (1) the pre-ore mineralization stage characterized by fine-grained disseminated pyrites, (2) the main hydrothermal stage consisting of three substages: I) an early quartz-chalcopyrite ± bornite vein, II) middle bornite-chalcocite ± covellite breccia ore, III) late galena and sphalerite inclusions, and (3) late-stage barite and calcite veins.Based on petrographic studies, five types of aqueous fluid inclusions have been distinguished in the quartz-chalcopyrite ± bornite and barite veins including two-phase liquid-rich (LV), two-phase vapor-rich (VL), liquid monophase (L), vapor monophase (V) and minor halite-bearing liquid-rich fluid inclusions (LVS). The results show that parental fluids with a density of >1 g/cm3 and an approximate depth of 400 meters were formed and they were followed by fluid inclusions with a density of <1 g/cm3 and a depth of <300 meters due to fluid depressurization, faults. Moreover, introducing low temperature meteoric waters have caused fluid mixing and subsequently copper ore deposition (Henley et al., 2015; Cheng et al., 2019). Considering all geological mineralization styles, textures and structures of the orebody, types of alteration and fluid inclusions in copper deposits of the Kuh-e-Jarou Mining District, it can be suggested that these deposits have similarities with the Manto-type copper deposits in Chile or volcanic red beds in northern America.