CHARACTERISTICS AND ORIGIN OF IRON MINERALIZATION IN NORTHERN SANANDAJ – SIRJAN ZONE (IRAN – IRAQ)
Abstract
The studied iron mineralization is located in the northwestern parts of the Sanandaj – Sirjan Zone (SaSZ) of Iran and extends inside Iraq. This zone is bordered by the Urumieh – Dokhtar magmatic arc and the Zagros Thrust Zone, which is the boundary between the Arabian and Iranian plates. The SaSZ is very important for its iron, manganese and gold mineralizations. The main iron ore localities and mining sites in the area are studied in this work. The study included field characterization, petrologic and geochemical analysis. The aim of the present work is to study the genesis and paragenetic history of the Fe mineralization in this zone. The results indicate a two-phase formation process with two different paragenesis of iron mineralization in most of the localities studied in the region of the northern Sanandaj – Sirjan Zone; one of low temperature and the other formed at high temperature. The first phase represents sedimentary exhalative iron oxides layers. The second phase is metamorphogenic, following orogenesis, metamorphism, and plutonism. High-temperature fluids released from the solidification of a large plutonic body remobilized iron oxides of the first phase and caused deposition as magnetite and high-temperature silicate veins within higher stratigraphic levels.
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