Geochemistry of the Kuh-e-Chehr manganese deposit,, northeast of Ardakan, Yazd province

Authors

1 Department of geology, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

2 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, Yazd University

3 Department of Geology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran,

Abstract

A manganese deposit is located 45 km the northeast of Ardakan within the Yazd Block of Central Iran. The regional lithology comprises Jurassic shales, sandstones with limestone interbeds, and Cretaceous limestones. The units are juxtaposed Cambrian formations along a fault contact. Fault activity has placed the manganese deposits adjacent to Quaternary units. The main manganese minerals include pyrolusite, manganosite, and cryptomelane. Accessory phases consist of calcite, quartz, minor illite (muscovite), hematite, and goethite. High Si/Al and Mn/Fe ratios and geochemical discrimination diagrams suggest a hydrothermal origin with subsequent supergene enrichment. Low TiO2 and Al2O3 contents imply minimal clastic input during manganese deposition. Elevated U/Th ratios indicate rapid mineral precipitation under hydrothermal conditions. The presence of goethite, limonite, and amounts of Na and Mg contents suggest the influence of supergene processes. Chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns exhibit relative enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREEs) with variable Ce and Eu anomalies (negative to positive). This pattern supports a hydrothermal genesis. Excluding the weathered sample, the Post-Archean Australian Shale (PASS)-normalized REE pattern displays LREE depletion, heavy rare earth elements (HREEs) enrichment, and a distinct positive Eu anomaly. This pattern, when compared to REE distributions in various hydrothermal fluids and seawater, indicates the mixing of hydrothermal fluids with seawater under oxidizing conditions. Notably, the absence of exposed igneous rocks near the deposit suggests a distant source for the hydrothermal fluids.

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References

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Advanced Applied Geology
Volume 14, Issue 3
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October 2024
Pages 737-754

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