A Comparative Study of the Mineralogy and Petrology of the Mazraeh Cu-Fe Skarn Deposit, Iran and the Cu-Fe Skarn Deposit in the Edong Ore District, China
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Date
2018-12
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Cu and Fe skarn deposits are some of the largest skarn deposits that are important for various important elements. There are exhaustive reviews of the Cu and Fe skarn deposits, but the characteristics of Cu-Fe skarn deposit are poorly explained. This thesis evaluates previous review papers concerning the Cu-Fe skarn deposits at two different geologic settings: the Mazraeh Cu-Fe skarn deposit in Iran and the Cu-Fe skarn deposit in the Edong ore district, China. These Cu-Fe skarn deposits are among the largest and most important Cu-Fe skarn deposits. Compared to Cu and Fe skarn deposits, this deposit type also consists of gold as a by-product. This thesis also summarizes the tectonic setting and petrogenesis of Cu-Fe skarn deposits and examines the petrology and mineralogy of Cu-Fe skarn deposits. This thesis focuses on studying the mineral assemblages, the ternary plots, the end-member minerals, and the thin sections of each skarn deposit for comparisons and interpretations. Prograde skarn minerals, specifically garnet and pyroxene share similar compositions in both skarn deposits. Both skarn deposits have andraditic garnet and diopsidic pyroxene. For the Mazraeh Cu-Fe skarn deposit, the endoskarn contains the red-brown andradite with composition of 45.08– 68.33 mol% andradite, 19.05–39.34 mol% grossular, and 4.52–12.33 mol% almandine. The exoskarn contains the green-yellow grossular garnet that consists of 64.25–78.88 mol% grossular, 8.77– 20.55 mol% andradite, and 7.51–11.49 mol% almandine. The pyroxene is diopside-rich. The Cu-Fe skarn deposit in the Edong ore district contains 29-95 mol% andradite and 0-68 mol% grossular. The pyroxene is also diopside rich with 54-98 mol% diopside and 2-45 mol% hedenbergite. Petrological evidence shows that the prograde minerals are replaced by the retrograde minerals, including important ore minerals for Cu and Fe such as chalcopyrite, pyrite, and hematite. Both deposits have well-developed exoskarn and endoskarn system, with exoskarn containing more Cu and Fe mineralization, suggesting similar characteristics of Cu-Fe skarn deposits in the Mazraeh district, Iran and the Edong ore district, China.
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Keywords
Skarn, Skarn deposit, Metasomatism, Mineralogy, Petrology