Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Age Constraints on the Beni Bou Ifrour Skarn Type Magnetite Deposit, Northeastern Morocco

Abstract: The Beni Bou Ifrour deposit of northeastern Morocco is a skarn type magnetite deposit. K-Ar age determination suggests that the mineralization occurred at 7.040.47 Ma. The spatial relationship between skarn and dikes of microgran-odiorite derived from the batholith of Wiksane Granodiorite, and the similarity of age (8.020.22 Ma), confirms that the Wiksane Granodiorite is the igneous rock most probably related to mineralization. The skarn is distributed asymmetrically in the limestone, and magnetite ore was developed just below the calc-silicate skarn as two parallel beds separated by 100 m of barren limestone and schist.
The mineralization can be divided into three stages. The early stage is characterized by the formation of calc-silicate minerals, mainly clinopyroxene (80–70 % diopside) and garnet (early almost pure andradite to the late 60 % andradite). The main stage is characterized by the formation of a large amount of magnetite. Epidote and quartz formed simultaneously with magnetite. Fluid temperatures exceeded 500 C during the early to main stages. Fluid with very high salinity (50–75 wt% NaCl equiv.) was responsible for the formation of the magnetite ore. The oxygen isotope composition, together with the fluid inclusion data, suggests that magmatic fluid was significant for the formation of calc-silicate skarn minerals and magnetite. Low temperature (-230C) and low salinity (-10 % NaCl equiv.) hydrothermal fluids dominated by meteoric water were responsible for the late stage quartz and calcite formation.