Geochronological and geochemical constraints on the petrogenesis of high-K granite from the Suffi abad area, Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone, NW Iran

The Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone (SSZ) trends northwestward in western Iran on the Precambrian to Paleozoic basement and exposes abundant I-type granitoids and calc-alkaline volcanic rocks that were most active during the Late Jurassic to Upper Cretaceous. The petrogenesis of the granitoids and associated volcanic rocks has been widely related to Neotethyan subduction beneath the Iranian plate. We report a geochronological and geochemical study of the Suffi abad granite (SLG) body that crops outs southeast of Sanandaj within the SSZ and is mainly composed of K-feldspar + quartz + plagioclase ± hornblende. The SLG, which shows a high-K calc-alkaline affinity, has LA-ICPMS zircon U–Pb ages ranging between 149 ± 2 and 144 ± 3 Ma and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of ∼0.7024–0.7069 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd of ∼0.5125–0.5127. These value correspond to an ?_Nd (145 Ma) of +1.5 and +4.9, suggesting that the SLG originated from the juvenile crust or depleted mantle with a young T_DM (650–900 Ma) over the subduction zone beneath the SSZ. Zircon saturation temperatures suggest that crystallization of the zircons, or emplacement of the host magmas, occurred at 560–750 °C, consistent with an intergrowth texture of K-feldspar and quartz that implies crystallization around the K-feldspar-quartz eutectic at lower temperatures. Overall, geochemical data suggest that crystallization of the hornblende and plagioclase played a role in magma differentiation. These data allow us to conclude that the high-K SLG did not originate directly from the juvenile mantle source as do most I-type, calc-alkaline granitoids, but more likely was produced from the partial melting of pre-existing I-type granitoids in the upper continental crust under low pressure conditions.     

An Agent-Based Approach for Regional Forest Fire Detection Using MODIS Data: A Preliminary Study in Iran

Detecting fires, which are at their early stages is the first component of effective fire fighting. To date, several algorithms have been proposed to detect fire spots using remote sensing data. Nevertheless, in order to be able to accurately detect small and cool fires, which are very important at the regional scale, most of these algorithms need to be adjusted and improved. In this paper, an agent-based algorithm is presented for regional forest fire detection using bi-temporal MODIS data. The algorithm is designed to be so self-adaptive and consistent that it could be applied to the different pairs of consecutive images taken by the same satellite platform and at the same daytime. The results clearly show that compared with the MODIS contextual algorithm (version 4), the proposed method is more sensitive to small and cool forest fires in Iran.     

Structural Investigations of Afghanistan Deduced from Remote Sensing and Potential Field Data

This study integrates potential gravity and magnetic field data with remotely sensed images and geological data in an effort to understand the subsurface major geological structures in Afghanistan. Integrated analysis of Landsat SRTM data was applied for extraction of geological lineaments. The potential field data were analyzed using gradient interpretation techniques, such as analytic signal (AS), tilt derivative (TDR), horizontal gradient of the tilt derivative (HG-TDR), Euler Deconvolution (ED) and power spectrum methods, and results were correlated with known geological structures.The analysis of remote sensing data and potential field data reveals the regional geological structural characteristics of Afghanistan. The power spectrum analysis of magnetic and gravity data suggests shallow basement rocks at around 1 to 1.5 km depth. The results of TDR of potential field data are in agreement with the location of the major regional fault structures and also the location of the basins and swells, except in the Helmand region (SW Afghanistan) where many high potential field anomalies are observed and attributed to batholiths and near-surface volcanic rocks intrusions.A high-resolution airborne geophysical survey in the data sparse region of eastern Afghanistan is recommended in order to have a complete image of the potential field anomalies.     

Age,geochemistry, and emplacement of the ~40-Ma Baneh granite–appinite complex in a transpressional tectonic regime,Zagros suture zone,northwest Iran

The Baneh plutonic complex is situated in the Zagros suture zone of northwest Iran between the Arabian and Eurasian plates. This complex is divided into granite and appinite groups. Zircon U–Pb dating shows that granites crystallized 41–38 million years ago but appinites experience more protracted magmatic evolution, from at 52 to 38 Ma. Whole-rock chemical compositions show significant major and trace element variations between the two lithologies. Granitic rocks are more evolved, with high contents of SiO₂ (62.4–77.0 wt%), low contents of TiO₂ (0.25 wt%), MgO (0.05–1.57 wt%), and Fe₂O₃ (0.40–4.06 wt%) and high contents of Na₂O + K₂O (≈10 wt%). In contrast, appinites have low contents of SiO₂ (51.0–57.0 wt%) and K₂O (<2.1 wt%) and high Fe₂O₃ (6.4–9.35 wt%), MgO (2.0–9.9 wt%), and Mg number (Mg# = 35–76). The concentration of rare earth elements in the appinites is higher than in granitic rocks, making it difficult to form granites solely by fractionation of appinite magma. (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr)_i and ε_Nd(40 Ma) in both groups are similar, from 0.7045 to 0.7061 and ?1.2 to +2.6, except for a primitive gabbroic dike with ε_Nd(40 Ma) = +9.9. Appinites show mainly typical I-type characteristics, but granites have some S-type characteristics. The sigmoidal shape of the Baneh pluton and its emplacement into deformed Cretaceous shales and limestone showing kink bands, asymmetric and recumbent folds in a broad contact zone, with pervasive ductile to brittle structures in both host rocks and intrusion, indicate that magma emplacement was controlled by a transpressional tectonic regime, perhaps developed during early stages in the collision of Arabia and Eurasian plates.     

New evidence for Jurassic continental rifting in the northern Sanandaj Sirjan Zone,western Iran: the Ghalaylan seamount,southwest Ghorveh

ABSTRACT

We address the growing controversy about the tectonic setting in which Jurassic magmatism of Iran occurred: arc or continental rift. In the Ghorveh area of the northern Sanandaj Sirjan zone (SaSZ), the Ghalayan metabasites are interlayered with marble and schist and locally cut by acidic dikes. Zircon U-Pb dating of the metabasitic rocks shows that these crystallized at ca. 145–144 Ma ago in the Late Jurassic (Tithonian). This complex was metamorphosed in the lower greenschist facies, however, some protolithic structures such as pillow lava and primary minerals are preserved. The metabasites are tholeiites with low SiO₂ (45.6–50.5 wt.%), moderate Al₂O₃ (11.3–17.0 wt.%), and high TiO₂ (0.7–2.9 wt.%) and Fe₂O₃ (9.4–14.1 wt.%). The Ghalayan metabasites are enriched in Light rare earth elements (LREEs) without significant Nb, Ta, Pb, Sr and Ba anomalies, similar to modern continental intra-plate tholeiitic basalts such as Afar and East African rifts. The Ghalaylan metabasites show wide ranges for ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_(i) (0.7039–0.7077) and positive ε_Nd(t) values (+0.1 to +4.6). These isotopic compositions are similar to those expected for slightly depleted subcontinental lithospheric mantle sources. Independently built discrimination diagrams indicate an intra-continental rifting regime for the source of Jurassic metabasites in the northern SaSZ. Geochemical and tectonic evidence suggests that rifting or a mantle plume was responsible for volcanic activity in the Upper Jurassic SaSZ. Considering the variation of ages of basaltic volcanism along the SaSZ, we suggest that Ghalayan basaltic magmatism reflected a submarine volcano that formed as part of the late stage continental rift, similar to Afar in the East African Rift system. Our results indicate that an extensional tectonic regime dominated SaSZ tectonics in the Middle to Late Jurassic.     

Geochemical and Sr–Nd isotopic constraints on the genesis of the Soheyle-PaKuh granitoid rocks (central Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt,Iran)

ABSTRACT

Soheyle-Pakuh granitoid rocks, with a variety of quartz diorite, quartz monzodiorite, granodiorite, tonalite, and granite, have been emplaced into the Tertiary volcanic rocks in the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc in central Iran. Zircon U–Pb dating yields an age of 39.63 ± 0.93 Ma for the crystallization of this body. Whole-rock compositions show that SiO₂ changes from 52.31 to 65.78 wt.% and Al₂O₃ varies from 15.54 to 18.24 wt.%, as well as high concentrations of large-ion lithophile elements (LILE, e.g. Cs, Rb, Ba, and K) and quite low contents of high field strength elements (HFSE, e.g. Nb, Ti, P), as expected in I-type arc granitoids formed in an active continental margin setting. Initial ratios of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd exhibit ranges 0.7043–0.7047 and 0.51284 to 0.51287, respectively, with positive εNd_(t) from +4.9 to +5.5 with a young TDM1 age (483–674 Ma); this tracer isotopic data suggesting that the SPG originated from juvenile basaltic crust derived from depleted mantle (~90%) with variable contributions from undepleted mantle and approximately 10% old lower crust, despite diverse processes (e.g. magma mixing and fractional crystallization) during their evolution and emplacement into a local extensional setting within the continental margin arc. The isotopic data are similar to those of other Phanerozoic granitoids of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt and corroborate melting of predominantly mantle-derived juvenile crustal protoliths and indicating extensive addition of new continental crust, during Cambrian-Neoproterozoic time, in the suprasubduction zone beneath the central Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc. Generation of these types of granitoids favours a model whereby rollback and (or) break-off of a subducted slab with subsequent lithospheric extension triggered by mantle upwelling, heat advection, and underplating resulting in melting of the central UDMA mantle-derived juvenile lower continental crust in the Late Eocene.     

Visibility Analysis In Vision Metrology Network Design

The aim of this paper is to present a method whereby accuracy enhancement of an existing photogrammetric network is achieved through the automatic selection of additional camera stations. The determination of the positions of these 'accuracy fulfilment' camera stations is based upon what has been termed 'visibility uncertainty prediction modelling' of visibility constraints derived from the existing network geometry. Following a review of vision constraints in network design, the concepts of visibility uncertainty prediction and visibility uncertainty spheres are introduced. These provide a mechanism to predict the visibility of current object target points for the new accuracy fulfilment images. This in turn aids in network design improvement. The visibility uncertainty modelling is then illustrated for two close range photogrammetric network configurations, for which the test results demonstrate that the proposed model can reliably predict target visibility with an overall certainty of 75%.