Petrogenesis and geodynamic evolution of the Kajan Neogene subvolcanic rocks,Nain, Central Iran

Kajan subvolcanic rocks in the Urumieh–Dokhtar magmatic arc (UDMA), Central Iran, form a Late Miocene-Pliocene shallow-level intrusion. These subvolcanics correspond to a variety of intermediate and felsic rocks, comprising quartz diorite, quartz monzodiorite, tonalite and granite. These lithologies are medium-K calc-alkaline, with SiO₂ (wt.%) varying from 52% (wt.%) to 75 (wt.%). The major element chemical data also show that MgO, CaO, TiO₂, P₂O₅, MnO, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ define linear trends with negative slopes against SiO₂, whilst Na₂O and K₂O are positively correlated with silica. Contents of incompatible trace elements (e.g. Ba, Rb, Nb, La and Zr) become higher with increasing SiO₂, whereas Sr shows an opposite behaviour. Chondrite-normalized multi-element patterns show enrichment in LILE relative to HFSE and troughs in Nb, P and Ti. These observations are typical of subduction related magmas that formed in an active continental margin. The Kajan rocks show a strong affinity with calc-alkaline arc magmas, confirmed by REE fractionation (La_N/Yb_N = 4.5–6.4) with moderate HREE fractionation (Sm_N/Yb_N = 1.08–1.57). The negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* <1), the low to moderate Sr content (< 400 ppm) and the Dy/Yb values reflect plagioclase and hornblende (+- clinopyroxene) fractionation from a calc-alkaline melt Whole–rock Sr and Nd isotope analyses show that the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr initial ratios vary from 0.704432 to 0.705989, and the ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd initial ratios go from 0.512722 to 0.512813. All the studied samples have similar Sr-Nd isotopes, indicating an origin from a similar source, with granite samples that has more radiogenic Sr and low radiogenic Nd isotopes, suggesting a minor interaction with upper crust during magma ascent. The Kajan subvolcanic rocks plot within the depleted mantle quadrant of the conventional Sr-Nd isotope diagram, a compositional region corresponding to mantle-derived igneous rocks.     

Gold Deposits in the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone: Orogenic Gold Deposits or Intrusion‐Related Gold Systems?

Most of the known large gold deposits in Iran are located along the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone, western Iran, which hosts a wide range of gold deposit types. Gold deposits in the belt, hosted in upper Paleozoic to upper Mesozoic volcano‐sedimentary sequences of lower greenschist to lower amphibolite metamorphic grade, appear to represent mainly orogenic and intrusion‐related gold deposit types. The largest resource occurs at Muteh, with smaller deposits/occurrences at Zartorosht, Qolqoleh, Kervian, Qabaqloujeh, Kharapeh, and Astaneh. Although a major part of the gold deposits in the Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone are related to metamorphic devolatilization, some deposits including Muteh and Astaneh are related to short‐lived disruptions in an extensional tectonic regime and are associated with magma generation and emplacement. The age of gold ore formation in the orogenic gold deposits is Late Cretaceous to Tertiary, reflecting peak‐metamorphism during regional Cretaceous–Paleocene convergence and compression. The Oligocene to Pliocene age of most intrusion‐related gold systems is consistent with the young structural setting of the gold ore bodies; these deposits are sequestered along normal faults, correlated with Middle to Late Tertiary extensional tectonic events. This relationship is comparable to the magmatic‐metallogenetic evolution of the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic arc, where the number of different types of gold‐copper deposits and the magnitude of the larger ones followed development of a magmatic arc. The appropriate explanation may be related to two different stages of gold mineralization consisting of a first compressional phase during the Late Cretaceous to Early‐Middle Tertiary, which is related to orogenic gold mineralization in the Qolqoleh, Kervian, Qabaqloujeh, Kharapeh, and Zartorosht deposits, and the extensional phase during the Eocene to Pliocene that is recognized by young intrusion‐related gold mineralization in the Muteh and Astaneh deposits.     

Geochemical characteristics of the Kuh-e Dom intrusion,Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc (Iran): Implications for source regions and magmatic evolution

The Kuh-e Dom Pluton is located along the central northeastern margin of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc, spanning a wide range of compositions from felsic rocks, including granite, granodiorite, and quartz monzonite, through to intermediate-mafic rocks comprising monzonite, monzodiorite, diorite, monzogabbro, and gabbro. The Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc forms a distinct linear magmatic complex that is aligned parallel with the orogenic suture of the Zagros fold-thrust belt. Most samples display characteristics of metaluminous, high-K calc-alkaline, I-type granitoids. The initial isotopic signatures range from εNd (47 Ma) = −4.77 to −5.89 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr(i) = 0.7069 to 0.7074 for felsic rocks and εNd (47 Ma) = −3.04 to −4.06 and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr(i) = 0.7063 to 0.7067 for intermediate to mafic rocks. This geochemical and isotopic evidence support a mixed origin for the Kuh-e Dom hybrid granitoid with a range of contributions of both the crust and mantle, most probably by the interaction between lower crust- and mantle-derived magmas. It is seem, the felsic rocks incorporate about 56–74% lower crust-derived magma and about 26–44% of the enriched mantle-derived mafic magma. In contrast, 66–84% of the enriched mantle-derived mafic magma incorporates 16–34% of lower crust-derived magma to generate the intermediate-mafic rocks. According to the differences in chemical composition, the felsic rocks contain a higher proportion of crustal material than the intermediate to mafic ones. Enrichment in LILEs and depletion in HFSEs with marked negative Nb, Ba, and Ti anomalies are consistent with subduction-related magmatism in an active continental margin arc environment. This suggestion is consistent with the interpretation of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Arc as an active continental margin during subduction of the Neotethys oceanic crust beneath the Central Iranian microcontinent.     

Laser-ICP-MS U–Pb zircon ages and geochemical and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic compositions of the Niyasar plutonic complex,Iran: constraints on petrogenesis and tectonic evolution

We conducted geochemical and isotopic studies on the Oligocene–Miocene Niyasar plutonic suite in the central Urumieh–Dokhtar magmatic belt, in order better to understand the magma sources and tectonic implications. The Niyasar plutonic suite comprises early Eocene microdiorite, early Oligocene dioritic sills, and middle Miocene tonalite + quartzdiorite and minor diorite assemblages. All samples show a medium-K calc-alkaline, metaluminous affinity and have similar geochemical features, including strong enrichment of large-ion lithophile elements (LILEs, e.g. Rb, Ba, Sr), enrichment of light rare earth elements (LREEs), and depletion in high field strength elements (HFSEs, e.g. Nb, Ta, Ti, P). The chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) patterns of microdiorite and dioritic sills are slightly fractionated [(La/Yb)_n = 1.1–4] and display weak Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.72–1.1). Isotopic data for these mafic mantle-derived rocks display I_Sr = 0.70604–0.70813, ?_Nd (microdiorite: 50 Ma and dioritic sills: 35 Ma, respectively) = +1.6 and ?0.4, TDM = 1.3 Ga, and lead isotopic ratios are (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 18.62–18.57, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 15.61–15.66, and (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 38.65–38.69. The middle Miocene granitoids (18 Ma) are also characterized by relatively high REE and minor Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.77–0.98) and have uniform initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr (0.7065–0.7082), a range of initial Nd isotopic ratios [?Nd(T)] varying from ?2.3 to ?3.7, and Pb isotopic composition (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 18.67–18.94, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 15.63–15.71, and (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 38.73–39.01. Geochemical and isotopic evidence for these Eocene–Ologocene mafic rocks suggests that the magmas originated from lithospheric mantle with a large involvement of EMII component during subduction of the Neotethyan ocean slab beneath the Central Iranian plate, and were significantly affected by crustal contamination. Geochemical and isotopic data of the middle Miocene granitoids rule out a purely crustal-derived magma genesis, and suggest a mixed mantle–crustal [MASH (melting, assimilation, storage, and homogenization)] origin in a post-collision extensional setting. Sr–Nd isotope modelling shows that the generation of these magmas involved ～60% to 70% of a lower crustal-derived melt and ～30% to 40% of subcontinental lithospheric mantle. All Niyasar plutons exhibit transitional geochemical features, indicating that involvement of an EMII component in the subcontinental mantle and also continental crust beneath the Urumieh–Dokhtar magmatic belt increased from early Eocene to middle Miocene time.     

Oligocene subduction-related plutonism in the Nodoushan area,Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt: Petrogenetic constraints from U–Pb zircon geochronology and isotope geochemistry

Geochemical data and Sr–Nd isotopes of the host rocks and magmatic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) collected from the Oligocene Nodoushan Plutonic Complex (NPC) in the central part of the Urumieh–Dokhtar Magmatic Belt (UDMB) were studied in order to better understand the magmatic and geodynamic evolution of the UDMB. New U–Pb zircon ages reveal that the NPC was assembled incrementally over ca. 5 m.y., during two main episodes at 30.52 ± 0.11 Ma and 30.06 ± 0.10 Ma in the early Oligocene (middle Rupelian) for dioritic and granite intrusives, and at 24.994 ± 0.037 Ma and 24.13 ± 0.19 Ma in the late Oligocene (latest Chattian) for granodioritic and diorite porphyry units, respectively. The spherical to ellipsoidal enclaves are composed of diorite to monzodiorite and minor gabbroic diorite (SiO₂ = 47.73–57.36 wt.%; Mg# = 42.15–53.04); the host intrusions are mainly granite, granodiorite and diorite porphyry (SiO₂ = 56.51–72.35 wt.%; Mg# = 26.29–50.86). All the samples used in this study have similar geochemical features, including enrichment in large ion lithophile elements (LILEs, e.g. Rb, Ba, Sr) and light rare earth elements (LREEs) relative to high field strength elements (HFSEs) and heavy rare earth elements (HREEs). These features, combined with a relative depletion in Nb, Ta, Ti and P, are characteristic of subduction-related magmas. Isotopic data for the host rocks display I_Sr = 0.705045–0.707959, ε_Nd(t) = −3.23 to +3.80, and the Nd model ages (T_DM) vary from 0.58 Ga to 1.37 Ga. Compared with the host rocks, the MMEs are relatively homogeneous in isotopic composition, with I_Sr ranging from 0.705513 to 0.707275 and ε_Nd(t) from −1.46 to 4.62. The MMEs have T_DM ranging from 0.49 Ga to 1.39 Ga. Geochemical and isotopic similarities between the MMEs and their host rocks demonstrate that the enclaves have mixed origins and were most probably formed by interactions between the lower crust- and mantle-derived magmas. Geochemical data, in combination with geodynamic evidence, suggest that a basic magma was derived from an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM), presumably triggered by the influx of the hot asthenosphere. This magma then interacted with a crustal melt that originated from the dehydration melting of the mafic lower crust at deep crustal levels. Modeling based on Sr–Nd isotope data indicate that ∼50% to 90% of the lower crust-derived melt and ∼10% to 50% of the mantle-derived mafic magma were involved in the genesis of the early Oligocene magmas. In contrast, ∼45%–65% of the mantle-derived mafic magma were incorporated into the lower crust-derived magma (∼35%–55%) that generated the late Oligocene hybrid granitoid rocks. Early Oligocene granitoid rocks contain a higher proportion of crustal material compared to those that formed in the late Oligocene. It is reasonable to assume that lower crust and mantle interaction processes played a significant role in the genesis of these hybridgranitoid bodies, where melts undergoing fractional crystallization along with minor amounts of crustal assimilation could ascend to shallower crustal levels and generate a variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite.     

Mineral chemistry of a Cenozoic igneous complex,the Urumieh–Dokhtar magmatic belt,Iran: Petrological implications for the plutonic rocks

The Niyasar plutonic complex, one of the Cenozoic magmatic assemblages in the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic belt, was the subject of detailed petrographic and mineralogical investigations. The Niyasar magmatic complex is composed of Eocene to Oligocene mafic rocks and Miocene granitoids. Eleven samples, representing the major rock units in the Niyasar magmatic complex and contact aureole were chosen for mineral chemical studies and for estimation of the pressure, temperature, and oxygen fugacity conditions of mineral crystallization during emplacement of various magmatic bodies. The analyzed samples are composed of varying proportions of quartz, plagioclase, K‐feldspar, hornblende, biotite, titanite, magnetite, apatite, zircon, garnet, and clinopyroxene. Application of the Al‐in‐hornblende barometer indicates pressures of around 0.2 to 0.4 kbar for the Eocene–Oligocene mafic bodies and around 0.5 to 1.7 kbar for the Miocene granitoids. Hornblende‐plagioclase thermometry yields relatively low temperatures (661–780 °C), which probably reflect late stage re‐equilibration of these minerals. The assemblage titanite–magnetite–quartz as well as hornblende composition were used to constrain the oxygen fugacity and H₂O content during the crystallization of the parent magmas in the Miocene plutons. The results show that the Miocene granitoids crystallized from magmas with relatively high oxygen fugacity and high H₂O content (~5 wt% H₂O). The Miocene granitoids show similar range of oxygen fugacity, H₂O contents and mineral chemical compositions, which indicate a common source for their magmas. Although the crystallization pressures of the Miocene plutons discriminate various categories of plutonic bodies emplaced at depths of about 5.7–6.5 km (Marfioun pluton), about 4.2 km (Ghalhar pluton) and 1.9–2.3 km (Poudalg pluton), they were later uplifted to the same level by vertical displacement of faults. The emplacement depths of the Niyasar plutons suggest that the central part of the Urumieh‐Dokhtar magmatic belt has experienced an uplift rate of ca. 0.25–0.4 mm/yr from the Miocene onwards.     

The Urumieh Plutonic Complex (NW Iran): Record of the geodynamic evolution of the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone during Cretaceous times – Part II: Magnetic fabrics and plate tectonic reconstruction

The Urumieh complex, to the north of the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone (NW Iran), belongs to a plutonic arc that took place above the northeastward dipping subduction of Arabia under Iran during Late Cretaceous times. Seven granitoid bodies occupying an area of 300 km² can be sorted into three suites. According to the isotope chronology study of Ghalamghash et al. [Ghalamghash, J., Nédélec, A., Bellon, H., Vousoughi-Abedini, M., Bouchez, J.L., in press. The Urumieh Plutonic Complex: a magmatic record of the geodynamic evolution of the Sanandaj–Sirjan zone (NW Iran) during Cretaceous times – Part II: petrogenesis and 40K/40Ar dating. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences], the two first suites were emplaced during the same event at 100 Ma, and the third one was emplaced 20 Ma later: (1) the diorites form the largest bodies and comprise the Ghamishlu and Dourbeh stocks; (2) the biotite-granites are composed by the Sehkani, Nari and Doustak bodies, and (3) the younger bodies are represented by the Bardkish syenite and the Dourbeh granite. These bodies were subjected to systematic microstructural observations, and magnetic fabric measurements that yield information about their emplacement kinematics. The magnetic lineations of the diorites and biotite-granites (the early suites) call for a dominant NW-trending stretching during their intrusion, attributed to the transpressive deformation of the overriding Sanandaj–Sirjan microplate during the north-to northeastward motion of the subducting western branch of the Neo-Tethys. Oblique plate motion with 20% of strain partitioning along a NNW-trending plate boundary accounts for the observed magmatic structures. Intrusion of the younger bodies took place after consumption of this western oceanic domain at about 80 Ma. The NW-trending lineations of the syenite suggest that the transpressive regime was continuing, while the steep lineations and the peculiar microstructures of the Dourbeh granite call for a forceful intrusion. Our study suggests that the motion of Arabia with respect to Central Iran was more northerly directed than estimated before, for the 100–80 Ma time interval during which plate tectonic markers are not available.     

Late Oligocene–Miocene mantle upwelling and interaction inferred from mantle signatures in gabbroic to granitic rocks from the Urumieh–Dokhtar arc,south Ardestan,Iran

The south Ardestan plutonic rocks constitute major outcrops in the central part of Iran’s Cenozoic magmatic belt and encompass a wide compositional spectrum from gabbro to granodiorite. U–Pb laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) dating of zircon three granodiorites yielded ages of 24.6 ± 0.1, 24.6 ± 0.1, and 24.5 ± 0.1 Ma. For tonalitic rocks, internal Rb–Sr isochron ages (biotite, feldspars) indicate cooling ages of 20.4 ± 0.1, 20.5 ± 0.1, and 22.3 ± 0.1 Ma, which are slightly younger than the zircons’ ages. The limited variations in their Sr–Nd isotope ratios indicate derivation from an asthenospheric mantle source. A geodynamic model is presented in which late Oligocene–Miocene rollback of the Neotethyan subducting slab triggered asthenospheric upwelling and partial melting in the south Ardestan. These melts were subsequently modified through fractional crystallization and minor crustal contamination en-route to the surface. Plagioclase + orthopyroxene-dominated fractional crystallization accounts for differentiation of gabbro to gabbroic diorite, whereas fractionation of clinopyroxene, titanomagnetite, and orthopyroxene led to differentiation of gabbroic diorite to diorite. Amphibole fractionation at deeper levels led to the development of tonalites.