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The Meiduk deposit possesses three different Cu reservoirs each with a unique Cu isotope signature. δ65Cu for the leached cap minerals ranges from −2.5 to +0.49‰ to −0.45 to +0.3‰ for hypogene minerals and from +1.3 to +4.4‰ for supergene enrichment minerals. Oxidation of hypogene sulphides and effective trapping of copper (from solutions derived from the leached cap) in the supergene enrichment zone caused this relationship. A systematic pattern of low Cu isotope values close to the surface and higher isotope values with depth reveals a palaeo-fluid pathway in the northwest-southeast direction over the deposit. Thus, the copper isotope data from leached cap and enrichment minerals can be used to monitor copper migration during supergene weathering at the Meiduk deposit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrothermal alteration of the Meiduk porphyry copper deposit, south of the Kerman Cenozoic magmatic arc and southeast of the central Iranian volcano-plutonic belt has resulted in three stages of mineralisation characterised by veins and veinlets. These are, from early to late: (1) quartz + K-feldspar + biotite + pyrite ± chalcopyrite ± pyrrhotite ± magnetite (early potassic alteration and type-A veins); (2) quartz + chalcopyrite + pyrite + bornite + pyrrhotite + K- -feldspar + biotite + magnetite (potassic-sericitic alteration and type-B veins); and (3) quartz + pyrite + chalcopyrite + sericite (sericitic alteration and type-C veins). Most ores were formed during stages 2 and 3. Three main types of fluid inclusions are distinguished based on petrographical, microthermometrical and laser Raman spectroscopy analyses, i.e. type I (three-phase aqueous inclusions), type II (three-phase liquid-carbonic inclusions) and type III (multi-phase solid inclusions). The fluid inclusions in quartz veins of the stages are mainly homogenised at 340-530°C (stage 1), 270-385°C (stage 2) and 214-350°C (stage 3), respectively, with salinities of 3.1-16 wt.% NaCl equivalent, 2.2-43 wt.% NaCl equivalent and 8.2-22.8 wt.% NaCl equivalent, respectively. The estimated trapping pressures are 97.9-123.6 MPa (3.7-4.6 km) in stage 1 and 62.5-86.1 MPa (2.3-3.1 km) in stage 2, respectively. These fluid inclusions are homogenised in different ways at similar temperatures, suggesting that fluid boiling took place in stages 2 and 3. The fluid system evolved from high-temperature, medium-salinity, high-pressure and CO2-rich to low-temperature, low-pressure, high-salinity and CO2-poor, with fluid boiling being the dominating mechanism, followed by input of meteoric water. CO2 escape may have been a factor in increasing activities of NaCl and S2- in the fluids, diminishing the oxidation of the fluids from stage 1 to 3. The result was precipitation of sulphides and trapping of multi-phase solid inclusions in hydrothermal quartz veins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineralogical, textural, geochemical, and weathering characteristics of loess deposits in Golestan province of Iran suggest that they are mostly derived from felsic igneous rocks and are related to Quaternary palaeoclimate. Whole-rock analyses indicate heavy minerals such as zircon, tourmaline and phyllosillicate minerals (e.g. muscovite, chlorite, illite) exert a significant control on the chemical composition. The loess samples display uniform chemical composition, indicative of similar alteration history. Chemical index of alteration suggests a weak to moderate degree of weathering in a felsic source area. Scanning electron micrographs of quartz grains reveal abundant silt-sized quartz particles, a result of glacial grinding during the Late Pleistocene in Central Asia. Subsequently, these silt particles were transported from Central Asia to their depositional site by wind and paraglacial processes. Local topography of northeast Iran (Alborz Mountains) acted as a major barrier, entrapping the airborne particles on the plains of Golestan province. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents copper isotope compositions of mineralized whole-rock samples from the Kerman porphyry copper belt (KPCB) southeast of the Urumieh Dokhtar magmatic arc. Samples for this study were specifically collected from the Sar Cheshmeh, Meiduk, Iju, SarKuh, Darreh Zar, Bagh Khoshk, and Jebal Barez deposits and investigated to study the application of Cu isotopes to mineral exploration. While in the leached cap zone of the deposits, δ65Cu values range between −3.41 to 5.82 ‰ (avg. 0.42 ‰), in the supergene enriched zone of these deposits the relatively higher δ65Cu content ranges from 5.18 to 8.71 ‰ (avg. 7.17 ‰), and in the hypogene zone, the intermediate δ65Cu values range from 1.49 to 7.31 ‰ (avg: 4.36 ‰). Most measured δ65Cu values in these investigated porphyry copper deposit are positive, which indicates the presence of a Cu − enriched zone. In the enriched leached cap zones, the δ65Cu of the Darreh Zar and Sar Cheshmeh deposits are overall higher relative to the Iju, Meiduk, SarKuh, and Bagh Khoshk deposits, and these higher δ65Cu values are associated with the highest Cu grade and tonnage in the Sar Cheshmeh and Darreh Zar deposits. It is therefore plausible to conclude that the higher δ65Cu value in the leached areas are diagnostic of the high concentration of copper. These findings are complemented by the presence of Cu (II) carbonates, silicates, and Fe − oxides in each sample that has resulted in the enrichment of 65Cu, relative to the remnant sulfides with a wider copper isotope range. In addition, there is a general shift toward higher δ65Cu isotope values relative to the inferred precursor minerals. The overall apparent weathering and oxidative dissolution is likely to have generated isotopically heavier fluids and lighter residual minerals. The elevated δ65Cu of the bulk samples from porphyry Cu deposits in KPCB is consistent with a preferential loss of 63Cu into fluids during the segregation of aqueous fluid–melt. This is best explained by several pulses of hypogene magmatic fluid which led to repeated enrichment in 65Cu in the magmatic system. It is plausible to conclude that copper isotope values in these mineralized samples can be used as an effective exploration tool to identify buried porphyry Cu systems. • Copper isotopic composition of whole rock samples shows a wide range up to 8 ‰. • High Cu isotope can be an indicator for the presence of an inherited Cu–enriched magma. • Oxidative dissolution generate isotopically heavier fluids and lighter residual minerals. • Whole-rock Cu isotope seem closely related to the Cu grade and tonnage of KPCB deposits. • Whole-rock Cu isotope is a helpful tool for prospecting means ore exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]