Fluid evolution in HO-CO-NaCl system and metallogenic analysis of the Surian metamorphic complex, Bavanat Cu deposit, Southwest Iran.

The Bavanat Cu deposit occurs as veins controlled by a NE-trending structure within the Permo-Triassic Surian metamorphic complex (SMC), southwest of Iran. The SMC rocks exposed in the area have undergone greenschist-facies metamorphism. The ore-forming process can be divided into early, middle, and late stages, represented by, respectively, pyrite-quartz, polymetallic sulfide-quartz, and late-stage barren quartz veins. Systematic studies of fluid inclusions (FIs) in the quartz veins found four types: aqueous, mixed aqueous-carbonic, carbonic, and multiphase-bearing inclusions. The FIs of early, middle and late-stages are mainly homogenized at temperatures of 335-417 °C, 230-380 °C, and 190-227 °C, with salinities of 1.1-6.7, 2.9-36.6, and 0.8-2.6 wt.% NaCl equivalent, respectively. The main stage of Cu mineralization is related to the middle-stage, where FIs show evidence of fluid immiscibility. The metal precipitation resulted from a decrease in copper solubility during the fluid immiscibility, cooling, crystallization of multiphase-bearing inclusions, and a small increase in pH. Laser Raman spectroscopy and FIs evidences indicate that the metallogenic system evolved from metamorphic CO (+CH)-rich, relatively high fO (10 to 10 bars) to CO-poor and relatively low fO (10 to 10 bars). Muscovite from the middle-stage veins yields Ar/Ar plateau age of 195.2 ± 1.0 Ma, suggesting that the Cu mineralization at Bavanat formed in the Early Jurassic coeval with the retrograde metamorphic events during the post-early Cimmerian orogeny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]