Regional magnetic lithologies and structures as controls on porphyry copper deposits: evidence from Iran

Abstract

Tertiary magmatic activities in Iran are the main magmatic events responsible for porphyry copper deposit occurrences. The Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt (UDMB), the Ahar-Arasbaran, the Taleghan-Tarom, the Kavir-Sabzevar zones, and the Lut Block contain the greatest volume of the Tertiary magmatic rocks in Iran. Many porphyry copper deposit indications have been found, especially in the south-east and north-west of the UDMB in the Kerman and the Ahar-Arasbaran zones, respectively. New porphyry copper mineralisation found in central parts of the UDMB and the East Iran magmatic belt (the Lut Block), in Tertiary rocks, have made these areas more interesting for porphyry copper prospecting, where before that they were not noteworthy. In this paper, we used the combination of upward continuation and edge enhancement filters to find and predict the pattern of distribution of porphyry copper deposits in the Tertiary magmatic belts. The results show the high correlation between magnetic lithologies/structures and porphyry copper deposits at a regional scale and new attractive areas have been proposed for prospecting based on deep geophysical features.

The Tertiary magmatic belts host the porphyry copper deposits in Iran. The combination of upward continuation and edge enhancement filters were used to find and predict the pattern of distribution of these deposits. The results prove that the deposits locate on regional magnetic lithologies and structures.

Key words::

• airborne magnetics
• exploration
• porphyry copper
• Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Geomatics Management of Geological Survey of Iran (GSI) for data access and support. The authors thank Greg Hodges for improving the English of the manuscript. Special thanks to the reviewers for their constructive comments which improved the manuscript.