Evaluation of a sedimentary source for the amphibolites and metapelites hosting Gol-Gohar Fe ore deposit, Sirjan, Kerman

Gol-Gohar metamorphic complex, the major host rock for Gol-Gohar Fe ore deposit, belongs to east part of Sanandaj-Sirjan magmatic-metamorphic zone. The complex consists of mica-schist, quartzite, marble, amphibole-schist, graphite-schist, calc-schist and amphibolite. Amphibolite forms intermittingly with Gol-Gohar orebody, and thus determining the origin of this unit can shed some light on the origin of amphibolite and the condition under which Fe-ore was formed. Field, petrographic and geochemical studies indicate that metapelites originated from iron-bearing shale while amphibolites’ protolith were marl-type sediments. In addition, the position of amphibolite samples on various diagrams (e.g., mg vs. c, Cr, Ni and si vs. alk, al, and mg) which support their para-amphibolite origin, also confirms that the protolith of Gol-Gohar amphibolites formed in a sedimentary environment.