Stages and Mineralization Conditions of Dardvey Iron Skarn Based on Mineralogy and Fluid Inclusion Evidences, Sangan Area (Khorasan Razavi)

Sangan iron ore deposit is located in 308 km southeast of Mashhad and eastern structural zone of Iran. Due to the high grade, low P-content and high reserve, Sangan is regarded as one of the major iron ore deposits in Iran. The important anomalies in Sangan consist of east, central and west anomalies that Dardvey deposit is a typical magnetite-rich skarn developed along the contact of Sarnowsar I-type granite Oligo-Miocene age with high magnesium carbonate of Upper Cretaceous, formed in central anomaly. Dardvey deposit comprises of exoskarn, endoskarn and ore zones. The endoskarn zone is limited while exoskarn is extensive zone and includes sub-zones of garnet skarn, garnet-pyroxene skarn and pyroxene skarn in intrusive body side and epidote skarn beyond the intrusive body. Field evidence, mineralogical and microthermometry studies show three zones including; 1) intrusion of granitoid bodies in ranges of 320 to 520°C and 1kb pressure, 2) skarn mineralization zone consists of prograde stage are developed within the temperature ranges from 310 to 490°C in average salinity of 33.6 (wt.% NaCl), in association with metasomatic mineralization during a retrograde stage, developed within temperature ranges from 190 to 310°C in average fluid salinity of 13.6 (wt.% NaCl) accompanied by magnetite ore and massive pyrite, chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite. The late mechanism, including quartz vein-type mineralization and barren veins occurrence, comprises of subhedral to anhedral pyrite, chalcopyrite and phologopite bearing veins that occurred in two substages from 360 to 440°C temperature and average salinity of 33.4 (wt.% NaCl) and from 235 to 320°C temperature and average salinity of 14.6 (wt.% NaCl) in the skarn zone and intrusive body. According to studies, it may be fluid mixing and ore fluid dilution mechanisms by implications of low-temperature and salinity meteoric water and also, chemical composition changes of ore fluid due to water-rock interaction was the possible mechanism for ore-metal deposition of magnetite in the skarn zones and formation of sulfide ore minerals in the hydrothermal quartz vein and veinlets in late stage of mineralization in the area.