Petrology and geochemistry of amphibolites Southeast of Siyah-Cheshmeh, NW Iran

The study area (Siyah-Cheshmeh), is located to the south Maku in the Khoy-Maku ophiolite zone. The various outcropped metamorphic rocks include serpentinites, metabasites (green schist, amphibolite) and meta-pelitic rocks (slate, mica-schist) with interlayers of marble and quartzite. The amphibolites can be classified as actinolite-amphibolite, epidote-actinolite- amphibolite, biotite-amphibolite, amphibolite and garnet-amphibolite. They have fine- to coarse-grained granoblastic texture. On the basis of whole rock chemistry, the protolith composition of the amphibolites has been determined as basalts with tholeiitic and less commonly, calc-alkaline affinities, developed in an island arc setting. The negative anomaly of Nb as well as small enrichments in LILE and LREE support arc related and tholeiitic signatures for the protolith. Considering the unknown age of the studied amphibolites, it is difficult to propose an appropriate tectonic model for formation of the investigated rocks. If the amphibolites are related to the Khoy-Maku ophiolitic complex, then they would be the result of subduction of the northern branch of the Neotethys ocean basin, development of an island arc and eventually metamorphism of the rocks due to closure and collision. Since the age is not clear, it is not possible to conclude unequivocally if the rocks are results of the Neotethys subduction system or they are related to an older, possibly a Precambrian subduction system. Dating the rocks will help to propose a suitable model for their formation.