mineralogy, the nature of magmatic and tectonic setting of amphibolite protolith from Gol Gohar iron ore deposit, Sirjan, Kerman

The Golgohar iron mine is located at 55 km southwest of Sirjan in the Sanandaj-Sirjan structural zone. The host rocks of the ore deposit include metamorphosed rocks in green schist and amphibolite facies. The mineralization is massive or disseminated in adjacent rocks. The metabasic rocks are classified into amphibolite, epidote amphibolite, epidote-biotite amphibolite and biotite amphibolite types. Base on major, trace, and rare earth elements, the protolithsof these rocks are basic igneous rocks varying from basalt, basaltic andesite, trachy basalt, basaltic trachy andesite compositions. The trace elements pattern shows enrichment in large-ion lithophileelements and depletion in high field strength elements, suggesting their island arc signatures. LREEs enrichment and relatively flat HREEs patterns further support this interpretation. According to geochemical data these rocks were derived from depleted mantle that was contaminated by the melts of subducted sediments. The relative age of these rocks does not match with the tectonic setting. It seems that the Neo-Tethyan subduction along the northern subduction zone caused the emplacement of the study rocks in the Upper Triassic time. In this case, geochronological data may be helpful.