Investigation of the behavior of rare earth elements and trace elements in Sarkuh porphyry copper deposit, Kerman, Iran

Sarkuh porphyry copper deposit is located 6 km southwest of Sarcheshmeh deposit in the Kerman section of Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic arc. The aim of this study is characterizing the behavior of rare earth elements and trace elements to assess the magmatic features of deposit. In this deposit, intrusive rocks are mainly composed of granodiorite and granite that undergone by intense hydrofracturing that lead to the formation three main stages of hydrothermal evolution and mineralization. They include (1) pre-ore stage occurring roughly in potassic alteration and dominated by quartz + biotite, and quartz + k-feldspar veins, (2) main ore stage characterized by quartz + biotite + chlorite ± magnetite ± pyrite ± chalcopyrite in potassic alteration, and later quartz + pyrite + chalcopyrite ± bornite ± chalcocite ± sercite in potassic – phyllic transition, and (3) late stage barren quartz ± calcite veins in phyllic alteration. The data show that there is an elevated Lan/Ybn values ranging between 14.83 and 56.57 (average; 27.21) with low negative and/or minor positive Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu * = 0.77 _ 1.35; average; 1.01). Also Sr/Y vs. Y and La/Yb vs. Yb diagrams reflect the adakite affinity of Sarkuh porphyry intrusions. Charactering the magmatic system of Sarkuh deposit proved that the lack of significant plagioclase fractionation which is casual for Sr removal, and on the other hand Y removal by fractionation of hydrous minerals under high magmatic water conditions (>4 wt. % H2O) provided a suitable condition for increasing the Sr/Y ratio in the Sarkuh deposit.