Mineralogical and Geochemical Skarn Zoning across the Baba Ali Deposit and its Economic Geology Applications, Western Iran

Some iron-rich samples from the Famennian strata of Iran and Morocco were collected. The samples were subjected to the neutron activation analysis (NAA) in order to get some information about the geochemical changes after their deposition. The collected samples consist of noduls and remains of brachiopods, goniatites and gastropods from the top of Khoshyeilagh Formation at the Meyghan area in Iran and the top of H-member of Bou Tserfine section in Morocco. Comparison was made between data obtained from the neutron activation analysis (NAA) of the collected samples. Based on this comparison, a broad similarity has been found between the Famennian deposits of Iran and Morroco with respect to their chemical component and trace elements (titanium dioxide and lutetium). There is also a similarity between the shape, general structure and age of crystals in the studied samples of the two countries. Habit of the iron crystals in the samples indicate that iron contents have been preliminarily deposited as crystal of pyrite, which ultimately changed into hematite. This is very likely to be due to the fact that the depositional environment had first been deep and poorly-oxygenated and then changed to a shallow and well-oxygenated environment due to uplifting.