Iranian Journal of Earth Sciences
Volume:13 Issue: 4, Oct 2021

This study aims at evaluating the utilization of carbonate rocks from the Bampokha (Nikanai Ghar Formation) and Sawaldher (Kashala Formation) areas in different industries. Two varieties from the Nikanai Ghar Formation, known under the trade names as Super-white and Sunny-grey, are selected for petrographic and geochemical analysis to evaluate these as a source of calcite (CaCO3), in chemical industries. Petrographically, both the varieties from Bampokha area, are calcitic marbles that exhibit heteroblastic mosaic texture. Geochemical data coupled with X-ray diffraction and petrographic analysis confirms that the Super-white variety is very high purity marble and hence meets the specifications for different chemical industries such as iron and steel industry, glass manufacturing, flue gas desulphurization, soda ash manufacturing and water purification and effluent treatment. In contrast, the high silica (4.1 wt.%) and low calcite contents (<95 wt.%), render the Sunny-grey unsuitable for chemical industries. The rock from Sawaldher quarry, exhibiting an interlocking mosaic pattern, is calcitic marble. Minor amounts of quartz, muscovite and opaque minerals also occur. Comparing the physico-mechanical properties of the aggregate from Sawaldher marble with time-honoured international standards suggests its suitability in concrete work with ordinary portland cement and asphalt. The concrete mix, designed for Class D2 concrete, has an average 28-days compressive strength value of 518 kg/cm2 and thus well above the minimum targeted strength of 425 kg/cm2 for the mentioned class, and hence further endorses that the aggregate can produce strong concretes. This study also suggests the utilization of the studied carbonate resources on industrial scale.

The Cretaceous Moro Formation from the Rakhi Nala section Dera Ghazi Khan has been studied in detail to investigate the Sedimentology and provenance. This paper describes the litho-facies changes, depositional environment, and provenance analysis of the Cretaceous Moro Formation from the Rakhi Nala section, eastern Sulaiman Range. The studied Formation is 110-140 meters thick and consists mainly of fine to coarse-grained sandstone,  with minor-siltstone, mudstone (claystone, shale), and limestone. The uppermost beds of the Moro Formation are consist of sandstone with iron types of cement. Twelve lithofacies have been identified based on a petrographic investigation related to the depositional environment of the Moro Formation ranging from deltaic to marine setting (Delta Plain-Delta front). Petrographic analysis of sandstone reveals the presence of quartz both, mono-crystalline and poly-crystalline, less feldspar; heavy minerals like hematite and magnetite, and glauconite were found in negligible amounts. Detrital mineral composition shows that in Moro Formation, the sandstone shows a litharenite. Modal composition of the sandstone from the QFL diagram was Q 66% F 0.3% L 33.7% and that of the QmFLt diagram was QM, 57% F 0.23% L 43.77%. The overall average composition is Q 61.5% F 0.27% L 38.7%. A total of 37 thin-sections are studied for provenance analysis, out of which twenty-seven samples are considered as Litharenite (this shows recycled, or craton interior origin), eight Quartz arenite categories are identified and two samples are fall in the sublitharenites category (Quarts recycled source area).

The closure of the Neo-Tethys ocean associated with the ophiolite obduction and the Oshnavieh ophiolite is the unknown part of the Neo-Tethys suture zone. Three well-known band ratio combinations applied to ASTER satellite image the result shows the ((2+4) /3, (5+7) /6, (7+9) /8) band ratio is the proper combination for the reorganization of rock units in the ophiolite regions. Principal component analysis of the (PC2, PC4 and PC 5) is well discriminated against to the rock unit contacts. The general trend of thrust faults is the NW-SE and dip direction is toward the NE. The rake of slickenline on the fault plane is 80°-90° and the mechanism of movement is the pure thrust. The shear sense indicator such as Z-type parasitic folds or mica-fish and S-C fabrics confirm right-lateral shearing sense in the shear zone. Strain geometry on the obducted slab evaluated by the shape of the mineral grains. In the shear zone strain ellipsoid shape is the prolate type and formed under constrictional regime, the Flinn K-value of these samples changes between 2.71 to 11.67 and lode ratio between -0.42 to -0.63. Most of the samples taken from the thrust fault zone located in the flattening zone and strain ellipsoid are pancake-shaped and formed under contractional regime the k-value varied between 0.44 to 0.80 and Lode ratio range is 0.32 to 0.5. The displacement in the thrust zone and shearing by the shear zone disrupted the ophiolite sequence and created an ophiolite mélange.

In mountain ranges, neotectonics can be considered as the main factor contributing to tectonic-geomorphological features being the result of the competition between tectonics and erosion. Several tectonic-geomorphological indicators such as drainage basin based (asymmetry factor of drainage basin (Af), hypsometric integral (Hi)) and mountain front based (mountain-front sinuosity (Smf), valley floor width –valley height ratio (Vf)) were used to assess the tectonic activity in the north of Damghan Region, Alborz Mountain Belt, Iran. The results highlight that the tectonic activity of the Alborz region resulted from the growth of pop-up and flower structures during tectonic inversion and following strike-slip tectonic activities. The faults of Astaneh, Damghan and North Damghan, which collectively constitute the SW part of the sinistral Shahrud fault system control the tectonic activity of the study area during the Late Quaternary.

The purpose of the present research is delineating geochemical anomaly of REEs in granitoids in south of Varcheh 1:100,000 sheet by the use of C-N fractal model and classical statistical methods. We gathered and studied 59 rock samples for REEs by ICP-MS method in the laboratory of Iran Mineral Processing Research Center (IMPRC). The Concentration–Number (C-N) fractal model was used to delineate elemental thresholds. According to the results, the distribution of elemental concentration for Pr and Sm were divided to three classifications and Ce, La, Nd and Y had five geochemical populations in the area. The classical statistics methods were able to separate three geochemical populations. The results obtained by this study showed that the separation of geochemical anomalies for REEs using C-N fractal model and classical statistics methods yielded to the same results. Meanwhile, the high ratio of LREE to HREE in rock samples as well as high P content, assigns monazite, apatite, and sphene as a possible source of REEs in the study area.

The main aim of this study was to outline the lithium anomalies by a regional exploration, at an area of 7800 km2, in Semnan province (north central Iran) using the Staged Factor Analysis (SFA) and Spectrum-Area (S-A) fractal model based on stream sediments and rock samples. Results derived via the SFA denote that Li was located in a factor as F2-4 with B, Cs, U and Rb which was utilized for calculation of the threshold values by the S-A method. The F2-4 data were classified by the fractal model for determination of the Li anomalies. Main anomaly for F2-4≥ 1.5 was situated in the SW and northern parts of this region. Furthermore, Li high grades of rock samples were correlated with main F2-4 anomalies. The main anomalies were correlated with geological particulars of Li mineralization types which represent that the main F2-4 anomalies associate with volcanic and tuff units in the SW part, and overlapped with clay minerals in the northern sector of this region. On the other hand, there are proper potential for Li mineralization which is demonstrated by this method.