Regional-scale exploration targeting of REEs associated with Kiruna-type Iron Oxide-Apatite mineralization in the Bafq-Saghand metallogenic province, Central Iran
Majid Keykhay-Hosseinpoor , Alok Porwal , R. Kalimuthu
{"title":"Regional-scale exploration targeting of REEs associated with Kiruna-type Iron Oxide-Apatite mineralization in the Bafq-Saghand metallogenic province, Central Iran","authors":"Majid Keykhay-Hosseinpoor , Alok Porwal , R. Kalimuthu","doi":"10.1016/j.jseaes.2025.106551","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Bafq-Saghand metallogenic province, situated in the Central Iranian geo-structural zone, hosts world-class Kiruna-type Iron Oxide-Apatite (IOA) deposits, accompanied by local Rare Earth Elements-Uranium-Thorium (REEs–U–Th) enrichment. Its favorable geological setting holds significant potential for the discovery of REEs mineralization. However, the processes governing the formation, development and preservation of REEs are inadequately understood. Recognizing the processes leading to REEs formation and mapping their spatial expressions are crucial factors for mineral prospectivity mapping and subsequent exploration activities. This research aims to delineate exploration targets for REEs associated with IOA deposits, employing a Mamdani-type fuzzy inference system (FIS) technique and concentration–area fractal method. The regional-scale targeting criteria for IOA-associated REEs deposits were identified using mineral systems approach. The inputs for the mineral prospectivity model were the spatial proxies derived from geoscientific datasets comprising geological, remote sensing, geophysical, and geochemical data. The output prospectivity map highlights high-prospectivity REEs target areas covering approximately 10% of the entire region, displaying an NNW-SSE trending pattern similar to the crustal faults of the region, mainly associated with metasomatized acidic volcanic and metamorphosed volcanic rock units. This research led to identification of prospective target areas, where detailed project-scale exploration study is recommended and the demonstrated strategy in this research can be applied to demarcate exploration targets in similar geological terranes elsewhere.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50253,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Asian Earth Sciences","volume":"284 ","pages":"Article 106551"},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Asian Earth Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"89","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1367912025000665","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"GEOSCIENCES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The Bafq-Saghand metallogenic province, situated in the Central Iranian geo-structural zone, hosts world-class Kiruna-type Iron Oxide-Apatite (IOA) deposits, accompanied by local Rare Earth Elements-Uranium-Thorium (REEs–U–Th) enrichment. Its favorable geological setting holds significant potential for the discovery of REEs mineralization. However, the processes governing the formation, development and preservation of REEs are inadequately understood. Recognizing the processes leading to REEs formation and mapping their spatial expressions are crucial factors for mineral prospectivity mapping and subsequent exploration activities. This research aims to delineate exploration targets for REEs associated with IOA deposits, employing a Mamdani-type fuzzy inference system (FIS) technique and concentration–area fractal method. The regional-scale targeting criteria for IOA-associated REEs deposits were identified using mineral systems approach. The inputs for the mineral prospectivity model were the spatial proxies derived from geoscientific datasets comprising geological, remote sensing, geophysical, and geochemical data. The output prospectivity map highlights high-prospectivity REEs target areas covering approximately 10% of the entire region, displaying an NNW-SSE trending pattern similar to the crustal faults of the region, mainly associated with metasomatized acidic volcanic and metamorphosed volcanic rock units. This research led to identification of prospective target areas, where detailed project-scale exploration study is recommended and the demonstrated strategy in this research can be applied to demarcate exploration targets in similar geological terranes elsewhere.
期刊介绍:
Journal of Asian Earth Sciences has an open access mirror journal Journal of Asian Earth Sciences: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review.
The Journal of Asian Earth Sciences is an international interdisciplinary journal devoted to all aspects of research related to the solid Earth Sciences of Asia. The Journal publishes high quality, peer-reviewed scientific papers on the regional geology, tectonics, geochemistry and geophysics of Asia. It will be devoted primarily to research papers but short communications relating to new developments of broad interest, reviews and book reviews will also be included. Papers must have international appeal and should present work of more than local significance.
The scope includes deep processes of the Asian continent and its adjacent oceans; seismology and earthquakes; orogeny, magmatism, metamorphism and volcanism; growth, deformation and destruction of the Asian crust; crust-mantle interaction; evolution of life (early life, biostratigraphy, biogeography and mass-extinction); fluids, fluxes and reservoirs of mineral and energy resources; surface processes (weathering, erosion, transport and deposition of sediments) and resulting geomorphology; and the response of the Earth to global climate change as viewed within the Asian continent and surrounding oceans.