Advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer mineral mapping to discriminate high sulfidation, Reduced intrusion related and iron oxide gold deposits, Eastern Iran

Abstract

Thirty scenes of Aster data from eastern Iran were processed using the Multispectral supervised classification method for identifying hydrothermal alteration zones related to possible mineral deposits. Several areas having great potential for mineral exploration were identified. ASTER mineral mapping from three known types of gold mineralization in eastern Iran were compared. Chah Shaljami, a high sulfidation Au (lithocap of porphyry Cu) prospect, shows alunite, silica, jarosite, dickite, montmorillonite and gypsum. Alteration is intense and covers an area of 3×4 km2. Aeromagnetic data show low magnetism within the area of alteration, indicating that magnetite was destroyed during alteration, Qaleh Zari is a specularite-rich Iron oxide Cu-Au deposit (IOCG). ASTER mineral mapping shows only epidote and chlorite. Alteration is narrow and is linear. Aeromagnetic data show high magnetism in most of the area, therefore alteration did not destroy the primary magnetite. Hired is a reduced-intrusion-related Au prospecting area. ASTER mineral mapping shows tourmaline, chlorite, silica and minor sericite. Alteration is local and is not as extensive as at Chah Shaljami. Aeromagnetic data show a very broad area of low magnetism that is associated with reduced ilmenite series intrusive rock. © 2009 Asian Network for Scientific Information.