Similar to other deposits of this type in the world, three major stages could be considered for mineralization in Mari copper deposit. The Mari Copper deposit is located in the northwest of Iran and Tarom metallogenic zone in the north of Zanjan. The ore-body is strata-
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Similar to other deposits of this type in the world, three major stages could be considered for mineralization in Mari copper deposit. The Mari Copper deposit is located in the northwest of Iran and Tarom metallogenic zone in the north of Zanjan. The ore-body is strata-bound and hosted by the Eocene mega-porphyritic andesites. The major copper sulfides are bornite, chalcocite, and chalcopyrite associated mainly with pyrite that represent open-space filling, disseminated, vein-veinlet, and replacement textures. The volcanic rocks of the study area mostly represent intermediate to acidic composition with high potassium shoshonitic magmatic series related to intra-arc rift environments. Wall rock alterations include carbonatization, chloritization, epidotization, and sericitization. The abundances of Cu and Ag in fresh mega-porphyritic andesite are up to 3200 and 216 ppm respectively. Based on the main characteristics of Mari ore body such as tectonic setting, host rock, strata-bound form, mineralogy, metal content, and wall rock alterations and comparison of these features with Manto - type copper deposits, Mari Cu deposit can be introduced as a Manto -type Cu deposit in NW Iran. The first stage includes submarine volcanic activity and eruption of mega-porphyritic andesitic lava associated with regional propylitic alteration. In the second stage, the early diagenesis and the activity of sulfate-reducing micro-organisms resulted in the generation of pyrite in the form of open-space filling and disseminated in the mega-porphyritic andesite. Finally, in the third stage, increasing of the thickness of sediments, basin subsidence, and burial diagenesis accompanied with the entry of metal-rich fluids into the reduced host rock, caused the replacement of the first stage pyrites by copper sulfides and mineralization in the Mari deposit.
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