Determination of oxygen fugacity from ore-bearing magma responsible for Gazu copper mineralization: Cerium data in zircon mineral

Abstract

Porphyry Cu deposits are typically oxidized. Oxygen fugacity (fO2) is a key factor, which controls the formation of porphyry Cu deposits. Trace element compositions of Cretaceous magmatic zircon grains (65.9-65.1 Ma) were determined from ore-bearing intrusive rocks of Gazu porphyry Cu deposit in the Tabas block. Then Ce4 +/Ce3+ of zircons were calculated, and estimated the oxygen fugacity of their parental magmas. The values of Ce4 +/Ce3+ in Gazu magmatic zircons are medium to low (range from 10 to 385 with an average of 110) which indicate a small deposit. The low oxygen fugacity values (average ∆FMQ ~ +1) of Gazu magma indicate that during the crystallization of magmatic zircons, the magma did not show high oxidized state (above hematite-magnetite buffer (HM) and ~ ΔFMQ + 4), which is not favorable for porphyry mineralization. This is confirmed by evidence such as magma generation due to metasomatized lithospheric mantle peridotite melting with low involving of the slab and mineralogy of deposit (lack of hematite-magnetite intergrowth and anhydrite). The contamination process during the ascent and emplacement had a decreasing effect on the oxygen fugacity of the Gazu emplaced bodies.

Keywords

• cerium
• zircon
• oxygen fugacity
• ore-bearing intrusive rocks
• oxidized magma
• gazu porphyry cu