Analysis of Spatial Association of Mineralization and Faults Through Fry and Fractal Modelling in Anarak Metallogenic Zone, Iran

Abstract

The Anarak Metallogenic Zone is located in the western part of the Central East Iranian Microcontinent. Paleozoic ultramafic ophiolite and metamorphic complexes are the most common rocks in the Anarak region. Sedimentary and volcanic rocks of the Cretaceous and Eocene age cover the Paleozoic rocks. The polymetallic mineralization of the Anarak is often in related to the listvenitization of ultramafic rocks. These hydrothermal deposits are structurally controlled by basement faults. Rose diagrams and Fry analysis of structural data show an E-W trend in the distribution of faults and mineralization in the region. Analysis of the aeromagnetic data characterizes a west-east and northwest-southeast trend for deep faults that control the boundary of the Paleozoic intrusive and ultramafic rocks. The fusion of the multifractal technique and the lineament factor map identified high-potential zones of hydrothermal polymetallic mineralization in the Anarak region. Fieldwork demonstrates a clear relation between the W-E fault zones and the occurrence of polymetallic deposits in the region. The major faults trending west-east, especially the basement faults, play an important role in the distribution of polymetallic deposits in the Anarak region. In addition to their role as conduits for hydrothermal fluids, these faults were crucial in the emplacement of various host rocks, such as ultramafic and intrusive rocks. This study indicates that the combination of multifractal techniques with lineament factor map processing is an inexpensive and effective method of locating high-potential hydrothermal polymetallic mineralization zones, particularly deposits associated with listvenitization.