INVESTIGATING THE GEOCHEMICAL BEHAVIOR OFCOPPER AND MOLYBDENUM USINGGEOSTATISTICAL INTERPRETATIONS; CASESTUDY: MAZDEH, CENTRAL IRAN

Porphyry deposits represent the primary sources of copper worldwide. Within the UrumiaDokhtar magmatic arc lie numerous copper-molybdenum mineralizations. The Natanz plutoniccomplex, although a small component of the Urumia-Dokhtar magmatic arc, plays a significantrole. The Mazdeh exploratory area, situated within the Natanz plutonic complex, exhibitsvarious forms of copper mineralization. An essential aspect of mineral exploration entailsstudying the geochemistry of deposits through statistical methodologies and segregatingelemental anomalies from the background. This study delves into a comprehensive analysisof the geochemical features using hierarchical clustering and k-means methods. Additionally,MAD method was employed to differentiate copper and molybdenum anomalies from thebackground. Consequently, it was observed that copper exhibits higher grades compared tothe background. Both the copper and molybdenum anomalies predominantly occur in distinctsections of the exploratory site. Statistical investigations indicate the formation of copper andmolybdenum during the same mineralization phase. Notably, antimony demonstrates a highcorrelation with copper and molybdenum within the exploratory site, suggesting the occurrenceof mineralization for these elements during the same phases. Antimony has also beenidentified as a prospective tracer element for exploring copper and molybdenum.

Keywords:

Porphyry deposit , Mazdeh , Cu and Mo , Geochemical behavior , anomaly separation