N. Habibkhah; H. Hassani; A. Maghsoudi; M. Honarmand
Abstract
The Dehaj area, located in the southern part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt, is a well-endowed terrain hosting a number of world-class porphyry copper deposits. These deposits are all hosted in an acidic to intermediate volcano-plutonic sequence greatly affected by various types of the hydrothermal ...
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The Dehaj area, located in the southern part of the Urumieh-Dokhtar magmatic belt, is a well-endowed terrain hosting a number of world-class porphyry copper deposits. These deposits are all hosted in an acidic to intermediate volcano-plutonic sequence greatly affected by various types of the hydrothermal alterations, whether argillic, phyllic or propylitic. Although there are a handful of hitherto-discovered porphyry copper deposits in the area, the geological setting of the area suggests the possibility of finding further deposits. The recognition and delineation of the hydrothermal alterations can pave the way for the discovery of further potential zones that possibly host the porphyry copper deposits. The current work proposes a hybrid methodology applied to the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) imagery by combining the application of dimension reduction and fractal techniques to delineate the hydrothermally-altered zones In order to reduce the dimensionality of multi-band ASTER data, Robust Principal Component Analysis (RPCA) was employed to elicit the traces of hydrothermally-related mineral assemblages including illite, sericite, quartz, kaolinite, epidote, and chlorite. Highlighting the existence of the aforementioned minerals, the extracted components require interpretation, i.e. a boundary is required to constraint the hydrothermally affected zones from the rest of the geological units. In order to tackle such a challenge, the authors introduce the concept of value-pixel fractal technique for the extracted principal components. The Prediction-Area (P-A) plot is used for the validation, which shows that the identified alterations correlate with the mineralization. The results obtained are verified by a geological survey, where a number of samples are collected from the delineated zones. The samples are analyzed by the XRD techniques, finding that this work is successful in classifying the hydrothermally-altered zones.
A. Rezaei; H. Hassani; P. Moarefvand; A. Golmohammadi
Abstract
Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is an effective and practical geophysical imaging tool, with a wide set of applications in geological mapping of subsurface information. This research study aims at determination of the geophysical parameter differences in the subsurface geological structures and construction ...
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Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is an effective and practical geophysical imaging tool, with a wide set of applications in geological mapping of subsurface information. This research study aims at determination of the geophysical parameter differences in the subsurface geological structures and construction of a 3D fracture model. GPR and resistivity methods were applied to detect the unstable tectonic zones in the C-North deposit. Structural geology investigations were, first, surveyed to detect the faults and fractures in the study area. Based on the structural features, the survey was conducted over an area of 1 km2 with a total of 30 profiles and low-resistivity zones in the C-North deposit which is a great help in reducing their impacts in slope stability studies. GPR sections were, then, obtained from low and high frequency antennas (10 and 50 MHz) to detect fractures and water content zones. The obtained data results demonstrated that the major structural trends in the study area were W–E, NE–SW, and NW–SE while fault zones that can create pathways for groundwater inflow into the deposit in the future. Information obtained from geological and GPR studies were also integrated with drill hole data. The geological information from structures are in good agreement with the actual geological situation. Method and results of this study could be useful in solving problems related to subsurface structures in mining engineering.
S. Tabasi; H. Hassani; A. R. Azadmehr
Abstract
In the present work, we aimed to focus on the identification and characterization of the heavy metal-tolerant plant species growing spontaneously at the tailings site of the Sarcheshmeh copper mine, south of Iran. Our aim was to find the plant species that were potentially useful for phytoextraction ...
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In the present work, we aimed to focus on the identification and characterization of the heavy metal-tolerant plant species growing spontaneously at the tailings site of the Sarcheshmeh copper mine, south of Iran. Our aim was to find the plant species that were potentially useful for phytoextraction purposes. The concentrations of As, Cu, Mo, Ni, Zn, and Re were analyzed in soil as well as in the shoots and roots of plant species separately by an Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP–OES). The mean concentrations of As, Cu, Mo, Ni, Zn, and Re in soil were found to be 18.44±13.41, 1280±500.95, 25.06±13.33, 32.9±14.39, 251.82±95.82, and 1.7±0.78 mg kg-1, respectively. The translocation factor (TF) and the bioaccumulation factor (BCF) were defined and used to assess the amount of the elements accumulated in the shoots and roots of each plant species and to evaluate their potential for phytoextraction purposes. Based upon the results obtained and using the most common criteria, T. ramosissima, C. dactylon, A. leucoclada, and Z. fabago could strongly tolerate and extremely accumulate multiple metal(loid)s. Also Salsola kali, C. dactylon, A. leucoclada, and Z. fabago could be classified as hyperaccumulators for Re with TF and BCF greater than one and ten, respectively. The results of this work should be further developed in order to confirm the potential use of these species in phytoextraction programs.
S. Tabasi; H. Hassani; A.R. Azadmehr
Abstract
The present work was planned to evaluate the phytoextraction of metal mine tailings, Sarcheshmeh copper mine, SE of Iran, by the endemic plant species Medicago sativa L. (Alfalfa). In this pot experiment, we investigated the effects of seven amendments on the growth of alfalfa and uptaking metals from ...
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The present work was planned to evaluate the phytoextraction of metal mine tailings, Sarcheshmeh copper mine, SE of Iran, by the endemic plant species Medicago sativa L. (Alfalfa). In this pot experiment, we investigated the effects of seven amendments on the growth of alfalfa and uptaking metals from the mine tailings and stream sediment of tailing dam surface. The mean metal concentrations in both the tailing and stream sediment increased in the order of Hg < Te < Ag < Re < Ge < In < Ga
