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GEODYNAMIC SETTING AND MINERALIZATION IN THE WESTERN NEO-TETHYS A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science In the Department of Geological Sciences University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By KHALIL ALLAHYARI © Copyright Khalil Allahyari, May 2021. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise noted, copyright of the material in this thesis belongs to the author PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis/dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis/dissertation in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor or professors who supervised my thesis/dissertation work or, in their absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was conducted. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis/dissertation or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis/dissertation. DISCLAIMER This thesis was exclusively created to meet the thesis and/or exhibition requirements for the degree of Master of Science at the University of Saskatchewan. References in this thesis to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise do not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favouring by the University of Saskatchewan. The views and opinions of the author expressed herein do not state or reflect those of the University of Saskatchewan and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes. Requests for permission to copy or to make other uses of materials in this thesis/dissertation in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of Geological Sciences University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5E2 Canada OR Dean College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies University of Saskatchewan 116 Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5C9 Canada i ABSTRACT The southern section of the Neo-Tethys Ocean was located between the Arabian shield and the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone. To understand the mineral exploration potential in this area, a new database including 420 U-Pb and 1147 lithogeochemical samples, 1552 Lu-Hf, and 353 Sm-Nd isotopic composition results were constructed from published articles. This research is the first attempt to provide quantitative constraints on the development of the Western Neo-Tethys by utilizing the available published geochronological and geochemical data on the Mesozoic evolution of the Neo-Tethys. The collected dataset potentially provides insights into the relationship between tectono-magmatic environments and geochemical signatures in the overall study area. The geodynamic evolution of the Neo-Tethys in Iran started potentially as a rift by the Late Permian. Thus, igneous and metamorphic rocks older than Permian has been considered as basement and crustal blocks. The calculated εHf and εNd values distinguish five large crustal blocks in the western Neo-Tethys. However, the isotopic composition in the central and northwest of the Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc confirms the rifting and seafloor spreading of Neo-Tethys during the Permian–Triassic times. Contrary to previous studies, the GPlates-based reconstructions showed that the closure of Paleo-Tethys occurred in the Late Jurassic, not in the Permian–Triassic period. Moreover, based on this paleo-plate reconstruction, the opening of the Neo-Tethys was formed in the Late Triassic - Early Jurassic period and the initiation of subduction has occurred during the Middle Jurassic - Late Jurassic. Furthermore, the GPlates reconstructions, indicate that the initiation of collision between Arabia and Eurasia occurred between the upper Miocene to Pliocene (10-5 Ma). The geodynamic evolution of the southern Neo-Tethys Ocean involved a significant flare- up of arc magmatism affecting a large part of Iran and western Neo-Tethys from Cretaceous until the mid-Tertiary. The peak of magmatism occurred between 55 and 35Ma. This flare-up has formed two parallel arc regions, the Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone in the fore-arc and Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc in the back-arc. These two parallel domains are believed to be the result of the NE- dipping subduction of the Neo-Tethys in the Western Neo-Tethys. The geochemical features and adakitic signatures in these areas are interpreted similarly to the Andean-type magmatism. The mineralization in this realm is linked to the intrusion-related porphyry copper system of the ii Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc. This area is significantly dominated by substantial volcanic activity. Alternatively, volcanic massive sulfide deposit formation is related to the evolution of an extensional continental margin in a back-arc environment that affected the Central Iranian Microcontinent. This study has shown that no adakitic signatures are observed in Western Neo-Tethys rocks until the Early Jurassic. The first signs of adakitic magmatism appeared during the Middle to Late Jurassic period for the Ghorveh area in the northwest of Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone. However, the subduction of the Neo-Tethys oceanic crust under the Central Iranian Microcontinent has continued from Jurassic to Paleogene time, and adakitic magmatism has occurred in some segments along Western Neo-Tethys. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first like to acknowledge the support and valuable guidance provided by my supervisors Dr. Kevin Ansdell and Dr. Bruce Eglington, throughout the completion of this thesis. Many thanks for your patience through the extended timeline of this project and guidance in data interpretation, conference preparation, and writing. Thank you to my committee members, Dr. Camille Partin, Dave Thomas, and Dr. Luis Buatois, for taking the time to review my thesis and provide valuable comments. My eternal gratitude to Dean Meek for providing suggestions and sharing valuable GIS and GPlates related insights. To Lavie Nyguen, Isabelle Baconnais, and Mojtaba Abdolahnezhad thank you for being continuously optimistic and providing endless moral support. I am also grateful for the technical support I received from Jim Rosen and Tim Prokopiuk at the Department of Geological Sciences. The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the help and support I’ve received from my colleagues, family, and friends. Finally, a special thanks to my wife, Hamraz, for her love and valued supports throughout the writing of this thesis. This research was supported by funding provided by a Dean's Scholarship from the University of Saskatchewan and the Department of Geological Sciences, NSERC Discovery grant to Kevin Ansdell, and the Pyke Chair research fund to Bruce Eglington. iv DEDICATION To my loves: Hamraz, Evian, and Ryan, without your support, this would not have been possible. and To the memory of my parents that you have always been here with me and you will be in my heart forever. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE………………………………………………………………………….i ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION............................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... x ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS USED ...................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Project Scope ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Research Question and Hypotheses ...................................................................................... 2 1.4 Thesis Layout ........................................................................................................................ 3 CHAPTER 2: REGIONAL GEOLOGICAL SETTING .......................................................... 4 2.1 Literature review and Previous work .................................................................................... 4 2.2. The Neo-Tethys realm in Iran .............................................................................................. 4 2.2.1 Urumieh-Dokhtar Magmatic Arc ................................................................................................. 8 2.2.2. Sanandaj-Sirjan Zone .................................................................................................................. 9 2.2.3. Zagros zone ................................................................................................................................