The relationship between vein-style mineralization and structural evolution in Galleh Chah shear zone, eastern Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Geology, University of Birjand

3 Department of geology, Faculty of sciences, University of Birjand

Abstract

Galleh Chah area is located in the 1:100000 geological map of Ayesk, in the northwestern part of the Lut zone, in a sub-shear zone (the Galehchah shear zone) along the northwest-southeast direction. By studying satellite images along with field observations and drawing rose diagrams, fractures in the region are placed in three groups in order of occurrence time. 1. Almost north-south faults that are dextral strike-slip with a reverse component that are cut by other faults. These faults lack mineralization. 2. Northwest-southeast faults as dextral strike-slip with reverse component. These main shear zone faults (Y) and conjugate faults that have a smaller angle with the shear zone (R and P) have provided conduits for the rise and deposition of ores. 3. The northeast-southwest faults are left-lateral with a normal component that cut off the previous two groups. The paleostress patterns indicates two evolutionary stages in the Galleh Chah region. In the first stage, the stress in the northeast-southwest direction has caused the creation of an almost north-south shear zone with dextral strike-slip faults with a reverse component. In this stage, folds with a northwest-southeast axial trend have been created. Then, as a result of a local stress in the direction of north to northwest-south to southeast, Galleh Chah shear zone with northwest-southeast trend and with dextral strike-slip faults with reverse component has been formed. With the continued activity of Galleh Chah shear zone, antithetic Riddle fractures with the northeast-southwest trend have caused the displacement of previous faults and mineralization veins.

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