"Copper Ores from the Qaleh-Zari Mine, Iran"

Abstract

The copper deposits of the Qaleh-Zari mine are situated at the central part of eastern Iran, and they are represented by the quartz-copper veins of fissure-filling type. The ores of the mine usually contain bismuth, gold and silver. Maximum contents of those metals are as follows: Bi 0.28%, Au 180 g/t and Ag 600 g/t.
In the present paper, the ores are investigated by means of ore microscopy and X-ray spectroscopic qualitative analyses using electron microprobe. The following results were obtained.
1) The ores consist mainly of specular hematite and chalcopyrite with some galena, sphalerite and electrum.
2) It is noticeable fact that aikinite usually occurs as minor minerals in the ores.
3) In addition to aikinite, the existence of the following Bi-bearing minerals was inferred. Galenobismuthite, cosalite, emplectite, wittichenite, bismuthinite and matildite.
4) It is supposed that bismuth in the ores presents as aikinite and other Bi-bearing minerals as mentioned above.
5) In these ores, gold presents as electrum, but almost all silver may be contained in the Bi-bearing minerals and a part of silver may present in galena as iso-marphous substitution of lead by silver.