Mineral assemblages, fluid evolution, and genesis of polymetallic epithermal veins, Glojeh district, NW Iran

• The Glojeh district contains four major silver- and base metal-rich epithermal veins.
• The oxygen isotope values in quartz and calculated fluid δ18O values are consistent with a magmatic fluid with some minor meteoric water input.
• Boiling, isothermal mixing, and dilution are the main mechanisms for ore deposition in the Glojeh veins.
• The 40Ar/39Ar age of Glojeh veins overlap with Goljin intrusion as heat source of the hydrothermal system.

The Glojeh district contains silver- and base metal-rich epithermal veins and is one of the most highly mineralized locations in the Tarom-Hashtjin metallogenic province, northwestern Iran. It consists of four major epithermal veins, which are located in the South Glojeh and North Glojeh areas. Alteration in the Glojeh district consists of propylitic, sericitic, and argillic assemblages, as well as extensive silicification. The ore-bearing veins comprise three paragenetic stages: (1) early Cu-Au-As-Sb-Fe-bearing minerals, (2) middle stage Pb-Zn-Cu-Cd-Ag-bearing minerals, and (3) late hematite-Ag-Bi-Au-Pb mineralogy. The veins are best classified as the product of an early high-sulfidation hydrothermal system, which was overprinted by an intermediate sulfidation system that was rich in Ag and base metals. Hematite is locally altered to goethite in zones of as much as 40 m in width during supergene alteration and the goethite is an important exploration tool. Fluid inclusions from the early, middle, and late stages, respectively, have salinities and homogenizations temperatures ranging from 5 to 11 wt.% NaCl eq. and 220 °C to 340 °C, to 1 to 8 wt.% NaCl eq. and 200 °C to 290 °C and finally to. 0.1 to 2 wt.% NaCl eq. and 150 °C to 200 °C. The oxygen isotope values in quartz range from 8.8 to 13.3‰ and most calculated fluid δ18O values are between 4 and 8‰, suggesting a magmatic fluid with some meteoric water contamination. Sulfur isotope values for chalcopyrite, pyrite, sphalerite, and galena are mainly − 7.3 to + 1.3‰ and − 0.3 to + 8.4‰ for North Glojeh and South Glojeh, respectively. Sulfur isotope data suggest a magmatic origin. Boiling, isothermal mixing, and dilution are the main mechanisms for ore deposition in the Glojeh veins. Recent 40Ar/39Ar age measurements of 42.20 ± 0.34 Ma and 42.56 ± 1.47 Ma for the North Glojeh and South Glojeh veins, respectively, overlap with the 41.87 ± 1.58 Ma age of the Goljin intrusion in the northern part of the district, which we interpret as the main heat source controlling the hydrothermal systems.