Geochemical and Hydrothermal Alteration Patterns of the Abrisham-Rud Porphyry Copper District, Semnan Province, Iran

In this study, the zonality method has been used to separate geochemical anomalies and to calculate erosional levels in the regional scale for porphyry-Cu deposit, Abrisham-Rud (Semnan province, East of Iran). In geochemical maps of multiplicative haloes, the co-existence of both the supra-ore elements and sub-ore elements local maxima implied blind mineralization in the northwest of the study area. Moreover, considering the calculated zonality indices and two previously presented geochemical models, E and NW of the study have been introduced as ZDM and BM, respectively. For comparison, the geological layer has been created by combining rock units, faults, and alterations utilizing the K-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm. The rock units and faults have been identified from the geological map; moreover, alterations have been detected by using remote sensing and ASTER images. In the geological layer map related to E of the study area, many parts have been detected as high potential areas; in addition, both geochemical and geological layer maps only confirmed each other at the south of this area and suggested this part as high potential mineralization. Therefore, high potential areas in the geological layer map could be related to the mineralization or not. Due to the incapability of the geological layer in identifying erosional levels, mineralogy investigation could be used to recognize this level; however, because of the high cost, mineralogy is not recommended for application on a regional scale. The findings demonstrated that the zonality method has successfully distinguished geochemical anomalies including BM and ZDM without dependent on alteration and was able to predict erosional levels. Therefore, this method is more powerful than the geological layer.

Structural and Chemical Controllers of the North and Northwest of Torud Based on Involved Fluid Studies, Structural and Geochemical Analyses

Chah Mura mining area in Semnan province is located 30 km southwest of Shahroud and 20 km north of Torud village with an area of 35 km2 and includes a part of 1:250,000 Torud plate. Structurally, this area is located in the northeastern part of Central Iran and in the center of the volcanic-intrusive arc of Torud-Chah Shirin. Rock units of the area are volcanic and pyroclastic, depending on the Eocene age. Exposed assemblages in the Chah Mura area, based on field and laboratory studies, can be divided into basalt, andesite, andesite-basalt, trachyandesite, trachyandesibasalt and small outcrops of pyroclastic units in the form of agglomerates and sediments of sandstone and conglomerate. Volcanic rocks are influenced by sub-volcanic masses younger than Eocene with an intermediate to basic composition, and their predominant textures are granular, porphyroid with microcrystalline to microintragranular background. Finally, the units are cut by dikes. In this area, mineralization is mainly in the control of sub-faults and subvolcanic massifs. Mineralization is in the form of vein-veinlet, filling empty and scattered space in the oxidation-supergen stage. Mineral sequences include pyrite, chalcopyrite, chalcocite, digenite and covellite, cuprite, tenorite, natural copper, malachite, azurite, and iron oxides and hydroxides. Geochemical studies indicate that copper does not correlate well with any of the base metals and depositing elements. Copper shows only a relative correlation with silver. Micrometric studies of fluid inclusions in samples from this area indicate dilution as a result of mixing hydrothermal solutions with atmospheric fluids in formation of this reserve.

The Kuh Toto volcanic-hosted copper deposit, Semnan Province, Iran: geochemical, fluid inclusion, and C and O isotopic studies

Supergene copper mineralization occurs at the Kuh Toto deposit, located 25 km to the west of Torud village in the Semnan Province, Iran. Mineralogical, fluid inclusion, and stable isotopic (C and O) studies, as well as rare earth element (REE) geochemistry of whole-rock and minerals are used to unravel the conditions under which the Cu ores formed. Malachite is the only copper ore mineral, and it is present as veinlets, coatings and small patches in Eocene volcanic rocks. Malachite is accompanied by minor calcite, manganese and iron oxides and oxyhydroxides, clay minerals, epidote, quartz, and chrysocolla. Argillic and, to a lesser extent, propylitic hydrothermal alteration partially affected the basic volcanic host rocks. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of malachite and calcite are similar to those of the volcanic host rocks. They are enriched in LREEs. The volcanic host rocks are enriched in Cu (187 ppm on average). Fluid inclusions hosted in calcite reveal that calcite precipitated from hydrothermal fluids at low temperatures (69-150 °C) and low to moderate salinities (7.17-11.10 wt.% NaCl equivalent). The oxygen isotopic geothermometry yielded an average temperature of 41 °C for malachite formation. Geochemical and fluid inclusion evidence strongly support that mineral-forming elements, including Cu, originated from the associated volcanic rocks. Available data support the view that Cu was likely leached as mobile aqueous Cu2+ from the volcanic rocks by oxidizing surface waters. When Cu-enriched fluids entered the underlying groundwater environment, Cu was precipitated as malachite in fractures, via recombination with carbonate ions dissolved as CO2 in meteoric fluids.

The first Early Ordovician graptolites and marine incursions in eastern Alborz, Iran

Graptolites have been collected from sections through Lower Ordovician strata in northern Iran. At the Saluk Mountains, in the Kopet–Dagh region, mudrocks yielded fragmentary tubaria of Rhabdinopora sp. cf. R. flabelliformis, indicating the presence of lower Tremadocian strata there; stratigraphically, they lie between two limestone beds with the euconodont Cordylodus lindstromi. At Simeh–Kuh in the eastern Alborz Mountains (Semnan Province), upper Tremadocian – lower Floian strata include laminated dark mudstones that contain restricted graptolite faunas, mainly of small declined didymograptids; these are thought to represent incursions of plankton during periods of marine highstands. The lower major flooding surface in Simeh–Kuh coincides with an invasion of the graptolite biofacies and an incursion of Hunnegraptus? sp.; the second major flooding surface is associated with an incursion of Baltograptus geometricus. They were most probably synchronous with those in the lower part of the Hunnegraptus copiosus Biozone and at the base of the Cymatograptus protobalticus Biozone in the of the Tøyen Shale Formation succession of Västergötland, Scandinavia, suggesting that observed characters of sedimentation were eustatically controlled.

Application of Analytical Hierarchy Process for Structural Health Monitoring and Prioritizing of Concrete Bridges in Iran

This paper proposes a method for monitoring the structural health of concrete bridges in Iran. In this method, the bridge condition index (BCI) of bridges is determined by the analytical hierarchy process. BCI constitutes eight indices that are scored based on the experts' views, including structural, hydrology and climate, safety, load impact, geotechnical and seismicity, strategic importance, facilities, and traffic and pavement. Experts' views were analyzed by Expert Choice software, and the relative importance (weight) of indices were determined using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). Then, the gave scores of experts were assigned to indices for various conditions. Bridge inspectors can examine the bridge, determine the scores of indices, and compute BCI. Higher values of BCI ​​indicate better conditions. Therefore, bridges with lower BCI take priority in maintenance activities. Five bridges in Iran, Semnan province, were selected as the case studies, and BCI calculation of these bridges was conducted.

Natural radioactivity and radiological risks of common building materials used in Semnan Province dwellings, Iran

Impact assessment of building materials is a focused topic in the field of radioecology. A radiological survey has conducted to monitor radioactivity of most common building materials in Semnan Province, Iran, and assess the radiation risk. Activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were measured in 29 samples including nine commonly used building materials that were collected from local suppliers and manufacturers, using a high purity germanium gamma-ray detector. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K varied from 6.7±1 to 43.6±9, 5.9±1 to 60±11, and 28.5±3 to 1085±113 Bq kg−1 with averages of 26.8±5, 22.7±4, and 322.4±4 Bq kg−1, respectively. By applying multivariate statistical approach (Pearson correlation, cluster, and principal component analyses (PCA)), the radiological health hazard parameters were analyzed to obtain similarities and correlations between the various samples. The Pearson correlation showed that the 226Ra distribution in the samples is controlled by changing the 232Th concentration. The variance of 95.58% obtained from PCA resulted that the main radiological health hazard parameters exist due to the concentration of 226Ra and 232Th. The resulting dendrogram of cluster analysis also shows a well coincidence with the correlation analysis.

Validation of the name Hedysarum damghanicum (Fabaceae, Hedysareae) from Iran

During field surveys in Damghan (Semnan Province, N Iran) I collected Hedysarum damghanicum Rechinger (1979: 237) of section Crinifera Boissier (1872: 512). In order to confirm the identity of the specimens, I examined the protologue and realized that the name Hedysarum damghanicum was not validly published, because, contrary to Art. 40.2 of ICN (Turland et al. 2018), two gatherings were designated as types: Rechinger 55373 (as “fl. Typus”) and Rechinger 56498 (as “fruct. Typus”). Therefore, the name Hedysarum damghanicum is validated here by choosing one gathering as the type.