PROSPECTION FOR COPPER MINERALIZATION WITH CONTRIBUTION OF REMOTE SENSING, GEOCHEMICAL AND MINERALOGRAPHICAL DATA IN ABHAR 1:100,000 SHEET, NW IRAN

Abhar 1:100,000 sheet is located within the Cenozoic Tarom volcano-plutonic belt, NW Iran. The present study is based on the integration of remote sensing techniques on Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), geochemical data analysis consisting of stream sediment and lithogeochemical samples, within geological field observations and mineralographical studies to identify Cu prospect. On ASTER data; using a number of selected methods including band ratio, Least Square Fit (LS-Fit) and Minimum Noise Fraction (MNF) distinguished alternation zones. These methods revealed that three types of alterations: argillic, phyllic, and iron oxide zones occurring at the NE and SE of Abhar sheet, while the propylitic and silica zones are developed in NW and SW of the studied area. Lineaments were identified by aid of false color composite, high pass filters and hill-shade DEM techniques that two NW-SE and NE-SW major trends were determined. Geochemical anomalies were separated by number-size (N-S) method. Interpretation of N-S log-log plots of Cu in the area may be a result of the three steps of enrichment, i.e., mineralization and later dispersions. Field checks and Mineralgraphical studies also confirm the existence of suitable copper mineralization.