Bondar-e-Honza: An oldest and special porphyry copper (molybdenum) deposit in the Kerman porphyry copper belt, Iran

Iran is part of Alpine-Himalayan orogenic and metallogenic belt and Kerman porphyry copper belt is main porphyry copper district in Iran, hosting Sar Cheshmeh world-class deposit. Intrusive bodies in the Kerman belt can be divided into old Jebal-e-Barez and young Kuh-e-Panj intrusions. It has been suggested that jebal-e-Barez type intrusions are barren and younger Kuh Panj intrusive are productive. Bondar-e-Honza is a porphyry copper deposit belongs to Jebal-e-Barez type intrusive. The deposit has 50 Mt ore with similar to 0.3% copper. Porphyry copper mineralization mainly developed as hypogene zone in a dioritic stock and potassic andesitic rocks and subordinately in a porphyry granodiorite. Alteration haloes mainly are potassic and propylitic. Potassic alteration developed mainly in the porphyry diorite, Eocene andesitic rocks and in the granodiorite porphyry stock. Actinolitic amphibole is main alteration mineral in the zone. U-Pb age dating on separated zircon grains from granodiorite porphyry yielded a 27.88 +/- 0.48 Ma age at 95% conf. and MSWD = 3.3. This study results showed that Jebal-e-Barez type granitoids also have porphyry copper mineralization capability and Bondar-e-Honza is a typical and special porphyry copper mineralization belongs to these older intrusive in the Kerman belt.