Formation, origin and time-space relationship of the Gadir (West Azerbaijan) Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn deposit

In this PhD thesis study, it is aimed to reveal the formation and time-space relationship of the Gadir Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn, which is located in the Gedebey district in the west of Azerbaijan and in the northwest of the Gedebey Au-Ag-Cu deposit. Gedebey province, where Gadir mineralization occurs, generally consists of Jurassic and Cretaceous aged magmatic, metamorphic and sedimentary rocks. Mineralization occurred largely within the quartz porphyries formed as a result of hydrothermal alteration and partly at the contacts of these quartz porphyries and hornfelses andesites. Gadir deposit consists mainly of natural gold, hessite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, pyrite, small amounts of arsenopyrite, marcasite, digenite, barite and adularia. Hydrothermal alterations due to mineralization are quartz-adularia±sericite and propylitic alterations. In geochemical analysis studies, the Gadir deposit mainly consists of Au, Ag, Cu, Pb and Zn, and their maximum amounts were determined as 10.3 ppm, 1133 ppm, 23780 ppm, 59811 ppm and 424770 ppm, respectively. δ34SH2S values (−2.2 to 4.4‰) of sulfides (chalcopyrite, pyrite and sphalerite) in the Gadir Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn deposit indicate a magmatic origin for the ore-forming solutions. The U-Pb radiogenic dating of the rhyolite sample taken from the Arıkdam volcanics unit in the region was determined as 165-180 million years old, indicating that the rhyolitic rocks in the region are Lower and Middle Jurassic in age. Geological, mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic studies show that the Gadir Au-Ag-Cu-Pb-Zn deposit is a low-temperature epithermal mineralization associated with porphyry.