Bónová K., Jafarzadeh M. & Bóna J., 2021: Depositional history of the Devonian Ilanqarehand Padeha formations in Azarbaijan Province and Eastern Alborz (Iran): constraints from heavy-mineral microtextures. Acta Geologica Slovaca, 13, 1, 13–26.

Depositional history of the Devonian Ilanqarehand Padeha formations in Azarbaijan Province and Eastern Alborz (Iran): constraints from heavy-mineral microtextures

Katarína Bónová¹, Mahdi Jafarzadeh² & Ján Bóna¹

¹Institute of Geography, Faculty of Science, Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice, Jesenná 5, 040 01 Košice, Slovak Republic; katarina.bonova@upjs.sk
²Faculty of Earth Sciences, Shahrood University of Technology, Shahrood, Iran

Abstract

We analysed the surface microtextures well-preserved on stable to ultra-stable heavy minerals such as zircon, tourmaline and rutile from the Devonian siliciclastic rocks which are cropping in northeastern and northwestern Iran by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) techniques to provide useful provenance information on various sedimentary stages, and to reconstruct their sedimentary history. Different surface mechanical and chemical corrosive features point to more detritus sources, and above all on few evolution stages in different environments. The microtexture similarity between the studied Ilanqareh and Padeha deposits indicates that they could have experienced the resembled environmental conditions – from aeolian to subaqueous (fluvial and/or marine) processes. Nature of heavy minerals points to a multi-cyclic character of the sediments, and in addition to previously published ideas about the Arabian-Nubian Shield source, the presence of local source(s) partly supplied the Ilanqareh basin may be assumed.

Key words: Iran, Ilanqareh and Padeha Formations, heavy minerals, surface microtextures, SEM analysis, sedimentary environment

Manuscript received: 2020-11-03

Revised version accepted: 2021-01-24