The Lanthanide Tetrad Effect in Argillic Alteration: An Example from the Jizvan District, Northern Iran

Intrusion of quartz-monzodioritic igneous bodies of Oligocene age into Eocene lithic crystal tuffs and trachy-basalts resulted in the occurrence of a widespread argillic alteration zone in the Jizvan district (northern Iran). Mineralogically, the argillic alteration zone includes minerals such as kaolinite, quartz, smectite, pyrophyllite, muscovite-illite, alunite, rutile, calcite, feldspar, chlorite, hematite and goethite. Therefore, the non-CHARAC behaviour for trace elements in the argillic samples is reflected in the non-chondritic Y/Ho and Zr/Hf ratios and the irregular REE patterns, which appear related to the tetrad effect phenomenon. The chondrite-normalized REE distribution patterns indicate both concave (W-shaped) and convex (M-shaped) tetrad effects in the argillic samples. Based on the field evidence and the results from geochemical studies, it can be concluded that the samples from the argillic alteration zone having high fourth tetrad effect values (> 0.30) were developed in the fault and breccia zones. The results indicate that factors such as preferential scavenging by Mn-oxides, crystallization of clay minerals, fluid-rock interaction, overprint of hypogene mineral assemblage by supergene ones, and the structural control, have all played an important role in the occurrence of tetrad effects in samples of the argillic zone in the Jizvan district.