Abstract

Kushk zinc- lead deposit is located about 167 km east of the city of Yazd, Iran. The
geographical location of the mine is 31°, 40' N and 55", 40' E. Different rock types
including volcanics and subvolcanics (rhyolites, rhyodacites, dacites, and rhyolitic
tuffs) and sedimentary rocks (shale, limestones and dolomites) crop out in the area.
Mineralization of the deposit occurs in black shale of the late Precambrian time. The
paragenetic sequence of the minerals indicates two stages of mineralization for lead
minerals (galena) and one stage for zinc minerals (sphalerite). The Kushk deposit
bears several similarities to the base metal deposits related to submarine volcanisms
and sedimentation. The deposit is hosted by black shale and is proposed to be similar
to the Rarnrnelsberg (Germany) and Sullivan (British Colombia, Canada) deposits.
The Kushk deposit is believed to be associated with the evolution of Protrozoic
continental rifting in Iran and the mineralization in this deposit passes gradually
outward into an iron rich sulfide zone which is the case in Sullivan-type deposits