Turquoise mines are usually found in semi-arid regions. The duration of formation and deposition of Persian turquoise reserves is thought to be in the Upper Eocene to Lower Oligocene. Neishabour turquoise deposit, Allahabad and Yakhabad (Kashmar), Baghoo turquoise deposit (Damghan), Abdullah Gio turquoise index, Aliabad Taft turquoise index, and Chah Firoozeh copper deposits and Miduk are the most important turquoise mines in Iran. Turquoise traces have also been found in Ningan, the jagged mountains of Ashgabat Tabas, Sarhangi mountain, Qaleh Vaziri Basiran, Ebrahim Zahra, Chah the Sarcheshmeh copper deposit and the Saveh mountains.

In Iran, besides the Neishabour Turquoise Mine, the most significant turquoise mine in the country and world-renowned for its exceptional quality, there are several other turquoise deposits. Still, their turquoise deposits have been ignored due to their small quantity and lack of quality. The turquoise mines of Tabas, Kashmar, and Quchan produce green turquoise, which has little value and is employed to make stuff, decorative utensils, and animal sculptures.

Nishapur (Neishabour) Turquoise Mine

The best turquoise in terms of quality, colour, and value is found in the Neishabour Reserve, which is among the world’s oldest mines and has been excavated for 4000 years. Today, exploitation reserves in the shape of unusual caves and cavities can be found throughout the turquoise region. The turquoise mines of Neishabour are located 55 kilometres northwest of Neishabour city, 35 kilometres northwest of Firoozeh city, and 4 kilometres northwest of the mining village, which encompasses the ‘Oliya mine and the Suflaa (lower) mine, and it is located in the heights known as Ma’dan Mountain, Ra’iss Mountain, and Abdul Karimi Mountain.

Regarding structural geological divisions, this mine is situated in the Eastern Alborz structural zone and beneath the Binalood zone. The mine is located on the southern hillsides of Binalood Heights and in the volcanic conveyor south of Quchan.

Kerman Turquoise Mine

Firoozeh Midouk mine is in Kerman province, 42 kilometres northeast of Babak and 132 kilometres northwest of the Sarcheshmeh copper mine. This deposit’s host is detrital rocks and Eocene volcanic slashed by the many overbearing masses of granodiorite. Turquoise of varying beauty and variety can be found in Shahrbabak. Turquoise is most commonly found in striations and as a grain in the stone. The depth of these veins in most areas is very small, ranging from a few millimetres to one centimetre, and they form horizontal veins and, in some places, vertical veins in the host rock.

Other minerals found in these areas include malachite, azurite, chrysocla, calcanite, and turquoise. The turquoise inside this reserve is predominantly blue and green. The oxide zone contains blue turquoise, while the transition zone contains green varieties. Unlike Neishabour, the turquoise of Babak City is formed primarily in the rock mass of the Andesitic trachea.

The turquoise formation at the Midook mine is as follows:

• Chalcopyrite decomposition leads to the creation of iron and copper sulphate.
• The impact of sulfuric acid on the formation of apatite and phosphoric acid.

• Phosphoric acid’s effect on sediment and copper minerals near aluminium minerals like clay and plagioclase and minerals, as well as the formation of turquoise.

Chah Firoozeh Area

The Chah Firoozeh copper reserve is in Kerman province, 32 kilometres north of Babak. The intrusive mass in the Chah Firoozeh mine is composed of trachyandesite, andesite granodiorite, and dacite volcanic. The presence of an oxidant zone along with phosphorous minerals has aided in the formation of turquoise in Chah Firoozeh. Sulfuric acid is formed due to the impact of the surface factors on sulphides, and turquoise is formed due to its interaction with phosphorous mineral resources such as apatite.

Alunite, created from other kaolinite underneath the impact of sulphate-rich solutions, is the source of aluminium for turquoise in the Chah Firoozeh mine. The effects of copper, phosphorus, and iron solutions on this mine’s alumina rocks, particularly alunite grains, are considered the primary factor in turquoise forming.

Turquoise is a secondary mineral commonly associated with chrysocolla, hemorphite, and malachite in the Chah Firoozeh area. This mine also creates turquoise as the final stage of mineralisation inside the oxidant zones and supergene, as gaps fill and veins form. Because the depth of the referenced areas in the Chah Firoozeh region is limited, turquoise formation is on the surface, and expecting it to form at great depths is unlikely.

Baghu: Semnan Turquoise Mine

Microscopic examination of thin and refined sections demonstrated the existence of 2 stages of mineralisation: hypogene and supergene. During the hypogene phase, chalcopyrite, galena, and gold are formed, followed by iron hydroxides (hematite, limonite), coprite, angelsite, malachite, and azurite in the oxidant zone, and chalcocite and colite in the secondary enrichment zone. Turquoise is the region’s final mineralisation phase since the dispersed grains and veins of turquoise have snipped off or included all previous mineralisation.

The turquoise Baghu deposit is located 90 kilometres south of Damghan, on the west side of Trud, amid the “Trud – Chah Shirin Eocene volcanic-intrusive belt.”

Abdullah Giv Turquise Mine

Abdullah Giv Turquoise is discovered inside Eocene volcanic rocks as skinny malachite, chrysocolla, and green turquoise veins. In actuality, the stone of Abdullah Giv turquoise, similar to that of Neishabour turquoise, is made up of a variety of volcanic and detrital rocks, including trachyte, trachyandesite, tuff, and ignimbrite. One of the factors influencing turquoise mineralisation in this region is tectonic structure.

From Persian Mines to You

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Turquoise Uncovered Podcast

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Author: Sohrab Jamarani

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