ABSTRACT

Various granitoid bodies from the Neoproterozoic to Late Cenozoic intruded in the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone (SaSZ) in western Iran. In this research, we have compiled data for rare earth elements (REEs) concentration in the granitoid bodies which we have collected in the northern part of the SaSZ in this decade. The abundances of ∑REEs in a part of the granitoids are over 500 and even 2000 ppm. Although most of the granitoids such as Ebrahim Atar, Panjeh, Ghorveh, Kangareh, and Ghalaylan have low or normal values of ∑REEs and are not hopeful for future exploration, some hopeful bodies such as the Mobarak Abad granitoid in the east of Sanandaj and the Hassansalaran A-type granites in the east of Saqqez are recognized as REEs potential for future exploration. The chemical compositions of the REEs-enriched granites such as the Hassansalaran A-type and Mobarak Abad granites infer that the granites were generated in an extensional tectonic regime. Our finding shows that the granitic rocks which are related to the within plate tectonic setting in the SaSZ, NW Iran, can be considered as good potential for REEs exploration in the future.