Petro Genetic Study of Metallic and Non-Metallic Minerals in Jamrud and Bazar Zakha Khel Areas, Khyber District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan

Abstract

The study area is located in district Khyber of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan near Afghanistan border. It is the part of Khyber mountain ranges in the Hindu Kush mountainous terrains. The study area exposes the Paleozoic sequence. The aim of the study add to investigate the metallic minerals of the study area. These minerals are present in the Khyber Limestone of Devonian age. The study shows fluorite with different colors due to the crystal morphology and the presence of trace elements impurities in fluorite of the Maidanak and Bazar Zakha Khel areas. In Bazar Zakha Khel area, the purple and white fluorite and barite are dominating as vein deposits with minor amounts of galena with quartz, and calcite as accessory minerals. The petrographic investigation of the Bazar Zakha Khel deposit suggests that the veins are composed of quartz, fluorite, barite and galena with minor amount of calcite which is hydrothermally deposited. The multi-coloration in fluorite seems to be due to crystal morphology and the presence of trace elements in fluorite during hydrothermal mineralization. Variation in the grain size shows the degree of cooling. Galena seems to be the late stage mineral because galena is crystalized in the central part of fluorite and barite veins. The veins are more than one meter thick with unknown length Some veins are parallel to bedding and sub vertical to vertical. Fluorite and barite deposits seem to be economically viable. The research investigation reveals that there is a Mississippi Valley Type (MVT) hydrothermal deposit which is composed of galena associated with fluorite and barite in the carbonates of the Khyber Formation.