Reconnaissance Geochemical Exploration for Copper Mineralization at Wadi Dara, North Eastern Desert, Egypt

Wadi Dara area is located in North Eastern Desert of Egypt. The exposed rock units are metavolcanics, gabbro-diorite, granodiorite, Dokhan volcanics, monzogranite and alkali feldspar granite. The area is known for bearing Cu-Au mineralization. The samples are collected via fieldwork and studied using remote sensing, microscopic and geochemical studies to identify the rock types and the center of mineralization with its economic importance. The remotely sensed data identified the main trends of lineaments, which are NE-SW and NW-SE. The recorded alteration types are argillic, phyllic and propylitic types chiefly within granodiorite and gabbro-diorite. The ore minerals are mainly sulfides chalcopyrite, galena and sphalerite with supergene minerals. Petrochemically, the rocks exhibit metaluminous, ferroan, alkalic-calcic while gabbro diorite is tholeiitic. The rocks were formed in syn-collisional to late orogenic fields and the gabbro-diorite plots formed in ocean island setting. The geochemical patterns and factors distinguished two fields of ore elements pointing to presence of these metals more than one phase e.g. sulfides, oxides and silicates. Geochemically, Au and Cu are the main ore elements in gabbro-diorite with Pb and Mo as the main associated elements. While in granodiorite, the Au is the main ore element, and the Cu is the chief associated element in addition to (As, Pb, Co, and Mo). The detected sequence of zoning point to Au is increasing with depth compared to Cu at higher level. In consequence, gabbro-diorite and granodiorite are promising for detailed studies using drilling. The associated elements (Pb, Mo, As and Co) are pathfinder in other granitic rocks in the stretch.