The Bafq metallogenic province in Iran contains world class Kiruna-type apatite-iron oxide ores, apatite-rich magmatic rocks called "apatitites", REE, Th-U, Pb-Zn and recently reported Cu(-Au?) mineralisation. The metallogenesis is related to magmatic events that accompanied a major late Precambrian rifting event within Gondwanaland. The magmatic activity is subvolcanic to volcanic, is characterised by thebimodal association of rhyolites and spilitic basalts and is accompanied by a regional alkali metasomatism.
The iron deposits are commonly hosted by hydrothermally altered and metasomatised rhyolitic rocks, which are either interstratified with volcano-sedimentary sequences, or form large subvolcanic and volcanic masses. The iron ore is dominantly a Ti-V-poor massive magnetite with subordinate hematite, and is commonly accompanied by apatite. Apatite also occurs within the magmatic "apatitites', which are spatially and temporally closely associated with the iron ores.