Dali prospect is the first known gold rich porphyry copper deposit in Urumieh-Dohtar volcanic arc of Iran and is located about 200 km in South of Tehran in Central Iran (Markazi Province, Arak as Capital). Raveh with ~1000 people is nearest village to this area and located to the east of prospect. It is accessible via Tehran-Isfahan high way.

Drilling at Dalli South Hill ore

Mineralized Quartz magnetite stockwork in porassic alteration zone of  Dalli south Hill (about 150m depth in DDH02)

The Dalli prospect lies within the Urumieh - Dokhtar volcanic arc that is the host to the porphyry copper deposits further south in the Kerman Belt. The area of the prospect is covered by 1:250,000 and 1:100,000 scale geological maps published by the Iranian Geological Survey. These maps indicate that the Dalli prospect lies within a Late Miocene stratovolcano represented by a 30 km long NNE trending outcrops of volcanics (porphyritic amphibole andesite, dacite and pyroclastics). In the later 1:100,000 scale mapping two volcanic centres are distinguished that are made up of andesitic lapilli tuff and breccia.

The prospect was first identified by Rio Tinto in 2002. Rio Tinto did not continue with the project as it was decided it does not represent a Rio Tinto sized target. The prospect was then picked up by Dorsa Pardazeh Co. and named Dali in 2004. It was generated from alteration mapping through satellite imagery and using 1:100000 Salafchegan-Khorhe geology map in late 2006. A copper occurrence was mapped with associated chlorite, epidote and sericite alteration hosted by Miocene -Pliocene volcanics. The response from Aster/TM imagery data is irregularly distributed fresh coloured tones (weak clay), probably not coherent enough for a target to be selected on Aster alone. Propyllitic alteration and silicification are visible on the processed Aster images. Several feldspar and granodiorite porphyry stocks have intruded in a NE/SW trending belt over a distance of 3km. They contain variable porphyry-style alteration and copper mineralization.