Kaygusuz, Abdullah; Sipahi, Ferkan; Ilbeyli, Nurdane; Arslan, Mehmet; Chen, Bin; Aydinçakir, Emre

A series of Cretaceous plutons is present in the eastern Pontides of northeastern Turkey. The Turnagöl intrusion is the least studied and, thus, the least understood plutons in the orogen. This intrusion consists of hornblende-biotite granodiorites emplaced at 78 Ma based on LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating. It is of sub-alkaline affinity, belongs to the medium- to high-K calc-alkaline series, and displays features typical of I-type granites. The rocks of the intrusion are enriched in large-ion lithophile elements and light rare earth-elements with negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.69-0.82), but are deficient in high-field-strength elements. They have a small range of ( 87Sr/86Sr)i (0.7060-0.7063), ÉNdi(-2.6 to -3.1), and δ18O (+8.1 to +9.1) values. Their Pb isotopic ratios are 206Pb/204Pb = 18.63-18.65, 207Pb/ 204Pb = 15.62-15.63, and 208Pb/204Pb = 38.53-38.55. The fractionation of plagioclase, hornblende, and Fe-Ti oxides had key functions in the evolution of the Turnagöl intrusion. The crystallization temperatures of the melts ranged from 758 to 885 C as determined by zircon and apatite saturation thermometry. All these characteristics, combined with the low values of K2O/Na2O and (Na 2O + K2O)/(FeOt + MgO + TiO2), as well as the high values of (CaO + FeOt + MgO + TiO2), suggest an origin by dehydration melting from a metabasaltic lower crustal source.

Karsli, Orhan; Caran, Şemsettin; Dokuz, Abdurrahman; Çoban, Hakan; Chen, Bin; Kandemir, Raif

The Eastern Pontides is characterized by the many of intrusive bodies formed throughout the late Mesozoic-early Cenozoic. Most of these are I-type granitoids, but here, we present for the first time an A-type pluton from the region to assess source characteristics and geodynamic implications. The A-type Pirnalli pluton has a SHRIMP zircon U-Pb age of 81.2±1Ma. It is composed of granite, syenite and quartz monzonite, and its enclaves are monzonitic in composition with elevated Ga/Al ratios and low Mg# (<42). The pluton is dominantly metaluminous (A/CNK=0.88 to 1.00) and belong to shoshonitic and ultra-potassic series. The samples are highly enriched in LREE and show significant negative Eu (Eu/Eu *=0.33 to 0.92), Ba, Nb, Sr and Ti anomalies in the spidergrams. The host rocks and their enclaves posses quite similar Sr-Nd isotopic compositions (I Sr=0.70693 to 0.70736, ε Nd (81Ma)=-2.6 to -2.0, T DM=0.94 to 1.12Ga), pointing to a lower crustal parental magma with a minor contribution of lithospheric mantle. We hypothesize that upwelling of asthenosphere triggered melting of chemically enriched upper mantle and basic magma formed. Melting of lower crust was provided by the underplating of this basic magma. Mixing between lower crust- and mantle-derived melts at depths of lower crust appears to be most reasonable petrogenetic process responsible for generation of the pluton. Sr-Nd isotope modeling suggests mixing of 82-90% of the lower crustal-derived melt with ~10-18% of the mantle-derived melt. Then the hybrid melt ascended to shallower crustal level and underwent a limited fractionation process to generate a variety of rock types. Our data also suggest that the A-type Pirnalli pluton likely formed at an extensional environment of active continental margin throughout the late Cretaceous. Ongoing extension then led to opening of Black Sea as a back-arc basin further north of the Eastern Pontides.

Karsli, Orhan; Ketenci, Murat; Uysal, Ibrahim; Dokuz, Abdurrahman; Aydin, Faruk; Chen, Bin; Kandemir, Raif; Wijbrans, Jan

The tectonic setting of the Eastern Pontides during the late Mesozoic to early Cenozoic remains a subject of debate. Petrogenesis of adakite-like granitoid porphyries plays a critical role in determining the nature of the lower continental crust and mantle dynamics during orogenic processes in the region. Here we describe, for the first time, the late Paleocene to early Eocene adakite-like granitoid porphyries from the northern part of the Eastern Pontides although their counterparts in the southern part have recently been found. The adakitic porphyries, which emplaced into the subduction-related Turonian-Santonian volcanics from northern part of the region, consist of I-type calc-alkaline quartz monzonite-tonalite (SiO2 = 62.89-65.07 wt.%) and high-k calc-alkaline granodiorite-granite associations (SiO2 = 69.06-70.43 wt.%). The former displays peraluminous to metaluminous signatures, whereas the latter shows peraluminous geochemical character. The granite-granodiorite porphyries have high K2O (3.32-3.84 wt.%), and low Na2O (3.48-4.61 wt.%) and MgO (0.91-1.04 wt.%) relative to the quartz monzonite-tonalite association (K2O = 1.50-1.92 wt.%; Na2O = 4.08-6.45 wt.%; MgO = 1.44-2.07 wt.%). Ar-Ar geochronology studies on the amphibole separates reveal that the adakite-like porphyries have a crystallization ages of 51.34 +/- 0.27 to 53.55 +/- 0.34 Ma. Here, we contend that these rocks were formed by partial fusion of a mafic lower continental crust in a collisional phase but not in a subduction setting. All the samples exhibit the typical geochemical characteristics of adakite, that is, high Sr (250-1141 ppm), high Sr/Y ratios (16-147), low Y (6.8-14.8 ppm) and low HREE concentrations; they are similar to adakites formed by slab melting associated with the subduction zone. However, the rocks exhibit heterogeneity in isotopic composition, with I-Sr ranging from 0.70554 to 0.70986, epsilon(Nd) (51 Ma) from -8.5 to -0.9 and Nd model ages from 0.72 to 1.26 Ga. The samples are characterized by relatively high Th, Th/U and no significant Eu anomalies, implying that garnet was stable in their source during partial melting. The compositional diversity between rock groups is probably related to partial melting of heterogeneous lower crustal source. All of the features are inconsistent with a slab-melting origin and slab-related petrogenetic model, but instead, they favor an origin by melting of heterogeneous lower continental crust due to a thermal anomaly that was induced by the upwelling of the asthenosphere through a slab break-off in a collisional setting. These interpretations argue against the evidence for the presence of an early Cenozoic arc setting in the Eastern Pontides. Instead, the early Cenozoic time in the region may be attributed to a geodynamic response to a post-collisional uplift phase that occurred along the continent-continent collision between the Pontide and the Anatolide-Tauride blocks. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Karsli, Orhan; Dokuz, Abdurrahman; Uysal, Ibrahim; Aydin, Faruk; Chen, Bin; Kandemir, Raif; Wijbrans, Jan

We present elemental and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic data for the magmatic suite (~79 Ma) of the Harşit pluton, from the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey), with the aim of determining its magma source and geodynamic evolution. The pluton comprises granite, granodiorite, tonalite and minor diorite (SiO2 = 59.43-76.95 wt%), with only minor gabbroic diorite mafic microgranular enclaves in composition (SiO2 = 54.95-56.32 wt%), and exhibits low Mg# (<46). All samples show a high-K calc-alkaline differentiation trend and I-type features. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns are fractionated [(La/Yb)n = 2.40-12.44] and display weak Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.30-0.76). The rocks are characterized by enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE. The Harşit host rocks have weak concave-upward REE patterns, suggesting that amphibole and garnet played a significant role in their generation during magma segregation. The host rocks and their enclaves are isotopically indistinguishable. Sr-Nd isotopic data for all of the samples display ISr = 0.70676-0.70708, εNd(79 Ma) = -4.4 to -3.3, with TDM = 1.09-1.36 Ga. The lead isotopic ratios are (206Pb/204Pb) = 18.79-18.87, (207Pb/204Pb) = 15.59-15.61 and (208Pb/204Pb) = 38.71-38.83. These geochemical data rule out pure crustal-derived magma genesis in a post-collision extensional stage and suggest mixed-origin magma generation in a subduction setting. The melting that generated these high-K granitoidic rocks may have resulted from the upper Cretaceous subduction of the Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan oceanic slab beneath the Eurasian block in the region. The back-arc extensional events would have caused melting of the enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle and formed mafic magma. The underplating of the lower crust by mafic magmas would have played a significant role in the generation of high-K magma. Thus, a thermal anomaly induced by underplated basic magma into a hot crust would have caused partial melting in the lower part of the crust. In this scenario, the lithospheric mantle-derived basaltic melt first mixed with granitic magma of crustal origin at depth. Then, the melts, which subsequently underwent a fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation processes, could ascend to shallower crustal levels to generate a variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite. Sr-Nd isotope modeling shows that the generation of these magmas involved ~65-75% of the lower crustal-derived melt and ~25-35% of subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Further, geochemical data and the Ar-Ar plateau age on hornblende, combined with regional studies, imply that the Harşit pluton formed in a subduction setting and that the back-arc extensional period started by least ~79 Ma in the Eastern Pontides.

Dokuz, Abdurrahman; Karsli, Orhan; Chen, Bin; Uysal, Ibrahim

Small granitoids emplaced into the early Jurassic volcani-clastic succession in the Yusufeli area, northeastern Turkey, can be temporally and geochemically classified into two groups: early Jurassic low-K and late Jurassic high-K. 40Ar-39Ar hornblende analyses yielded 188.0 ± 4.3 Ma for the Dutlupi{dotless}nar intrusion, dating the subduction related rifting in the region. It comprises metaluminous to weakly peraluminous (ASI = 0.94-1.11) granodiorite and, to a lesser extent, tonalite whose K2O-poor (< 2.04 wt.%) nature and weak negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.9-0.7) preclude derivation by fractional crystallization from a K-rich melt. Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic data reveal derivation by partial melting from an already cooled tholeiitic basic rocks which had mantle-like isotope signature. The Sumbated intrusion formed in the late Jurassic (153.0 ± 3.4 Ma) and consists chiefly of metaluminous (ASI = 0.84-0.99) quartz monzodiorite. Medium to high-K2O, relatively high MgO and Sr contents, flat HREE patterns without prominent Eu anomalies, slightly positive εNd(t) values (+ 1.5 to + 2.5) and low ISr ratios (0.7046-0.7056) are consistent with an origin by dehydration melting of a juvenile source, above the garnet stability field, dominated by likely K-amphibole bearing calc-alkaline mafic rocks. Geochemical data show that fractional crystallization from a Sumbated-like quartz monzodioritic magma is the fundamental process responsible for the evolved compositional range of the Keçikaya intrusion. The geochemical and geochronological data presented here indicate that the late Jurassic magmatism occurred in a post-collisional setting. Slab-breakoff, which was followed by shortly after collision, seems to be the most plausible mechanism for the generation of medium to high-K calc-alkaline rocks of the Sumbated and the Keçikaya intrusions, indicating a switch in the geodynamic setting, e.g., from pre-collision to post-collision in the middle Jurassic in the eastern Pontides.

Kaygusuz, Abdullah; Chen, Bin; Aslan, Zafer; Siebel, Wolfgang; Şen, Cüneyt

The petrogenesis and U-Pb SHRIMP zircon ages of the Late Cretaceous Sariosman pluton in the Eastern Pontides is investigated by means of whole-rock Sr-Nd isotope data with field, petrographic and whole-rock geochemical studies. The bulk of the I-type Sariosman pluton consists of biotite-hornblende monzogranite, with minor quantities of porphyritic hornblende-biotite monzogranite. The biotite-hornblende monzogranite contains a number of mafic microgranular enclaves (MMEs) of quartz monzodiorite composition. U-Pb zircon sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe dating (SHRIMP) dates the magma emplacement age of the biotite-hornblende monzogranite at 82.7±1.5 Ma. The rocks of the pluton show high-K calc-alkaline, metaluminous to slightly peraluminous characteristics, and are enriched in large ion lithophile elements (LILE) and light rare earth elements (LREE) relative to high field strength elements (HFSE), thus displaying features of arc-related granitoids. Chondrite-normalised rare earth-element (REE) patterns have concave upward shapes (Lacn/Lucn= 10.1-17.4) with pronounced negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu*= 0.61-0.80). Initial εNd values vary between -3.0 and -4.1 and initial 87Sr/86Sr values between 0.7062 and 0.707. The MMEs are characterised by higher Mg-numbers (27-29) and lower values of both SiO2 (56-58 wt%) and aluminium saturation index (0.9-1.0), compared to the monzogranites. Fractionation of plagioclase, hornblende and Fe-Ti oxides played an important role in the evolution of the Sariosman pluton. The crystallisation temperatures of the melts ranged from 700 to 800 °C and a relatively shallow intrusion depth (~2 to 7 km) is estimated from the Al-in-hornblende geobarometry. The geochemical and isotopic compositions of the Sariosman pluton suggest an origin through dehydration melting of mafic lower crustal source rocks.

Aydin, Faruk; Karsli, Orhan; Chen, Bin

Whole-rock geochemistry, Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes and K-Ar data are reported for alkaline samples collected from the Neogene alkaline volcanics (NAVs) in the Eastern Pontides, northeastern Turkey, in order to investigate their source and petrogenesis and geodynamic evaluation of the region. The NAVs were made of three groups that comprise of basanite-tephrite (feldspar-free; Group A), tephrite-tephriphonolite (feldspar and feldspathoid-bearing; Group B) and alkaline basalt-rhyolite (feldspathoid-free; Group C) series. These rocks cover a broad compositional range from silica-undersaturated to silica-oversaturated types, almost all of which are potassic in character. They show enrichment of LREE and LILE and depletion of HFSE, without a Eu anomaly in most of the mafic samples. Textural features and calculated pressures based on the Cpx-barometer in each series indicate that the alkaline magma equilibrated at shallow crustal depths under a pressure of about 3-4.5 kbar and approximating a crystallization depth of 9-14 km. The NAVs are slightly depleted in isotopic composition, with respect to 87Sr/86Sr (ranging from 0.705018 to 0.705643) and 143Nd/144Nd (ranging from 0.512662 to 0.512714) that indicate young Nd model ages (0.51-059 Ga). This may indicate that the parent melts tapped a homogeneous and young lithospheric mantle source which was metasomatized by subduction-derived sediments during the Late Mesozoic. Pb isotopic compositions (206Pb/204Pb = 18.85-18.95; 207Pb/204Pb = 15.60-15.74; 208Pb/204Pb = 38.82-39.25) may also be consistent with a model for an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle source. Lithospheric thinning and resultant upwelling of asthenosphere induced by lithospheric delamination may have favoured partial melting of chemically enriched, young lithospheric mantle beneath the Eastern Pontides. Then, the melt subsequently underwent a fractional crystallization process along with or without minor amounts of crustal assimilation, generating a wide variety of rock types in a post-collision extensional regime in the Eastern Pontides during the Neogene.

Karsli, Orhan; Chen, Bin; Uysal, Ibrahim; Aydin, Faruk; Wijbrans, Jan R.; Kandemir, Raif

Whole-rock geochemical and Sr, Nd and Pb isotope data are presented for a representative suite of the Quaternary Erzincan Volcanics (QEV) from the Erzincan basin (EB) along the North Anatolian Fault Zone, aiming to understand their origin and implications for basalt-lower crust interaction. Unspiked K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating of dome lavas from the QEVs yielded ages of 102 ± 2 to 1061 ± 88 ka. The QEVs range from high-K low silica trachy-andesite to rhyolite in composition, with rhyolite volumetrically the most abundant. All rocks show high-K calc-alkaline affinity, a geochemical signature common to many post-collisional magmas. They are characterized by enrichment in LILE (Rb, Ba, K, Th) and LREE ((La/Yb)CN = 3-33), with pronounced depletion of HFSE. All lavas show negligible or small negative Eu anomalies in the andesitic to dacitic and strong Eu anomalies in the rhyolitic samples. These rocks have relatively low 87Sr/86Sr = 0.70404-0.70587 and slightly depleted Nd isotopic compositions (εNd from - 0.9 to 2.8), with significantly varied Mg# ranging from 2 to 53. Pb isotopic compositions [206Pb/204Pb = 18.90-19.02, 207Pb/204Pb = 15.64-15.70, 208Pb/204Pb = 38.91-39.97] reveal an enriched source signature, which implies that some portions of metasomatized lithospheric mantle could have contributed to their genesis. The isotopic ratios and chemical features along with the textural and compositional disequilibrium of the plagioclases and amphiboles suggest that mixing of mafic and felsic magmas played an important role in the magma genesis. A possible scenario for the genesis of these volcanic rocks is that basaltic magma formed as a result of partial melting of a subcontinental lithospheric mantle source responding to a possible upwelling of asthenospheric mantle which was caused by the extension produced by strike-slip tectonics. Underplating of these high-temperature basaltic magmas sparked partial fusion of a juvenile lower continental crust producing felsic melts; then magma mixing between basaltic and the felsic magmas followed. Fractional crystallization, with minor amounts crustal contamination could have played an important role in the evolution of magma. Modelling based on Sr and Nd isotope data shows that less than 10% of a basic magma and about 90% of juvenile lower continental crustal material was involved in the generation of the QEVs in a pull-apart basin along the North Anatolian Fault Zone.

Karsli, Orhan; Chen, Bin; Aydin, Faruk; Şen, Cüneyt

The major and trace elements and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopes of the host rocks and the mafic microgranular enclaves (MME) gathered from the Dölek and Sariçiçek plutons, Eastern Turkey, were studied to understand the underlying petrogenesis and geodynamic setting. The plutons were emplaced at ∼ 43 Ma at shallow depths (∼ 5 to 9 km) as estimated from Al-in hornblende geobarometry. The host rocks consist of a variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite (SiO2 = 56.98-72.67 wt.%; Mg# = 36.8-50.0) populated by MMEs of gabbroic diorite to monzodiorite in composition (SiO2 = 53.21-60.94 wt.%; Mg# = 44.4-53.5). All the rocks show a high-K calc-alkaline differentiation trend. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns are moderately fractionated and relatively flat [(La/Yb)N = 5.11 to 8.51]. They display small negative Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.62 to 0.88), with enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE. Initial Nd-Sr isotopic compositions for the host rocks are εNd(43 Ma) = - 0.6 to 0.8 and mostly ISr = 0.70482-0.70548. The Nd model ages (TDM) vary from 0.84 to 0.99 Ga. The Pb isotopic ratios are (206Pb/204Pb) = 18.60-18.65, (207Pb/204Pb) = 15.61-15.66 and (208Pb/204Pb) = 38.69-38.85. Compared with the host rocks, the MMEs are relatively homogeneous in isotopic composition, with ISr ranging from 0.70485 to 0.70517, εNd(43 Ma) - 0.1 to 0.8 and with Pb isotopic ratios of (206Pb/204Pb) = 18.58-18.64, (207Pb/204Pb) = 15.60-15.66 and (208Pb/204Pb) = 38.64-38.77. The MMEs have TDM ranging from 0.86 to 1.36 Ga. The geochemical and isotopic similarities between the MMEs and their host rocks indicate that the enclaves are of mixed origin and are most probably formed by the interaction between the lower crust- and mantle-derived magmas. All the geochemical data, in conjunction with the geodynamic evidence, suggest that a basic magma derived from an enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle, probably triggered by the upwelling of the asthenophere, and interacted with a crustal melt that originated from the dehydration melting of the mafic lower crust at deep crustal levels. Modeling based on the Sr-Nd isotope data indicates that ∼ 77-83% of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle involved in the genesis. Consequently, the interaction process played an important role in the genesis of the hybrid granitoid bodies, which subsequently underwent a fractional crystallization process along with minor amounts of crustal assimilation, en route to the upper crustal levels generating a wide variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite in an extensional regime.