Eyuboglu, Yener; Santosh, M.; Dudas, Francis O.; Akaryali, Enver; Chung, Sun-Lin; Akdaǧ, Kemal; Bektaş, Osman

The eastern Pontides orogenic belt provides a window into continental arc magmatism in the Alpine-Himalayan belt. The late Mesozoic-Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of this belt remains controversial. Here we focus on the nature of the transition from the adakitic to non-adakitic magmatism in the Kale area of Gumushane region in NE Turkey where this transition is best preserved. The adakitic lithologies comprise porphyries and hyaloclastites. The porphyries are represented by biotite-rich andesites, hornblende-rich andesite and dacite. The hayaloclastites represent the final stage of adakitic activity and they were generated by eruption/intrusion of adakitic andesitic magma into soft carbonate mud. The non-adakitic lithologies include basaltic-andesitic volcanic and associated pyroclastic rocks. Both rock groups are cutting by basaltic dikes representing the final stage of the Cenozoic magmatism in the study area. We report zircon U-Pb ages of 48.71 ± 0.74 Ma for the adakitic rocks, and 44.68 ± 0.84 Ma for the non-adakitic type, suggesting that there is no significant time gap during the transition from adakitic to non-adakitic magmatism. We evaluate the origin, magma processes and tectonic setting of the magmatism in the southern part of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt. Our results have important bearing on the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean region.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Santosh, M.; Chung, Sun-Lin

Plutonic and porphyritic intrusions of adakitic rocks are widely distributed in the southern part of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt in Turkey. Ranging in age from late Paleocene to early Eocene, these intrusions provide critical information to evaluate the early Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean region. Here we report the results from our field, petrologic, geochemical and zircon U-Pb geochronological studies on adakitic intrusions in the Seme area from the southern part of eastern Pontides belt. The Seme granitoid, Daldibi dacite and Aslanca dacite porphyry from this region carry abundant plagioclcase, amphibole and biotite phenocrysts and have geochemical affinities typical of adakites including high SiO2 (58.48-75.6wt.%), Al2O3 (15.78-18.28wt.%), Na2O (3.94-5.08wt.%), Sr (506-1413ppm), and La (12.6-52.9ppm), moderate K2O (1.77-2.76wt.%), and low Y (4.7-14.2ppm) and Yb (0.28-1.29ppm). The early Eocene intrusions in the Seme area have compositional similarities with high-slica adakites, and their geochemical features suggest the involvement of slab-derived melts. The zircons separated from these rocks show euhedral crystal shapes with oscillatory cores typical of crystallization from magmas, as also confirmed by their high Th/U ratios (0.78 to 1.15). U-Pb analyses of zircons from the quartz diorite yielded a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 53.16±0.45Ma. Zircon grains from the Aslanca dacite porphyry occurring as a late phase within the Seme body show U-Pb isotopic ages of 53 and 52Ma concordant with U-Pb ages of zircons from quartz diorite. Based on major, trace and rare earth element data, we present a model suggesting crystal fractionation and/or differentation processes of subduction-related adakitic magmas stored in the crust-mantle transition zone, and their transfer into shallow depths of the overriding continental lithosphere.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Santosh, M.; Bektas, Osman; Chung, Sun-Lin

The eastern Pontides orogenic belt of northeastern Turkey offers critical clues on convergent margin tectonics associated with the late Mesozoic-early Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean region. Here we report the geology, petrology, geochemistry, Nd-Sr-Pb isotopes and U-Pb zircon ages from a ultramafic-mafic complex in Aksalur which forms part of a series of Alaskan-type ultramafic-mafic bodies in the Amasya region located at the south-western corner of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt. These ultramafic-mafic intrusions occur as minor (30-300m in diameter), scattered, roughly circular bodies within the low-grade metamorphic rocks of the Tokat metamorphic massif. Petrographic studies characterise the rock types as gabbro and wehrlite, with the latter showing typical cumulate texture and mainly comprising serpentinized olivine, clinopyroxene, hornblende, mica and opaque minerals. The gabbroic rocks are characterized by relatively high initial ratios of 143Nd/144Nd (0.512618-0.512633) and low initial ratios of 87Sr/86Sr (0.70420-0.70435). Their initial Pb isotope ratios range from 17.306 to 17.771. The gabbros and cumulate wehrlites display geochemical distribution patterns analogous to the Alaskan-type intrusions that were derived from a subduction-related, high-alumina, hydrous basaltic parental magma in a convergent plate setting. LA-ICPMS analyses of zircons separated from the gabbros show high Th/U ratios (1.35-5.26) typical of magmatic origin. The U-Pb isotopic data define a weighted mean 206Pb/238U age of 203.3±4.9Ma. Detailed evaluation of the magma tectonics suggests that the Alaskan-type Aksalur ultramafic-mafic intrusions were accumulated in magma chamber(s) located at relatively shallow crustal levels. Two distinct magmatic pulses are identified: the first phase produced the gabbroic intrusions and the second phase was characterized by numerous small-scale werhlitic cumulate intrusions. In contrast to the previous models which assigned a mid-oceanic ridge-derived ophiolite affinity for ultramafic-mafic complexes in the eastern Pontides orogenic belt, our study reveals that these intrusions were derived from subduction-related high-alumina hydrous basaltic magmas transferred into the overlying relatively thin continental crust along deep-seated fractures.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Santosh, M.; Chung, Sun-Lin

The well-preserved magmatic arc in the eastern Pontides orogenic belt of northeastern Turkey offers critical clues on convergent margin tectonics associated with the late Mesozoic-early Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean region. Here we investigate the petrology, geochemistry, and U-Pb zircon chronology of adakitic intrusions from the Pulur region in the southern zone of the eastern Pontides belt. The intermediate to felsic intrusives in the Pulur region are characterized by the presence of abundant plagioclase, amphibole, and biotite phenocrysts. The rocks display extreme light rare earth element enrichment (LaN YbN p13.69-51.08); high Al2O3 (15.46-17.47 N Nwt%), Na2O (3.57-8.43 wt%), Sr (324.8-1468 ppm), and La (13.9-55.8 ppm) concentrations; a high Sr/Y ratio (35-473); and low Y (3-12.6 ppm) and heavy rare earth element concentrations, closely comparing with the typical features of adakites. Zircons extracted from the Pulur adakites show euhedral crystal shapes, oscillatory zoning patterns, andhigh Th/U ratios (up to 3.33) consistent with their magmatic origin. Their 206Pb/238U ages show a range of 55.21-53.07 Ma, correlating the magmatism to the early Eocene. We propose a tectonic model involving the initiation of a slab rollback and simultaneous opening of a slab window during ridge subduction in a south-dipping sub duction zone for the origin of the Tertiary adakitic and nonadakitic magmatism in the eastern Pontides orogenic belt. We also identify a close relation between slab rollback processes and back arc extension, which led to the opening of the Tertiary basins in the southern part of the eastern Pontide orogenic belt. The eastern Pontide orogenic belt is one of the world's largest metallogenic provinces, and it hosts various economic mine ralizations such as volcanogenic massive sulfide, epithermal gold-silver, porphyry copper-molybdenum, skarn-type, and chromite. However, the adakitic intrusions exposed in the southern part of the eastern Pontide orogenic belt are devoid of ore deposits, which leads us to propose that the Lutetian or later nonadakitic granitic intrusions exposed at the north of the Gumushane-Bayburt-Ispir line were probably responsible for the epithermal gold mineralization in this belt.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Chung, Sun-Lin; Santosh, M.; Dudas, Francis O.; Akaryali, Enver

The formation of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt has been widely assigned to a northward subduction of the Neotethyan oceanic slab during the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic. Here we provide an alternate model based on new geological, geochemical and isotopic data. The magmatic activity in the far south of the belt started in the early Campanian with shoshonitic trachyandesites and associated pyroclastics. This sequence is covered by the late Campanian-early Maastrichtian reefal limestones and another stage of high-K volcanism represented by analcimized leucite-rich ultrapotassic rocks of the Maastrichtian-early Paleocene (?) ages. The shoshonitic and ultrapotassic rocks, with K2O contents ranging from 0.26 to 6.95 wt.%, display broadly similar rare earth and multi-element distribution patterns. Both rock types are enriched in LILE and LREE and depleted in HFSE (Nb,Ta and Ti), suggesting a subduction-enriched mantle source for the magma generation. Subsequently, during the late Paleocene, a stage of acidic magmatism (SiO2 of 53.25-73.61 wt.%) that shows adakitic geochemical characteristics including high Sr/Y (46-416) and La/Yb (11-51) and low Y (2.6-12.2 ppm), is documented characterized by melting of a mafic source such as the MORB crust with garnet in the residue. The adakitic magmatism began at similar to 56 Ma and migrated toward the north through time, culminating with porphyritic andesites (similar to 47 Ma) that were emplaced in the Gumushane-Bayburt line and its vicinity. North of this line, coeval magmas show typical calc-alkaline nature and continued to develop toward further north until the middle to late Eocene. Based on the spatial and temporal variations in the magmas generated in the eastern Pontides orogenic belt, we propose a new geodynamic model to explain the tectonomagmatic evolution of these rocks and correlate the adakitic magmatism to ridge subduction and slab window process within a south-dipping subduction zone. Our model is in contrast to the previous proposals which envisage partial melting or delamination of thickened lower continental crust due to the collision in the south during the Paleocene-Eocene. (C) 2010 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Santosh, M.; Dudas, Francis O.; Chung, Sun-Lin; Akaryali, Enver

The eastern Pontide orogenic belt in Turkey offers a critical region to evaluate the geodynamic evolution of the eastern Mediterranean region during the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic. Here we synthesize results from our exhaustive database on the geochemical characteristics of adakitic magmatism from 137 bodies covering 7 domains in the southern zone of eastern Pontides. Together with new Pb-Sr-Nd results, we show that the adakitic magmatism in the eastern Pontide belt is clearly linked to slab window processes during ridge subduction, as against the earlier models that assumed partial melting of a delaminated or thickened lower continental crust following collision. The isotopic compositions display a complex pattern and suggest mixing of multiple source materials such as depleted mantle, enriched lithospheric mantle, and upper crust. We also confirm a southward polarity of subduction as against the previous models that assumed a northward subduction. We supplement our model with evidence for a northward propagation of the adakitic magmatism, spatial and temporal variations in arc magmatism, presence of south-dipping reverse faults and a synthesis of the available paleomagnetic data. Our studies also suggest that the Black-Sea is a remnant of the Tethyan ocean that was situated to the north of the arc during the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic as against the correlation to a late Mesozoic-Cenozoic back-arc basin related to a northward subduction of the Paleo- or Neo-tethyan oceanic lithosphere in alternate models. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.