Eyuboglu, Yener; Dudas, Francis O.; Santosh, M.; Zhu, Di-Cheng; Yi, Keewook; Chatterjee, Nilanjan; Jeong, Youn-Joong; Akaryali, Enver; Liu, Ze

The Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt represents one of the best examples of fossil convergent margins in the eastern Mediterranean region. However, the origin and geodynamic setting of the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatism in this belt remain controversial due to lack of systematic geological, geochemical and chronological data. The general consensus is that the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic igneous activity is related to northward subduction of oceanic lithosphere in the late Mesozoic and following collision between Tauride and Pontide blocks in the early Cenozoic Here we present a comprehensive study focusing on the origin and geodynamic setting of gabbro bodies exposed along a narrow zone, parallel to the southeastern coast of the eastern Black Sea basin, in the Northern Zone of the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt. The studied gabbro bodies are hosted within late Cretaceous basaltic, andesitic, and dacitic volcanics including pyroclastic rocks and interbedded sedimentary rocks. The gabbro bodies range in size from 0.1 km(2) to 1.5 km(2), and outcrop patterns vary from round or elliptical to markedly elongate with sharp and discordant contact with the host rocks. Their mineral assemblage includes mainly clinopyroxene, plagioclase, minor olivine, amphibole, magnetite and rarely orthopyroxene, biotite, zircon and titanite. The occurrence of sutured grain boundaries on clinopyroxene and plagioclase, and the presence of reverse compositional zoning in clinopyroxene and olivine suggest mixing between magmas of contrasting compositions during mineral growth. Thermobarometric computations indicate that the temperature at the beginning of crystallization was similar to 1250 degrees C and crystallization was polybaric Zircon and titanite U-Pb ages indicate that these small intrusions were emplaced into crustal rocks of the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt during Lutetian (45 +/- 2 Ma). The depletion of HFSE is consistent with the involvement of an arc-related source in the petrogenesis of these rocks, and low to moderate enrichment Ce, Rb, Ba, K, Pb, Sr and Th suggests that involvement of subducted oceanic sediment was modest. The low Th content and low Th/Yb indicate that the role of sediment addition was nevertheless limited. The Nd, Sr and Pb isotopic data are consistent with the interpretation that the dominant source component in these gabbros is a depleted, peridotitic mantle, and that crustal contamination is relatively unimportant. We suggest that mafic magmas that produced the gabbroic intrusions were derived from melting of a depleted mantle source under the forearc region of the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt during southward subduction of two oceanic plates separated by a mid-ocean ridge, leading to the formation of a slab window. We also infer fractional crystallization and assimilation during both magma storage in the crust-mantle transition zone and transfer into the overlying arc crust. (C) 2015 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Santosh, M.; Yi, Keewook; Tuysuz, Necati; Korkmaz, Sadettin; Akaryali, Enver; Dudas, Francis O.; Bektas, Osman

The Meso-Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt provides a key to evaluate the volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposits associated with convergent margin tectonics in a Cordilleran-type orogenic belt. Here we present new geological, geochemical and zircon U-Pb geochronological data, and attempt to characterize the metallogeny through a comprehensive overview of the important VMS mineralizations in the belt. The VMS deposits in the northern part of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt occur in two different stratigraphic horizons consisting mainly of felsic volcanic rocks within the late Cretaceous sequence. SHRIMP zircon U-Pb analyses from ore-bearing dacites yield weighted mean Pb-206/U-238 ages ranging between 91.1 +/- 1.3 and 82.6 +/- 1 Ma. The felsic rocks of first and second horizons reveal geochemical characteristics of subduction-related calc-alkaline and shoshonitic magmas, respectively, in continental arcs and represent the immature and mature stages of a late Cretaceous magmatic arc. The nature of the late Cretaceous magmatism in the northern part of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt and the various lithological associations including volcaniclastics, mudstones and sedimentary facies indicate a rift-related environment where dacitic volcanism was predominant. The eastern Pontides VMS deposits are located within the caldera-like depressions and are closely associated with dome-like structures of felsic magmas, with their distribution controlled by fracture systems. Based on a detailed analyses of the geological, geophysical and geodynamic information, we propose that the VMS deposits were generated either in intra arc or near arc region of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt during the southward subduction of the Tethys oceanic lithosphere. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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; Dudas, Francis O.; Santosh, M.; Yi, Keewook; Kwon, Sanghoon; Akaryali, Enver

High-silica adakites intrude the Kop ultramafic massif in the eastern Pontide orogenic belt of NE Turkey. These dominantly dacitic to rhyodacitic plagioclase porphyries form clusters of small intrusions. U-Pb dating of zircons from two intrusions yields ages between 52 and 59 Ma. The best-constrained crystallization age is 55.83 +/- 0.04 Ma, indicating that these are the oldest adakitic rocks of the eastern Pontides. The rocks show geochemical signatures typical of adakites. The absence of systematic geochemical variation within the adakite suite indicates a subordinate role for fractional crystallization and binary mixing, and suggests that individual intrusions may represent separate, small batches of magma. Modeling of partial melting suggests that the degree of melting was 5-20%, that the residues after melting likely contained garnet, clinopyroxene, and rutile, and that plagioclase was either absent or totally consumed during partial melting. The most likely source compositions had large-ion lithophile elements >10 times, and heavy rare earth elements <10 times, chondritic concentrations. Modeled bulk distribution coefficients indicate that the adakites were generated as silicic magmas, and are not derived by fractional crystallization from basaltic or andesitic parental melts. Sr, Nd, and Pb isotopic data indicate at least three isotopically distinct sources, one of which is depleted mantle. The other components include upper crust (possibly a mixture of subducted sediment and Hercynian continental basement rocks) and a component that may include both lower crust and sublithospheric mantle. These adakites are unique among the late Cretaceous and Cenozoic igneous rocks of the eastern Pontides in having a large proportion of the depleted mantle component. The prominent role of the depleted mantle in their petrogenesis suggests that the adakites may be related to a slab window in a south-directed subduction zone. (C) 2012 International Association for Gondwana Research. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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; Ayhan, Seda

The Eastern Pontides orogenic belt in the Black Sea region of Turkey offers a critical window to plate kinematics and subduction polarity during the closure of the Paleotethys. Here we provide a brief synthesis on recent information from this belt. We infer a southward subduction for the origin of the Eastern Pontides orogenic belt and its associated late Mesozoic-Cenozoic magmatism based on clear spatial and temporal variations in Late Cretaceous and Cenozoic arc magmatism, together with the existence of a prominent south-dipping reverse fault system along the entire southern coast of the Black Sea. Our model is at variance with some recent proposals favoring a northward subduction polarity, and illustrates the importance of arc magmatism in evaluating the geodynamic milieu associated with convergent margin processes.

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.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Dilek, Yildirim; Bozkurt, Erdin; Bektas, Osman; Rojay, Bora; Sen, Cuneyt

The Karayasmak ultramafic-mafic association (KUMA) in NE Turkey represents an Alaskan-type, pre-Liassic intrusion in the Pulur metamorphic massif and is one of many such intrusive complexes that were emplaced into the continental basement of the Eastern Pontides belt during the pre-Liassic. Its main lithological units include plagioclase peridotite, melagabbronorite, banded gabbro and anorthosite (Phase-I), gabbro-pegmatite dikes (Phase-II), unmetamorphosed banded gabbro (Phase-III), cumulate olivine gabbronorite (Phase-IV), and non-cumulate gabbroic dikes and stocks (Phase-V). The contact relations between these units are gradational or intrusive, with the peridotites (Phase-I) enveloping the cumulate gabbronorites (Phase-IV) in the center of the elliptical body, displaying a concentric reverse-zoning pattern. Cr-Al spinel, plagioclase, and olivine are the first crystallizing phases in all cumulate rocks, whereas pyroxene, hornblende, phlogopite, magnetite, and ilmenite represent the intercumulus phases. The existence of hornblende and phlogopite, the high Wo and Cr2O3 contents of clinopyroxene, and the high Fo and NiO contents of olivine indicate that the KUMA units were the near-liquidus fractional crystallization products of hydrous basaltic magma. The Phase-I and Phase-III cumulates are slightly enriched in LILE and LREE, depleted in HFSE and HREE with respect to chondrite and primitive mantle, and show negative Nb, Zr, Hf and Ti anomalies. The Phase-IV cumulate gabbronorites are even more enriched in LILE and LREE and show less depletion in HFSE and HREE in comparison to the earlier phases. The KUMA units formed from high-Al hydrous basaltic magmas, which were derived from partial melting of a previously subduction-metasomatized subcontinental-lithospheric mantle. These magmas underwent crystal fractionation and mineral concentration processes in small magma chamber(s) at shallow crustal levels (< 5 kbar).

Maden, Nafiz; Gelisli, Kenan; Eyuboglu, Yener; Bektas, Osman

The Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt is one of the most complex geodynamic settings within the Alpine belt. Subduction polarity, which is responsible for the formation of the Eastern Pontide Magmatic Arc, is still under debate because of limited geological, geophysical and geochemical data. This orogenic belt is mainly divided into three subzones depending on lithological characteristics and facies changes as in Northern, Southern and Axial Zones from North to South. These zones are separated from each other by near-vertical faults that display the block-faulting tectonic style of this belt. In this study, the tectonic and crustal structure of the Eastern Pontides, which as yet have not been prospected by using geophysical data, has been investigated with potential field data. The horizontal gradient map obtained from gravity data shows a number of steep and gentle lineaments. It seems that these lineaments E-W, NE and NW-trending correspond to major structural zones of continental crust. Additionally, The Moho depth and Curie point depth variation maps of the Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt have been computed with the power spectral method of the radial wavenumber carried out by using the fast Fourier transform method. As a result of this method, we estimated that the depths of the Moho and Curie point varied between 29.0 ± 1.2-47.2 ± 1.9 km and 14.3 ± 0.7-27.9 ± 1.4 km, respectively. Our findings indicate that the Moho depth generally increases from north to south in the region. However, the Curie point depth level within the crust has an undulating surface, not a horizontal one.

Eyuboglu, Yener; Bektas, Osman; Pul, Dilek

Geological and geochemical characteristics of the Mid-Cretaceous olistostromal ophiolitic mélange exposed in the southern part of the eastern Pontide magmatic arc indicates that it originally formed during the drifting stage of a back-arc basin (Neotethys). This view conflicts with the popular idea that this ophiolitic mélange represents a typical tectonic mélange or an accretionary prism developed in the fore-arc of the eastern Pontide magmatic arc by northward subduction of Neotethys or Paleotethys during the Cretaceous. This Mid-Cretaceous ophiolitic mélange is composed of the three distinct lithological facies that may reflect a strike-slip cycle - from transtensional to transpressive tectonic regimes - in the deep spreading troughs of pull-apart basins. The lower part of the mélange is represented by redeposited carbonate rocks that occur as an upward thinning and fining sequence. The middle level of the melange comprises basaltic pillow lavas, hyaloclastics, and intercalated pelagic sediments such as radiolarite, mudstone, and red pelagic limestone. The upper part of the mélange is represented by an olistolith-olistostromal facies that includes sandstone, siltstone, marl, and intervening olistoliths and olistostromes - mainly limestone, peridotite-gabbro, and metamorphic blocks derived from the continental shelf and a nearby peridotitic-metamorphic ridge. Trace-element and REE contents of the basaltic rocks belonging to the Mid-Cretaceous ophiolitic mélange show distinct geotectonic settings (IA, WP, MOR) with various enrichment and depletion trends with respect to MORB and chondrite. Moreover, this ophiolitic mélange is overlain by analcime-bearing Upper Cretaceous-Paleocene(?) shoshonitic basalts in the Bayburt-Maden area. These geological and geochemical data imply that mélange formed in the back-arc basin of the eastern Pontide magmatic are.