Güloğlu, Zikrullah Samet; Kaygusuz, Abdullah

The Kazıkbeli pluton, located in the Kürtün (Gümüşhane) region of the Eastern Pontides, NE Turkey, was studied by employing zircon U-Pb geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry, Sr-Nd-Pb and zircon Lu-Hf isotope geochemistry. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb zircon dating revealed that the gabbroic diorite and granodiorite components of the pluton solidified during the Lutetian epoch of the Middle Eocene, at approximately 46.10 ± 0.26 Ma and 45.37 ± 0.29 Ma, respectively. The pluton is composed of calc-alkaline rocks, ranging from gabbroic diorite to granite (SiO2 = 55.3 to 72.4 wt%). These I-type rocks are typically metaluminous but exhibit peraluminous tendencies in some cases. They are enriched in large ion lithophile elements and display concave chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns (LaN/YbN = 4.39 to 6.67) with negative Eu anomalies (EuN/Eu* = 0.45 to 0.80). The initial εNd values ranged from 1.85 to 2.24, and the initial 87Sr/86Sr(i) ratios ranged from 0.70458 to 0.70484, consistent with a mantle source in the isotope ratio diagram. The initial 206Pb/204Pb(i), 207Pb/204Pb(i), and 208Pb/204Pb(i) ratios ranged from 18.505 to 18.571, 15.595 to 15.601, and 38.560 to 38.590, respectively. They have positive εHf(i) values (5.75 to 8.03), located between depleted mantle and chondrite evolution values. Fractional crystallization of plagioclase, hornblende, and Fe-Ti oxide minerals played a significant role in the magma evolution, while assimilation and magma mixing may have had a minor influence. Collectively, the evidence suggests that the primary magma source for these plutonic rocks was an enriched lithospheric mantle. Subsequent differentiation within crustal magma chambers, with limited crustal contamination, shaped the final magmatic evolution.

Kaygusuz, Abdullah; Yücel, Cem; Aydınçakır, Emre; Gücer, Mehmet Ali; Ruffet, Gilles

Discussions continue about whether Middle Eocene magmatism in the Eastern Pontides is associated with collision or subduction. This paper presents new whole-rock geochemistry, Sr-Nd isotopic and 40Ar-39Ar age data for Middle Eocene volcanic rocks from the Bayburt area of the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey) to investigate their sources and evolutionary history. The new 40Ar–39Ar ages reveal that these volcanic rocks erupted between 44.6 ± 0.1 Ma and 43.5 ± 0.1 Ma, within the Lutetian (Middle Eocene). The studied volcanic rocks are composed of basalt, andesite, basaltic andesite and minor dacite lava and pyroclastic rocks. These rocks consist of plagioclase, amphibole, pyroxene, olivine, biotite, sanidine and minor quartz phenocrysts with Fe-Ti oxides. They have microlithic, hyalo-microlithic, porphyritic and rarely glomeroporphyritic textures. The volcanic rocks have low to high-K calc-alkaline affinities. They display enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements and depletion in high-field strength elements with high Th/Yb ratios, which indicate that the magmas forming the volcanic rocks were derived from lithospheric mantle sources enriched by mostly slab-derived fluids in the spinel stability field. 87Sr/86Sr(i) values vary between 0.70485 and 0.70551 and 143Nd/144Nd(i) values vary between 0.51255 and 0.51267. These data correspond to the mantle array on the isotope ratio diagram. The main solidification processes consist of fractional crystallization with minor assimilation. In light of the data obtained in this study together with data from previous studies, petrogenetic character of the Middle Eocene magmas from the southern parts of the Eastern Pontides may be explained by melting of an enriched lithospheric mantle source initially metasomatized by subduction fluids in a post-collisional extensional-related tectonic setting.

Gücer, Mehmet Ali; Arslan, Mehmet; Sherlock, Sarah; Heaman, Larry M.

In the northern part of the Central Pontides (N Turkey) there are different metamorphic rocks exposed, notably the Devrekani metamorphic rocks. Here, upper amphibolite-lower granulite facies metamorphic rocks contain predominantly paragneiss, orthogneiss and metacarbonate, and to a lesser extent, amphibolite and quartzite, with cross-cutting aplite, pegmatite and granite veins. This is the first report of these rocks and includes new data on the petrochemistry, geochronology and metamorphic evolution of the Devrekani orthogneisses from the Central Pontides. The orthogneisses show five different mineral parageneses with the characteristic mineral assemblage quartz + K-feldspar + plagioclase + biotite +/- hornblende +/- opaque (+/- ilmenite and +/- magnetite), and accessory minerals (zircon, sphene and apatite). These metamorphic rocks exhibit generally granoblastic, lepidogranoblastic and nematolepidogranoblastic with locally migmatitic and relic micrographic textures. They have well-developed centimeter-spaced gneissic banding and display gneissose structure with symmetric, asymmetric and irregular folds. The petrographic features, mineralogical assemblages and weak migmatization reflect high temperature conditions. Thermometric calculations in the orthogneisses indicate metamorphic temperatures reached 744 +/- 33 A degrees C. Field relations, petrography and petrochemistry suggest that the orthogneisses have predominantly granodioritic and some granitic protoliths, that show features of I-type, medium to high-potassic calc-alkaline volcanic arc granitoids. The orthogneisses have high contents of LILEs and low contents of HFSEs with negative Nb and Ti anomalies, which are typical of subduction-related magmas. The orthogneisses also show significant LREE enrichment relative to HREE with negative Eu anomalies (Eu-N/Eu* = 0.33-1.07) with La-N/Lu-N = 6.98-20.47 values. Based on U-Pb zircon dating data, the protoliths are related to Permo-Carboniferous (316-252 Ma) magmatism. It is likely that peak metamorphism took place during the Jurassic as reflected by the U-Pb zircon ages (199-158 Ma) and also 40Ar/39Ar from hornblende/biotite (163-152 Ma). The four biotite 40Ar/39Ar average ages from the rock samples are ca. 156 Ma, suggesting that the metamorphic rocks cooled to 350-400 A degrees C at ca. 156 Ma. Conclusively, the Devrekani metamorphic rocks can be ascribed as products of Permo-Carboniferous continental arc magmatism overprinted by Jurassic metamorphism in the northern Central Pontides.

Uysal, Ibrahim; Şen, A. Dündar; Ersoy, E. Yalçin; Dilek, Yildirim; Saka, Samet; Zaccarini, Federica; Escayola, Monica; Karsli, Orhan

We present the whole-rock and the mineral chemical data for upper mantle peridotites from the Harmanci{dotless}k region in NW Turkey and discuss their petrogenetic-tectonic origin. These peridotites are part of a Tethyan ophiolite belt occurring along the İzmir-Ankara-Ercincan suture zone in northern Turkey, and include depleted lherzolites and refractory harzburgites. The Al2O3 contents in orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene from the depleted lherzolite are high, and the Cr-number in the coexisting spinel is low falling within the abyssal field. However, the orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene in the harzburgites have lower Al2O3 contents for a given Cr-number of spinel, and plot within the lower end of the abyssal field. The whole-rock geochemical and the mineral chemistry data imply that the Harmanci{dotless}k peridotites formed by different degrees of partial melting (~%10-27) of the mantle. The depleted lherzolite samples have higher MREE and HREE abundances than the harzburgitic peridotites, showing convex-downward patterns. These peridotites represent up to ~16 % melting residue that formed during the initial seafloor spreading stage of the Northern Neotethys. On the other hand, the more refractory harzburgites represent residues after ~4-11 % hydrous partial melting of the previously depleted MOR mantle, which was metasomatized by slab-derived fluids during the early stages of subduction. The Harmanci{dotless}k peridotites, hence, represent the fragments of upper mantle rocks that formed during different stages of the tectonic evolution of the Tethyan oceanic lithosphere in Northern Neotethys. We infer that the multi-stage melting history of the Harmanci{dotless}k peridotites reflect the geochemically heterogeneous character of the Tethyan oceanic lithosphere currently exposed along the İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zone.

Aslan, Zafer; Arslan, Mehmet; Temizel, Irfan; Kaygusuz, Abdullah

Volcanic rocks from the Gümüşhane area in the southern part of the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey) consist mainly of andesitic lava flows associated with tuffs, and rare basaltic dykes. The K-Ar whole-rock dating of these rocks range from 37.62 ± 3.33 Ma (Middle Eocene) to 30.02 ± 2.84 Ma (Early Oligocene) for the andesitic lava flows, but are 15.80 ± 1.71 Ma (Middle Miocene) for the basaltic dykes. Petrochemically, the volcanic rocks are dominantly medium-K calc-alkaline in composition and show enrichment of large ion lithophile elements, as well as depletion of high field strength elements, thus revealing that volcanic rocks evolved from a parental magmas derived from an enriched mantle source. Chondrite-normalized rare-earth element patterns of the volcanic rocks are concave upwards with low- to-medium enrichment (LaCN/LuCN = 3.39 to 12.56), thereby revealing clinopyroxene- and hornblende-dominated fractionations for andesitic-basaltic rocks and tuffs, respectively. The volcanic rocks have low initial 87Sr/86Sr ratios (0.70464 to 0.70494) and εNd(i) values (+1.11 to +3.08), with Nd-model ages (TDM) of 0.68 to 1.02 Ga, suggesting an enriched lithospheric mantle source of Proterozoic age. Trace element and isotopic data, as well as the modelling results, show that fractional crystallization and minor assimilation played an important role in the evolution of the volcanic rocks studied. The Eocene to Miocene volcanism in the region has resulted from lithospheric delamination and the associated convective thinning of the mantle, which led to the partial melting of the subduction-metasomatized lithospheric mantle.