Mineralogical and geochemical controls on Co-V-Pt-Ni enrichment in manganese mineralization: evidence from the Dilli deposit, Eastern Türkiye

The growing demand for critical minerals driven by the global energy transition and advanced technologies highlights the importance of unconventional metal reservoirs. This study investigates the Ni-, Co-, V-, and Pt-enriched Dilli manganese deposit (Kemaliye-Erzincan, Eastern Türkiye) to constrain the mineralogical, geochemical, and genetic controls on critical metal enrichment in Mn oxide mineralization. An integrated approach combining field observations, petrography, X-ray diffraction (XRD), whole-rock geochemistry, mineral chemistry, and stable C-O isotope analysis was applied to better understand the potential origin of critical mineral enrichments. The mineralization is dominated by Mn4+-bearing oxides, principally pyrolusite and hollandite, accompanied by minor rhodochrosite. High MnO (39-64 wt%) and very low Al2O3 and Fe2O3 contents indicate chemical precipitation with negligible detrital input. Discrimination diagrams and trace-element systematics consistently support a structurally controlled hydrothermal origin. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns display low total REE and very low Nd contents comparable to typical hydrothermal deposits, whereas neutral to slightly positive Ce anomalies and non-chondritic Y/Ho ratios suggest limited oxidative interaction with surface-derived fluids rather than primary marine hydrogenetic growth. Stable C–O isotope compositions of co-genetic calcite are inconsistent with a purely marine depositional environment and indicate precipitation from low-to moderate-temperature hydrothermal fluids. Mineral chemistry reveals strong phase-specific partitioning: hollandite preferentially incorporates V and Ba, whereas pyrolusite is enriched in Ni. Cobalt occurs in both phases, whereas Pt may also be present in both Mn oxide phases, suggesting that trace-element distribution is influenced by both crystallochemical and physicochemical controls. The enrichment of Ni, Co, and Pt is most plausibly linked to hydrothermal fluid circulation through ultramafic units, which likely acted as the primary metal source prior to precipitation. The Dilli deposit thus represents a structurally controlled hydrothermal Mn system enriched in critical metals, emphasizing the exploration relevance of Mn oxide mineral chemistry in identifying alternative sources of critical metals in Türkiye.