Crustal Contamination of Tertiary Volcanic Rocks: Evidence from K, U, Th and Radiogenic Heat Production Data in Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey)

Herein, we present new 238U, 232Th, and 40K radionuclide concentrations, density and radiogenic heat production (RHP) data on the Tertiary volcanic rocks outcropping in Borçka, Gumushane and Trabzon regions within the Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt (EPOB). The mean K values for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions were 2.19 ± 0.87%, 0.90 ± 0.70% and 0.59 ± 0.25%, respectively, the mean U values for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions were 2.12 ± 0.76 ppm and 1.29 ± 0.68 ppm and 0.90 ± 0.32 ppm, and the average Th values were calculated as 6.54 ± 2.32 ppm, 2.49 ± 1.93 ppm and 1.33 ± 0.60 ppm for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions, respectively. The average Th/U values are 3.38 ± 1.48 for the Trabzon region, 2.01 ± 1.22 for the Borçka region, and 1.69 ± 1.09 for the Gümüşhane region. Average U/Th values were calculated as 0.35 ± 0.14, 0.71 ± 0.52 and 0.89 ± 0.72 for the Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions, respectively. The RHP values were determined as 1.16 ± 0.35 μW m - 3, 0.58 ± 0.33 μW m - 3 and 0.37 ± 0.10 μW m - 3 for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions, respectively. The Tertiary aged rocks in the EPOB that we have examined within this study scope have been derived from an enriched mantle, previously metasomatized by fluids derived from subducted slab. The parental magma of Eocene basaltic rocks was contaminated with crustal material during the ascension of the magma through the crust or in the shallow-level crustal magma chambers.