Mineral Deposits of Turkey in Relation to Tethyan Metallogeny: Implications for Future Mineral Exploration | Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)

HERO ID

538043

Reference Type

Journal Article

Title

Mineral Deposits of Turkey in Relation to Tethyan Metallogeny: Implications for Future Mineral Exploration

Author(s)

Yigit, O

Year

2009

Is Peer Reviewed?

Yes

Journal

Economic Geology and the Bulletin of the Society of Economic Geologists
ISSN: 0361-0128
EISSN: 1554-0774

Volume

104

Issue

1

Page Numbers

19-51

Language

English

Abstract

The Tethyan metallogeny of Turkey, shaped by the interplay between subduction, collision, postcollision, and rifting processes, is mainly associated with Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic volcanoplutonic and ophiolitic rocks. A wide spectrum of ore deposits is represented from those occurring in island arcs to those associated with continental settings. Though Turkey has been one of the leading producers of chromite, the country is an emerging producer of precious and base metals. This assessment of the metallogeny of Turkey is based on a comprehensive GIS database compilation that contains known mineral deposits and prospects with relevant descriptive data. The data set contains information on major deposit types of economic importance such as porphyry, skarn, epithermal including both high-and low-sulfidation, polymetallic volcanic-associated massive sulfide (VMS) deposits including both Kuroko and Cyprus types, podiform chromite, lateritic nickel, carbonate-hosted lead-zinc with nonsulfide zinc including sedimentary-exhalative (SEDEX) and Mississippi Valley type (MVT), karstic and lateritic bauxite, orogenic gold including both mesothermal and listwanite-hosted types, and placer deposits. Well known deposit types that are less well represented in the database include sediment-hosted Cu, Carlin-type gold, iron oxide copper-gold (IOCG), and detachment-fault related gold systems. Exploration programs in the last two decades have started to reveal the true mineral potential of the country. Turkey is an underexplored country by today's standards, with a large prospective area with a wide spectrum of mineral deposits reflecting the diverse geological environments that are present. Turkey is the least well explored portion of the Tethyan belt, which hosts Au and Cu endowments comparable with the Andes and the southwest Pacific metallogenic belts.

Keywords

southern menderes massif; high-pressure metamorphism; western turkey; sulfide deposits; central anatolia; northeastern turkey; gold; mineralization; copper-deposits; geochemical-exploration; southeastern; turkey