Scholarly record

GEOLOGY OF THE YANIKLAR-CIFTLIK-KARAGEDIK (FETHIYE-MUGLA,TURKEY) AREA AND MINERALOGICAL, PETROGRAPHICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CHROMITE OCCURRENCES

M. M. Karadag, M. S. Karagoz, A. Ozturk

Abstract

The study area is located at the southwest end of Taurid Orogenic belt, around Yanıklar\cCiftlik- Karagedik (Fethiye-Muğla) and covers approximately an area of 77 km2. In the study area magmatic and sedimentary rocks formed in Mesozoic-Senozoic period crop out. Eventhough the Upper Triassic-Low Jurassic Kayak\"oy formation represented by dolomite, cherty dolomite and dolomitic limestone occurs at the basement of the study area. This unit lies tectonically on the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Babadağ formation comprising micritic limestone with chert nodules. The Upper- Cretaceous \cC\"ovenliyayla formation composed of spilitic basalt thrusted on the Babadağ formation. The Upper-Cretaceous Marmaris peridotite rest on the \cCemenliyayla formation with a tectonic contact. It comprises serpentinized harzburgite, dunite, serpentine and pyroxenite and dolerite dykes cutting above mentioned rock units. All these units were unconformably covered by dirty yellow, yellow and grayish conglomerate, claystone and sandstone of the Pliocene \cCameli formation, Quaternary alluvium, block sized talus and beach deposits. Multidirectional fracture and joint systems resulted from thrust tectonic of the Alpine orogene. But it is difficult to determine a dominant stress direction. The present morphology has been gain as a result of folding developed by tectonic movement of the Alpin orogenez and the litologies acting differently againts erosional processes. Serpentinization occurred in basic and ultrabasic rocks, at the contact between dyke and host rocks, at fault zone and also especially along fractures and joints within peridotite mass. The Fethiye chromite deposits were found in the tectonit harzburgite within the Marmaris peridotite. They are massive, disseminated, nodular and banded in type, and are classified as ‘’aluminium chromite‘’ based on their composition In the light of field observation and obtained data. It is concluded that the chromites in the study area were originated from a magma which is poorer in silica and aluminum than those of a typical basaltic magma in which the pediform chromite is formed. With regard to the trace element content, the Ni and Zn contents of the Fethiye chromite are very close to these in other pediform type chromite. But they are rich in Ni and poor in Zn compared with the stratiform chromite deposits.

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