Abstract
The Güzelyurt kaolinite deposit is an important source of raw material for the ceramics industry in Turkey. No detailed mineralogical or geochemical characterizations of this deposit have been undertaken previously and these were the goals of the present study. The Güzelyurt alunite-bearing kaolinite occurs along a fault zone in the Late Miocene Gödeles ignimbrite, which consists of dacitic and andesitic tuffs. Horizontal and vertical mineralogical zonations with gradual transitions were observed within the alteration zone. The inner kaolinite, alunite, and 7 Å halloysite zones progress horizontally outward to a smectite zone; and native sulfur- and cinnabar-bearing alunite with 7 Å halloysite and porous silica zones increase as one progresses up through the profile. Fe-(oxyhydr)oxide phases associated with native sulfur and cinnabar demonstrate that multiple hydrothermal-alteration processes resulted in kaolinization and alunitization of the deposit. The kaolinization of feldspar, Fe-(oxyhydr)oxidation of hornblende and mica, the presence of kaolinite as stacked and, locally, book-like forms, and of 7 Å halloysite tubes, and smectite flakes as a blanket on altered volcanic relicts indicate an authigenic origin for this deposit. The leaching of Si + Mg + K and Ba + Rb, the retention of Sr, the enrichment of light rare earth elements relative to the heavy rare earth elements, and the negative Eu anomalies suggest that fractionation of plagioclase and hornblende occurred within the volcanics. The oxygen- and hydrogen-isotopic values of the kaolinite, 7 Å halloysite, smectite, and smectite + kaolinite fractions reflect a steam-heated environment at temperatures in excess of 100°C. An increase in the δD and δ18O values of 7 Å halloysite relative to kaolinite suggests its formation under steam-heated magmatic water, the mixing of steam and meteoric water near the surface, and evaporation. The oxygen- and sulfur-isotopic compositions of alunite suggest the direct influence of steam-derived sulfur. The Güzelyurt alunite-bearing kaolinite deposit is inferred to have formed after an increase in the (Al±Fe)/Si ratio and the leaching of alkali elements, which are driven by the sulfur-bearing low-temperature hydrothermal alteration of feldspar, hornblende, and volcanic glass under acidic conditions within the Neogene dacitic and andesitic tuffs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arslan, M., Kadir, S., Abdioğlu, E., and Kolayı., H. (2006) Origin and formation of kaolin minerals in saprolite of Tertiary alkaline volcanic rocks, Eastern Pontides, NE Turkey. Clay Minerals, 41, 597–617.
Berner, E.K. and Berner, R.A. (1996) Global Environment: Water, Air, and Geochemical Cycles. Princeton University Press, New Jersey, USA, 376 pp.
Bethke, P.M., Rye, R.O., Stoffregen, R.E., and Vikre, P.G. (2005) Evolution of the magmatic-hydrothermal acid-sulfate system at Summitville, Colorado: integration of geological, stable-isotope, and fluid-inclusion evidence. Chemical Geology, 215, 281–315.
Brindley, G.W. (1980) Quantitative X-ray analysis of clays. Pp. 411–438 in: Crystal Structures of Clay Minerals and their X-ray Identification (G.W. Brindley and G. Brown, editors). Monograph 5, Mineralogical Society, London.
Boynton, W.V. (1984) Cosmochemistry of the rare earth elements: meteorite studies. Pp. 63–114 in: Rare Earth Element Geochemistry (P. Henderson, editor), Developments in Geochemistry. Elsevier, Amsterdam.
Chen, Y.C., Wang, M.K., and Yang, D.S. (2001) Mineralogy of dickite and nacrite from northern Taiwan. Clays and Clay Minerals, 49, 586–595.
Clayton, R.N. and Mayeda, T.K. (1963) The use of bromine pentafluoride in the extraction of oxygen from oxides and silicates for isotopic analysis. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 27, 43–52.
Craig, H. (1961) Isotopic variations in meteoric waters. Science, 133, 1702–1703.
Deyell, C.L. and Dipple, G.M. (2005) Equilibrium mineralfluid calculations and their application to the solid solution between alunite and natroalunite in the El Indio-Pascua belt of Chile and Argentina. Chemical Geology, 215, 219–234.
Deyell, C.L., Rye, R.O., Landis, G.P., and Bissig, T. (2005) Alunite and the role of magmatic fluids in the Tambo highsulfidation deposit, El Indio-Pascua belt, Chile. Chemical Geology, 215, 185–218.
Dönmez, M., Akcçay, A.E., Kara, H., Türkecan, A., and Yergök, F.A. (2005) Geological map of Aksaray L32 Quadrangle, Scale 1:100.000. General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA) Publications, Ankara.
Ece, Ö.İ. and Schroeder, P.A. (2007) Clay mineralogy and chemistry of halloysite and alunite deposits in the Turplu area, Balikesir, Turkey. Clays and Clay Minerals, 55, 18–35.
Ece, Ö. İ., Schroeder, P.A., Smilley, M., and Wampler, M. (2008) Acid-sulfate alteration volcanic rocks and genesis of halloysite and alunite deposits in the Biga Peninsula, NW Turkey. Clay Minerals, 43, 281–315.
Ece, Ö.İ., Ekinci, B., Schroeder, P.A., Crowe, D., and Esenli, F. (2013) Origin of the Duüvertepe kaolin-alunite deposits in Simav Graben, Turkey: Timing and styles of hydrothermal mineralization. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research, 255, 57–18.
Ehrenberg, S.N. (1991) Kaolinized, potassium-leached zones at the contacts of the Garn Formation, Haltenbanken, mid- Norwegian continental shelf. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 8, 250–269.
Erkoyun, H. and Kadir, S. (2011) Mineralogy, micromorphology, geochemistry and genesis of a hydrothermal kaolinite deposit and altered Miocene host volcanites in the Hallaçlar area, Uşak, western Turkey. Clay Minerals, 46, 421–448.
Faure, G. (1986) Principles of Isotope Geology, 2nd edition, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 589 pp.
Fujii, N., Kayabal., I.., and Saka, A.H. (1995) Data Book of Ceramic Raw Materials of Selected Areas in Turkey. Monograph Series No.1, General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration, Ankara, 144 pp.
Georgieva, S. and Velinova, N. (2012) Alunite from the advanced argillic alterations in the Chelopech high-sulphidation epithermal Cu-Au deposit, Bulgaria: Chemistry, morphology and genetic significance. Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Petrology, 49, 17–31.
Gilg, H.A., Weber, B., Kasbohm, J., and Frei, R. (2003) Isotope geochemistry and origin of illite-smectite and kaolinite from the Seiltz and Kemmlitz kaolin deposits, Saxony, Germany. Clay Minerals, 38, 95–112.
Hayba, D.O., Bethke, P.M., Heald, P., and Faley, N.K. (1985) Geologic, mineralogic and geochemical characteristics of volcanic-hosted epithermal precious-metal deposits. Reviews in Economic Geology, 2, 129–167.
Hedenquist, J.W. and Lowenstern, J.B. (1994) The role of magmas in the formation of hydrothermal ore deposits. Nature, 370, 519–527.
Herdianita, N.R., Browne, P.R.L., Rodgers, K.A., and Campbell, K.A. (2000) Mineralogical and textural changes accompanying ageing of silica sinter. Mineralium Deposita, 35, 48–62.
Hosono, T., Lorphensriand, O., Onodera, S-i, Okawa, H., Nakano, T., Yamanaka, T., Tsujimura, M., and Taniguchi, M. (2014) Different isotopic evolutionary trends of δ34S and δ18O compositions of dissolved sulfate in an anerobic deltaic aquifer system. Applied Geochemistry, 46, 30–42.
Imai, N., Otsuka, R., and Kashide, H. (1969) Dehydration of palygorskite and sepiolite from the Kuzu District, Tochigi Pref., central Japan. Pp. 99–108 in: Proceedings, International Clay Conference, Tokyo.
Inoue, A. (1995) Formation of Clay Minerals in Hydrothermal Environments. Pp. 268–329 in: Origin and Mineralogy of Clays (B. Velde, editor), Springer-Verlag Berlin.
Jones, B.F. and GaláLn, E. (1988) Sepiolite and palygorskite. Pp. 631–674 in: Hydrous Phyllosilicates (Exclusive of Micas) (S.W. Bailey, editor). Reviews in Mineralogy, 19, Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, D.C.
Jepson, W.B. and Rowse, J.B. (1975) The composition of kaolinite; an electron microscope microprobe study. Clays and Clay Minerals, 23, 310–317.
Kadir, S. and Akbulut, A. (2009) Mineralogy, geochemistry and genesis of the Taşoluk kaolinite deposits in pre-Early Cambrian metamorphites and Neogene volcanites of Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. Clay Minerals, 44, 89–112.
Kadir, S. and Erkoyun, E. (2013) Genesis of the hydrothermal Karaçayır kaolinite deposit in Miocene volcanics and Palaeozoic metamorphic rocks of the Uşak-Güre basin, Western Turkey. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, 22, 444–468.
Kadir, S. and Karakaş, Z. (2002) Mineralogy, chemistry and origin of halloysite, kaolinite and smectite from Miocene ignimbrites, Konya, Turkey. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Abhandlungen, 177, 113–132.
Kadir, S., Önen-Hall, P., Aydin, S.N., Yakicier, C., Akarsu, N., and Tuncer, M. (2008) Environmental effect and genetic influence: a regional cancer predisposition survey in the Zonguldak region of northwest Turkey. Environmental Geology, 54, 391–409.
Kadir, S., Erman, H., and Erkoyun, H. (2011) Mineralogical and geochemical characteristics and genesis of hydrothermal kaolinite deposits within Neogene volcanites, Kütahya (western Anatolia), Turkey. Clays and Clay Minerals, 59, 250–276.
Küçüksille, N. (1979) Report on alunite-bearing kaolinite deposits at Güzelyurt, Niğde-Aksaray. MTA Report No. 6500, Ankara (in Turkish).
Lanson, B., Beaufort, D., Berger, G., Bauer, A., Cassagnabère, A., and Meunier, A. (2002) Authigenic kaolin and illitic minerals during burial diagenesis of sandstones: a review. Clay Minerals, 37, 1–22.
Lee, G., Koh, S.M., and Pirajno, F.M. (2014) Evolution of hydrothermal fluids of HS and LS type epithermal Au-Ag deposits in the Seongsan hydrothermal system of the Cretaceous Haenam volcanic field, South Korea. Ore Mineralogy Reviews, 61, 33–51.
Lerouge, C., Kunov, A., Fléhoc, C., Georgieva, S., Hikov, A., Lescuyer, J.K, Petrunov, R., and Velinova, N. (2006) Constraints of stable isotopes on the origin of alunite from advanced argillic alteration systems in Bulgaria. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 90, 166–182.
MacKenzie, R.C. (1957) The Differential Thermal Investigation of Clays. Monograph 2, Mineralogical Society, London, 456 pp.
MacLean, W.H. and Kranidiotis, P. (1987) Immobile elements as monitors of mass transfer in hydrothermal alteration: Phelps Dodge massive sulfide deposits, Matagami, Quebec. Economic Geology, 2, 951–962.
Meunier, A. (1995) Hydrothermal alteration by veins. Pp. 247–267 in: Origin and Mineralogy of Clays, Clays and the Environment (B. Velde, editor). Springer-Verlag, Berlin.
Meunier, A. (2005) Clays. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidleberg, 472 pp.
Meunier, A. and Velde, B. (2004) Illite: Origin, Evolution and Metamorphism. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, 286 pp.
Moore, D.M. and Reynolds, R.C. (1989) X-ray Diffraction and the Identification and Analysis of Clay Minerals. Oxford University Press, New York, 332 pp.
Mutlu, H., Sarıiz, K., and Kadir, S. (2005) Geochemistry and origin of the S- aphane alunite deposit, Western Anatolia, Turkey. Ore Geology Reviews, 26, 39–50.
Nagasawa, K. (1978) Kaolin minerals. Pp. 189–219 in: Clays and Clay Minerals of Japan (T. Sudo and S. Shimoda, editors). Developments in Sedimentology, 26, Elsevier, Tokyo.
Nesbitt, H.W. and Markovics, G. (1997) Weathering of granidioritic crust, long-term storage of elements in weathering profiles and petrogenesis of siliciclastic sediments. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 61, 1653–1670.
Njoya, A., Nkoumbou, C., Grosbois, C., Njopwouo, D., Njoya, D., Courtin-Nomade, A., Yvon, J., and Martin, F. (2006) Genesis of Mayouom kaolin deposit (western Cameroon). Applied Clay Science, 32, 125–140.
Paterson, E. and Swaffield, R. (1987) Thermal analysis. Pp. 99–132 in: A Handbook of Determinative Methods in Clay Mineralogy (M.J. Wilson, editor). Blackie and Sons Limited, Glasgow, UK, 308 pp.
Rollinson, H.R. (1993) Using Geochemical Data: Evaluation, Presentation, Interpretation. John Wiley and Sons Inc., New York, 352 pp.
Rye, R.O. (2005) A review of the stable-isotope geochemistry of sulfate minerals in selected igneous environments and related hydrothermal systems. Chemical Geology, 215, 5–36.
Rye, R.O., Bethke, P.M., and Wasserman, M.D. (1992) The stable isotope geochemistry of acid sulfate alteration. Economic Geology, 87, 225–255.
Savin, S.M. and Epstein, S. (1970) The oxygen and hydrogen isotope geochemistry of clay minerals. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 34, 25–42.
Sayın, ü.A. (2007) Origin of kaolin deposits: evidence from the Hisarcık (Emet-Kütahya) deposits, western Turkey. Turkish Journal of Earth Sciences, 16, 77–96.
Sheppard, S.M.F. (1986) Characterization and isotopic variations in natural waters. Pp. 141–162 in: Stable Isotopes in High Temperature Geological ProcessesStable Isotopes in High Temperature Geological Processes (J.W. Valley, H.P. Taylor, and J.R. O’Neil, editors). Reviews in Mineralogy, 16, Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, D.C.
Sheppard, S.M.F. and Gilg, H.A. (1996) Stable isotope geochemisty of clay minerals. Clay Minerals, 31, 1–24.
Sheppard, S.M.F., Nielsen, R.L., and Taylor, H.P. (1969) Oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios of clay minerals from porphyry copper deposits. Economic Geology, 64, 755–777.
Smykatz-Kloss, W. (1974) Differential Thermal Analysis, Application and Results in Mineralogy. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 185 pp.
Sousa, D.J.L., Varajëo, A.F.D.C., Yvon, J., and Da Costa, G.M. (2007) Mineralogical, micromorphological and geochemical evolution of the kaolin facies deposit from the Capim region (northern Brazil). Clay Minerals, 42, 69–87.
Temel, A., Gençoğlu, H., Bayhan, H., Öner, F., and Ağrılı, H. (1995) Mekedere (Güzelyurt - Aksaray) kaolinit ocağının hidrotermal mineral oluşumları. VII. Ulusal Kil Sempozyumu Bildiriler Kitabı, s. 76–87.
Velde, B. (1985) Clay Minerals. A Physico-Chemical Explanation of their Occurrence. Development in Sedimentology, 40, Elsevier, New York, 427 pp.
Wilson, M.J. (1987) X-ray powder diffraction methods. Pp. 26–98 in: A Handbook of Determinative Methods in Clay Mineralogy (M.J. Wilson, editor). Blackie & Sons, Glasgow and London.
Yuan, J. and Murray, H.H. (1993) Mineralogical and physical properties of the Maoming kaolin from Guangdong province, south China. Pp. 249–259 in: Kaolin Genesis and Utilization (H.H. Murray, W.M. Bundy, and C.C. Harvey, editors). The Clay Minerals Society, Boulder, Colorado, USA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kadır, S., Külah, T., Eren, M. et al. Mineralogical and Geochemical Characteristics and Genesis of the Gülzelyurt Alunite-Bearing Kaolinite Deposit Within the Late Miocene Gödeles Ignimbrite, Central Anatolia, Turkey. Clays Clay Miner. 62, 477–499 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.2014.0620603
Received:
Revised:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1346/CCMN.2014.0620603