Micronized Calcite Potential, Production, and Principal Characteristics of Nigde (Turkey)

Abstract

Marble, which is exploited for micronized calcite production in Nigde area (South Central Turkey), occurs in the Upper Cretaceous Gümüşler, Aşıgediği, and Kaleboynu Formations of the Nigde Massif. Although there are a few marble producing quarries in the area, it is long been known that the marbles of this area are generally highly fractured and don’t yield large blocks or suitable slabs meeting the industrial demands. Thus, most of the production is currently carried out mainly as building stone, crushed stone, and micronized calcite. Due mainly to its high demand, micronized calcite has become a significant export product for the state’s economy. Because the Nigde marbles are coarse grained with high CaCO₃ content, high purity, and whiteness, they are considered to be the highest quality micronized calcite quarries in the country. Consequently, the area drew many national and international investors resulting in significant increase in the number and extent of micronized calcite plants in the area. In the early 1980s, the city of Nigde had only one or two plants, it is now well over five including foreign investors and joint ventures. Annual production is also considerably increased from 20,000 to 30,000 t to almost half a million tons and it is still in increasing trend.