Tectonics and Metallogeny of the Tethyan Orogenic Belt
The Tethyan orogenic belt stretches from the Alps, through the Carpathians and Balkans, Taurides and Caucasus, Zagros, Makran, and Himalayas, to Indochina and into the southwest Pacific Ocean. It represents a complete Wilson Cycle, from opening and closure of the Paleotethys Ocean in the mid-Paleozoic to the Late Triassic, opening of the Neotethys Ocean in the Permian-Early Triassic, and its progressive closure throughout the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras. The current state of the orogen includes all stages of convergence from active subduction beneath the Makran and eastern Mediterranean, through advanced continental collision in the Caucasus/Taurides and Zagros, to syn- to postcollisional readjustment in the Carpathians, Balkans, Himalayas, and Indochina (Richards, 2015).
The region has been the focus of significant recent attention from geologists interested both in its tectonic evolution and metallogeny, made possible by increased accessibility to many of the geographic sections of the orogen. Key breakthroughs in understanding its tectonic history have come through improved geochronological techniques and expansion of the database of samples and events dated, combined with more accurate paleogeographic and tectonic models. In parallel, an improved understanding of the subtle relationships between tectonomagmatic and metallogenic processes have refined interpretations that were once based on simplistic assumptions (e.g., that porphyry deposits only form above active subduction zones). Indeed, economic geologists have been among the key drivers of these advances by demanding more accurate and predictive tectonomagmatic models for ore formation that can reliably inform mineral exploration.
Consequently, the Tethyan orogen is now understood to be the best preserved global example of a collisional orogen, where all stages of convergence can be observed in real or recent geological time, and the detailed relationships to ore formation, commonly reflecting tectonic changes measured on submillion-year timescales, can be accurately documented and modeled.
In this volume, we present a selection of papers that showcase this advancement in knowledge, with examples from Eastern Europe to South Asia.Beginning in the Balkans, Knaak et al. (2016) describe the variety of mineral deposits that occur in the emergent worldclass Timok region of eastern Serbia. The origin of the Late Cretaceous Timok Magmatic Complex remains debated, but the authors propose that arc magmatism was focused by dextral transtensional structures, followed by complex structural rearrangement in the Cenozoic. Porphyry Cu-Au deposits, polymetallic replacement deposits, and sedimentary rockhosted Au deposits occur in close spatial, and possibly genetic, relationship to the Late Cretaceous arc rocks. A key contribution of this study is the detailed reconstruction of later Cenozoic fault movements that led to structural dislocation and oroclinal bending, complicating geologic and metallogenic correlations in the region.
Cenozoic Crustal Extension and Its Relationship to Porphyry Cu-Au-(Mo) and Epithermal Au-(Ag) Mineralization in the Biga Peninsula, Northwestern Turkey
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Published:January 01, 2016
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CiteCitation
Matías G. Sánchez, Ken R. McClay, Adrian R. King, Jan R. Wijbrams, 2016. "Cenozoic Crustal Extension and Its Relationship to Porphyry Cu-Au-(Mo) and Epithermal Au-(Ag) Mineralization in the Biga Peninsula, Northwestern Turkey", Tectonics and Metallogeny of the Tethyan Orogenic Belt, Jeremy P. Richards
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Abstract
Epithermal Au-(Ag) and porphyry Cu-Au-(Mo) mineralization of the Biga Peninsula in northwestern Turkey occurs in a district comprised of NE- to ENE-trending metamorphic horst blocks separated by half-graben volcano-sedimentary basins. These developed as a result of rollback of the northward-subducting African slab during the Eocene, Oligocene, and Miocene. We propose that epithermal and porphyry systems occupy distinct, favorable positions within the overall extensional architecture and fault/fracture array. High- and low-sulfidation epithermal alteration systems, along with related quartz veins, preferentially occupy half-graben basins and border faults. These epithermal systems are found above a core complex detachment fault system, forming major strata-bound silicified zones fed by steeply dipping extensional faults and associated fractures above inferred intrusions. At greater depths and higher pressure and temperature conditions, porphyry-style alteration systems are spatially associated with porphyritic stocks that occur in close association with plutonic bodies. These plutons have intruded the footwall of ductile to brittle extensional faults and spatially and temporally link to metamorphic core complex exhumation. Episodic changes in the tectonic stress resulted in pulses of crustal extension that favored porphyry-type and high-sulfidation-style mineralization during mid to late stages of Eocene and Oligocene extensional tectonic phases. On the other hand, the early stages of each extensional phase promoted higher structural permeability, enabling the development of vein systems and low-sulfidation epithermal-style mineralization. Postemplacement crustal extension resulted in “domino-style” block rotations and half-graben formation throughout the Miocene and Pliocene. Since the early Pliocene, the westward propagation of the North Anatolian fault has resulted in dextral transtension in the Biga Peninsula and, as a result, postmineralization structural dismemberment of deposits and alteration systems is common.
- Asia
- basins
- Cenozoic
- copper ores
- crust
- crustal thinning
- epithermal processes
- extension tectonics
- metal ores
- metallogeny
- metamorphic core complexes
- Middle East
- mineral deposits, genesis
- Miocene
- molybdenum ores
- Neogene
- North Anatolian Fault
- plate tectonics
- Pliocene
- porphyry copper
- rifting
- sedimentary basins
- silver ores
- tectonics
- Tertiary
- Turkey
- Biga Peninsula