Search

Herein, we present new 238U, 232Th, and 40K radionuclide concentrations, density and radiogenic heat production (RHP) data on the Tertiary volcanic rocks outcropping in Borçka, Gumushane and Trabzon regions within the Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt (EPOB). The mean K values for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions were 2.19 ± 0.87%, 0.90 ± 0.70% and 0.59 ± 0.25%, respectively, the mean U values for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions were 2.12 ± 0.76 ppm and 1.29 ± 0.68 ppm and 0.90 ± 0.32 ppm, and the average Th values were calculated as 6.54 ± 2.32 ppm, 2.49 ± 1.93 ppm and 1.33 ± 0.60 ppm for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions, respectively. The average Th/U values are 3.38 ± 1.48 for the Trabzon region, 2.01 ± 1.22 for the Borçka region, and 1.69 ± 1.09 for the Gümüşhane region. Average U/Th values were calculated as 0.35 ± 0.14, 0.71 ± 0.52 and 0.89 ± 0.72 for the Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions, respectively. The RHP values were determined as 1.16 ± 0.35 μ W m - 3 , 0.58 ± 0.33 μ W m - 3 and 0.37 ± 0.10 μ W m - 3 for Trabzon, Borçka and Gümüşhane regions, respectively. The Tertiary aged rocks in the EPOB that we have examined within this study scope have been derived from an enriched mantle, previously metasomatized by fluids derived from subducted slab. The parental magma of Eocene basaltic rocks was contaminated with crustal material during the ascension of the magma through the crust or in the shallow-level crustal magma chambers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, in situ radioelemental ( 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K) measurements and heat production rate evaluation have been conducted at 132 sites in the Gümüşhane Pluton of the Eastern Pontides Orogenic Belt (EPOG) of Northern Türkiye. The average K, U and Th values for granites are 4.35 ± 0.71%, 5.85 ± 2.74 ppm, 22.13 ± 5.55 ppm, respectively; microgranites 4.33 ± 1.37%, 7.12 ± 2.23 ppm, 24.11 ± 9.59 ppm; metagranite 3.93 ± 0.68%, 6.24 ± 2.75 ppm, 12.87 ± 3.92 ppm; andesite/basalt 1.75 ± 0.74%, 3.22 ± 1.07 ppm, 9.01 ± 5.14 ppm. Based on the abundances of K, U and Th, the radiogenic heat production (RHP) values, which is a reflection of the geological rock types, are estimated as 3.52 ± 1.03 μWm − 3 , 3.86 ± 1.31 μWm − 3 , 2.93 ± 0.89 μWm − 3 , and 1.68 ± 0.63 μWm − 3 for granites, microgranites, metagranites and andesite/basalt, respectively. The average heat production value for the study area is estimated as 2.83 ± 1.39 μWm − 3 , which is closer to the upper continental crustal value; contrary to the highest heat production value of granitic basement and the lowest heat production values of the sedimentary rocks. The study region is depicted with very high level of Th/U value ranging from 0.11 to 23.19 with mean value of 3.53 ± 2.5, which is comparatively close to the upper continental crustal estimate of 3.8. The numerical results verify that mantle-derived magmas are subjected to contamination with both middle and lower crustal material constituted by fragments of southerly dipping subduction of Tethys Ocean during the late Mesozoic–Cenozoic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The eastern Pontides orogenic belt is one of the most complex geodynamic settings in the Alpine-Himalayan belt due to the lack of systematical geological and geophysical data. In this study, 1D crustal structure and P-wave velocity distribution obtained from gravity modeling and seismological data in the area has been used for the development of the thermal model of the eastern Pontides orogenic belt. The computed temperature-depth profiles suggest a temperature of 590 ± 60°C at a Moho depth of 35 km indicates the presence of a brittle-ductile transition zone. This temperature value might be related to water in the subducted crust of the Tethys oceanic lithosphere. The Curie temperature depth value of 29 km, which may correspond to the crustal magma chambers, is found 5-7 km below the Moho depth. Surface heat flow density values vary from 66.5 and 104.7 mW m. High mantle heat flow density value of 48 mW m is obtained for the area should be related to melting of the lithospheric mantle caused by upwelling of asthenosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt is one of the most complex geodynamic settings within the Alpine belt. Subduction polarity, which is responsible for the formation of the Eastern Pontide Magmatic Arc, is still under debate because of limited geological, geophysical and geochemical data. This orogenic belt is mainly divided into three subzones depending on lithological characteristics and facies changes as in Northern, Southern and Axial Zones from North to South. These zones are separated from each other by near-vertical faults that display the block-faulting tectonic style of this belt. In this study, the tectonic and crustal structure of the Eastern Pontides, which as yet have not been prospected by using geophysical data, has been investigated with potential field data. The horizontal gradient map obtained from gravity data shows a number of steep and gentle lineaments. It seems that these lineaments E-W, NE and NW-trending correspond to major structural zones of continental crust. Additionally, The Moho depth and Curie point depth variation maps of the Eastern Pontide Orogenic Belt have been computed with the power spectral method of the radial wavenumber carried out by using the fast Fourier transform method. As a result of this method, we estimated that the depths of the Moho and Curie point varied between 29.0 ± 1.2–47.2 ± 1.9 km and 14.3 ± 0.7–27.9 ± 1.4 km, respectively. Our findings indicate that the Moho depth generally increases from north to south in the region. However, the Curie point depth level within the crust has an undulating surface, not a horizontal one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eastern Pontide orogenic belt is divided into three subzones (northern, southern and axial zones) based on present lithologies and facies associations. NE-SW-, NW-SE- and E-W-trending fault systems, which play an important role in palaeotectonics and neotectonics of the Eastern Pontides, separate these zones. Three different methods were used to estimate the Moho depth from observed gravity value, namely (i) empirical relationship between Moho depth and Bouguer anomaly: (ii) spectral analysis of the radial wave number and; (iii) by the gravity inversion method. Power spectrum, a statistical approach, is a widely used technique to determine the depth of geological sources successfully. The empirical linear relations between the Bouguer anomalies and seismically determined crustal thicknesses have been used to compute depths to the Conrad and Moho discontinuities, which are consistent with the average depths obtained from the power spectrum method. The crustal structure was also determined from the inversion of a Bouguer anomaly profile along longitude 39°. Gravity inversion results are consistent with those obtained from the empirical relations and power spectrum methods. We calculated the maximum crustal thickness of 43.8 km in the studied region by using the gravity inversion method, which also showed that crustal thickness increases from north to south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]