Formation and geochemical properties of Sarialan (İvrindi-Balikesir) gold deposit

The study area, Sarıalan gold mineralization, is located in the Marmara region of Turkey, Balıkesir province, district Ivrindi, in between Sarıalan and Dallımandıra villages (I19-d3 topographic map layout). The study area is almost entirely covered by Upper Oligocene-Lower Miocene andesitic volcanics, tuffs and agglomerates, which unconformably overlie fractured Triassic carbonated sedimentary units that are slightly metamorphosed. By producing data on field and geochemistry studies, mineralogical and petrographical samples, hydrothermal alteration textures, ore mineralization relationship with host rock, ore paragenesis and origin of the mineralization, approaches were tried to be revealed for formation conditions of Sarıalan gold mineralization. As a result of the study, silicified zones, which were developed within the andesite and andesitic agglomerates, depend on the NE / SW trending fault system are observed in the south and northeast of the study area. Sarıalan mineralization is observed in N60 / 70°E trending vuggy textured quartz within the porphyritic andesite and andesitic agglomerates of the Hallaçlar Formation, giving an extension of approximately 1,800 m. In the light of the information about the relationship between lithology and host rock/ore, ore type/shape, alteration, structural properties, Au-Cu values determined in soil and rock samples, minerals in mineralogical-petrographical samples and the presence of vuggy quartz, it is proposed that Sarıalan gold mineralization is fault-controlled, high sulphidation epithermal gold mineralization within the andesitic rocks.