The clay mineralogy and geochemical properties of Kirkgeçit formation in Ballica and Safran (Elaziğ)

In this thesis, it was studied the whole-rock, clay mineralogy and geochemical properties of the samples from Middle Eocene Kırkgeçit Formation around Ballıca Village, about 18 km southwest of Elazığ, and around Safran neigborhood in the western vicinity of Elazığ. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyzes of whole rock and clay fractions, scanner electron microscop, geochemical analysis (ICP-AES and ICP-MS) were carried out to samples, taken from Ballıca and Safran sections. Clay+calcite+quartz, feldspar, dolomite minerals were found in the samples. The feldspar is higher amount and pyroxene and amphibole is present in Safran section. Clay minerals are chlorite, illite, smctite and chlorite, and illite is detritic, smectite is authigenic in origin. The chondrite normalyzed diagrams show that the compounds of the Ballıca, Safran samples are close. The enrichment coefficient relative to chondrite ranges from 10 to 100. The sediments in investigated area are the immature and underwent the middle degree alteration according to average alteration index CIA and CIW. According to the log (SiO2/Al2O3) versus log (Fe2O3/K2O) ratio, the samples fall mostly into the Fe-rich shale area. It was seen that the source rocks are basic in composition in the Eu/Eu* vs Th/Sc diagram, on the otherhand it is between basic and silisic and closer the silisic character according to Ballıca and Safran samples. La-Th-Sc triangular diagram show that the samples are between the andesite and basalt and different from granite and PAAS in composition. The samples fall into the oceanic island arc according to La-Sc-Th, Th-Sc-Zr/10 diagrams.