The intermediate sulfidation mineralization around Çamtepe Village (Menderes-İzmir) and investigation of the alteration data

Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene Izmir-Ankara zone assamblages and Neogene volcanic rocks are observed and distinguished in the studies held around the Çamtepe Village located in the Seferihisar Horst within the Bornova Flysch Zone in the Western Tethyan Metallogenic Belt. Izmir-Ankara Zone assemlages observed in the study area are composed of mainly interbedded sandstone and shale intercalations representing the flysch facies and spilite-diabase, granodiorite, limestone and serpentinite blocks. Irregular rhyolite dike intrusions and the hornfels facies constitute the Neogene lithologies in the study area. NNW-WNW and NNE oriented rhyolite dikes are closely associated with mineralizations determined in this area. Çamtepe Region is located between the Fettahdallığı Mineralization generally offering stockwork textures and the Efemçukuru Mineralization presenting crustiform-colloform-cockade-comb vein textures. Some hand specimens from the Kocasakız-Çayırcık locality of the Çamtepe Region present macroscobic banded calcite vein textures and bladed calcite clusters, as well as some microscobic-colloform, cockade and lattice textures. Main ore minerals observed in these highly weathered are pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and galena, and the common gang minerals are quartz and calcite. Cerrusite, siderite and malachite occurs probably related to a later supergene stage. Additionally, chalcocite-covellite, Fe-oxides (hematite, goethite and limonite) and Mn-oxides (pyrolusite, manganite) that are related to oxidation zone and of secondary origin are also observed. Wide outcrops of clay mineral assemblages have not been observed in the field. However, quartz-sericite and clay alteration (kaolinite, illite-smectite) is observed in thin sections. Chemical and spectral analyses are applied to the samples taken from the field by portable X-Ray fluorecence (XRF) and TerraSpec devices. Existence of a probable argillic alteration zone including mainly montmorillonite and kaolinite is interpreted from the data obtained in scope of the hydrothermal alteration studies. Portable XRF results show no important geochemical anomalies, however bismuth values may be considered to suggest potential fields of chalcopyrite-pyrite mineralization. Partially high Zn values may indicate that the acidic environment. Analyzed samples may probably be speculated to a potential mineralization in a distal area from the heat source. As a result, petrographic, chemical and spectral analysis studies from the Çamtepe Region rock samples obtained by polished/ thin sections, portable XRF and TerraSpec devices may be regarded consistent with the probable data observed in the upper segments of the low-intermediate sulfidation epithermal systems. The potential of the study area may clearly be revealed by detailed research supperted by conventional geochemical methods.