The relationship of geothermal areas around Gülşehir, Karacaşar and Çat (Nevşehir) with tectonic lineaments

The study area covers an area of approximately 250 km2 within the borders of the towns of Karacaşar and Merkez-Çat in the province of Nevşehir. In the study area, the Kırşehir Massif, which is mainly composed of Palaeozoic-aged metamorphites, is not observed. The oldest unit in the study area is the Yeşilhisar Ophiolite, which comes with a tectonic touch on the Kırşehir Massif, and the Upper Cretaceous-aged Central Anatolian Granitoids and Karahıdır volcanites of the same age that cut them. These units are unconformably overlain by Eocene-aged Karakepez basalts and the Çayraz formation, consisting of clayey limestones containing abundant fossils. The Eocene units are overlain by the Oligocene-aged Mezgit formation, consisting of crumbs. These are unconformably overlain by the Upper Miocene-aged Urgup formation. These are overlain by Pliocene-aged Erdaşdağ andesites, Kızılkaya ignimbrite, and Oyludağ basalt. The Quaternary aged units unconformably overlying the lower units consist of Acıgöl volcanites composed of rhyolitic lavas and pyroclastics and Suvermez volcanites composed of basaltic lavas and slags. Alluviums are the youngest units surfacing in the area. In this study, which aims to investigate geothermal energy resources, the relationship of geothermal areas with the geological features obtained by remote sensing, as well as the possibility of geothermal resources with geophysics and soil gas measurements, were determined. In the studies carried out, it was determined that the tectonic lineaments are compatible with the field and geophysical studies.