Properties of Lice-Kulp (Diyarbakir) region marbles and defining their areas

This study was carried out within the MTA Project of Determination of Potential Marble Areas in Diyarbakır District. The study was realized in three phases as field works, laboratory and office working. The study area includes marble quarries and the formations in territories of the Lice and Kulp towns situated at the northeast of Diyarbakır. The Eocene Hoya Formation of Midyat Group with conspicuous limestones and dolomitic limestones levels which belongs to the Southeastern Anatolia Autochthon is exposed in the study area. The Lower Miocene Fırat Formation is mainly composed of carbonates unconformably overlies the Hoya Formation while the same aged Lice Formation consists of detritics briefly, which has a gradual lateral and vertical relationships with the Fırat Formation. The Koçali-Karadut Complex composed of shale, limestone, radiolarite, chert and cherty limestones overlay the Southeastern Anatolia Autochthon during the latest Late Cretaceous. It was tried to determine the properties of the marbles in the region by preliminary and full technologic tests of the samples taken from the field. For example, it is defined that the marbles of the region are highly "good" in point of cutting of plate, cutting of edge, and polishing ability. Their specific weights are between 2.56-2.70 g/cm3, their densities change between 2.71-2.85 g/cm3, their porosities are between 0.2 %-0.8 %, their compressive strengths are between 94-132.58 Mpa. These values together with other physical, mechanical and chemical properties of the marbles were evaluated and interpreted on the base of TS 2513, TS 1910 and TS 10449 standards. Key Words :Marbles of Diyarbakır, Marbles of Lice, Marbles of Kulp, The Physical and Chemical Properties of Marbles