Geochemical investigation of polymetallic mineralization in the Sizma region (Selçuklu, Konya)

The study area is located about 35 km northwest of Konya, between Ladik town, Sızma Village, and Kurşunlu Village. The region contains deposits of cinnabar, antimony, and locally enriched Cu and Pb-Zn. The main host rocks for the mineralization are schists and carbonate rocks. A total of 612 soil samples and 980 rock samples were collected from the study area. Geochemical analyses conducted on these samples yielded the highest gold values of 2500 ppb from rock samples and 1185 ppb from soil samples. Additionally, these values are accompanied by As and locally by Sb-Ni values. The analysis results were used to prepare anomaly and symbol maps for Au, As, Sb, and Ni using the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method in ARCGIS software. The mineral paragenesis identified includes cinnabar, rutile, pyrite, and chalcopyrite minerals. It is observed that the majority of the gold values are found in schists and at the schist-marble contact (along the fault), particularly where NE-SW and NW-SE trending fractures intersect. When evaluated as a whole, the studies suggest that the Sızma gold mineralization bears similarities to both carlin-type and orogenic gold deposits. Keywords: Geochemistry, Konya, Polymetallic, Drilling, Sızma