Metamorphic-hosted pyrophyllite and dickite occurrences from the hydrous AI-SILICATE deposits of the malatya-puturge region, Central Eastern Anatolia, Turkey

Abstract

Hydrous Al-silicate deposits are found to the south of Puturge in Malatya city, Turkey. The surrounding rocks consist of mylonitic granitic gneiss overlain by muscovite gneiss with kyanite-bearing metabasic schist lenses on top which are cut by silica veins containing prismatic tourmaline and specularite. Pyrophyllite is found within kyanite gneisses overlying the granitic gneisses. Fibrous, platy pyrophyllite is developed along the edges and cleavage planes of kyanite, whereas platy bunches of dickite occur as replacements of the relict kyanites as well as crack- and pore-fillings. Rocks forming the hydrous Al-silicate deposit contain 2M(1) pyrophyllite, alunite, topaz, paragonitc, dravite, dumortierite, chlorite and epidote as early hypogene minerals, and 2M(1) dickite, diaspore, gibbsite, specularite, goethite and crandallite/goyazite as late hypogene minerals. On the basis of fluid inclusion and stable isotope data, it is estimated alterations to pyrophyllite and kaolinite occurred at temperatures are of 150 and 100 degrees C, respectively, the minerals being formed by meteoric waters interacting with metamorphic rocks. Trace and REE variations are highly distinctive in terms of enrichment of most trace elements in pyrophyllitc, whereas REEs are clearly abundant in dickite, indicating different conditions during formation such as early and late hypogene processes. The pyrophyllitic alteration took place in the late Cretaceous (69-71 Ma), whereas kaolinization occurred later.