Relative contributions of crust and mantle to generation of Campanian high-K calc-alkaline I-type granitoids in a subduction setting, with special reference to the Harşit Pluton, Eastern Turkey

We present elemental and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic data for the magmatic suite (~79 Ma) of the Harşit pluton, from the Eastern Pontides (NE Turkey), with the aim of determining its magma source and geodynamic evolution. The pluton comprises granite, granodiorite, tonalite and minor diorite (SiO₂ = 59.43–76.95 wt%), with only minor gabbroic diorite mafic microgranular enclaves in composition (SiO₂ = 54.95–56.32 wt%), and exhibits low Mg# (<46). All samples show a high-K calc-alkaline differentiation trend and I-type features. The chondrite-normalized REE patterns are fractionated [(La/Yb) _n  = 2.40–12.44] and display weak Eu anomalies (Eu/Eu* = 0.30–0.76). The rocks are characterized by enrichment of LILE and depletion of HFSE. The Harşit host rocks have weak concave-upward REE patterns, suggesting that amphibole and garnet played a significant role in their generation during magma segregation. The host rocks and their enclaves are isotopically indistinguishable. Sr–Nd isotopic data for all of the samples display I _Sr = 0.70676–0.70708, ε _Nd(79 Ma) = −4.4 to −3.3, with T _DM = 1.09–1.36 Ga. The lead isotopic ratios are (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 18.79–18.87, (²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 15.59–15.61 and (²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb) = 38.71–38.83. These geochemical data rule out pure crustal-derived magma genesis in a post-collision extensional stage and suggest mixed-origin magma generation in a subduction setting. The melting that generated these high-K granitoidic rocks may have resulted from the upper Cretaceous subduction of the Izmir–Ankara–Erzincan oceanic slab beneath the Eurasian block in the region. The back-arc extensional events would have caused melting of the enriched subcontinental lithospheric mantle and formed mafic magma. The underplating of the lower crust by mafic magmas would have played a significant role in the generation of high-K magma. Thus, a thermal anomaly induced by underplated basic magma into a hot crust would have caused partial melting in the lower part of the crust. In this scenario, the lithospheric mantle-derived basaltic melt first mixed with granitic magma of crustal origin at depth. Then, the melts, which subsequently underwent a fractional crystallization and crustal assimilation processes, could ascend to shallower crustal levels to generate a variety of rock types ranging from diorite to granite. Sr–Nd isotope modeling shows that the generation of these magmas involved ~65–75% of the lower crustal-derived melt and ~25–35% of subcontinental lithospheric mantle. Further, geochemical data and the Ar–Ar plateau age on hornblende, combined with regional studies, imply that the Harşit pluton formed in a subduction setting and that the back-arc extensional period started by least ~79 Ma in the Eastern Pontides.     

Effects of sinuosity factor on hydrodynamic parameters estimation in karst systems: a dye tracer experiment from the Beyyayla sinkhole (Eskişehir,Turkey)

The sinuosity factor (SF) is a critical value in karst systems in terms of estimating their hydrodynamic parameters including groundwater velocity, coefficient of dispersion, etc., through dye tracer experiments. SF has been used in a number of different dye tracer experiments in karstic systems to estimate a representative flow path. While knowing SF is crucially important in the estimation of hydrodynamic parameters, its calculation is associated with significant uncertainty due to the complexity of subsurface karstic features. And yet, only a few studies have discussed its uncertainties, which might lead some errors in estimation of hydrodynamic parameters from dye tracer experiment. In this study, dye tracer experiments were conducted in two consecutive years (2003 and 2004) representing low and high flow conditions in the Beyyayla sinkhole (Eski?ehir, Turkey) where the flow path is well known. Uranine was used in experiments as a tracer and QTRACER computer program was used to determine the hydrodynamic properties of the Beyyayla karst system as well as to gain insights into the effects of SF from dye tracer experiments on estimated parameters. The results showed that the breakthrough curve follows a unimodal and a bimodal distribution in low and high flow conditions, respectively. These different distributions stem from the water transport mechanisms, where velocities were calculated as 58.2 and 93.6 m h^?1 during low and high flow conditions observed in a spring emerging from the south side of the studied system. The results also show that the coefficient of dispersion, Reynolds number, and Peclet number increased and longitudinal dispersivity decreased with the higher flow rate. Furthermore, the estimated parameters did not vary with either the flow conditions or the tracer transit time, but they have shown some variations with SF. When SF was increased by 50 %, a change in these parameters was obtained in the range of 50–125 %.     

Space-time kriging of precipitation variability in Turkey for the period 1976–2010

The purpose of this study is to revaluate the changing spatial and temporal trends of precipitation in Turkey. Turkey is located in one of the regions at greatest risk from the potential effects of climate change. Since the 1970s, a decreasing trend in annual precipitation has been observed, in addition to an increasing number of precipitation-related natural hazards such as floods, extreme precipitation, and droughts. An understanding of the temporal and spatial characteristics of precipitation is therefore crucial to hazard management as well as planning and managing water resources, which depend heavily on precipitation. The ordinary kriging method was employed to interpolate precipitation estimates using precipitation records from 228 meteorological stations across the country for the period 1976–2010. A decreasing trend was observed across the Central Anatolian region, except for 1996–2000 which saw an increase in precipitation. However, this same period is identified as the driest year in Eastern and South Eastern Anatolia. The Eastern Black Sea region has the highest precipitation in the country; after 1996, an increase in annual precipitation in this region is observed. An overall reduction is also seen in southwest Turkey, with less variation in precipitation.

     

HNC-Plot: an excel VBA for visualization of helium,nitrogen and CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> isotope data of crustal and mantle gases

We present HNC-Plot, an Excel Visual Basic Application (Excel VBA) that can easily be used to create graphical plots of fluids associated with volcanic gases or geothermal manifestations, based on their helium, nitrogen and CO₂ isotope data. HNC-Plot has been designed in a simple way; all the user has to do is to input data in an Excel spreadsheet. The spreadsheet also contains buttons which have links to Excel VBA codes that generate plots. Once, the respective button is clicked, and all required variables are defined, Excel VBA generates a plot with labels and axes. Based upon the user preferences, additional tasks such as construction of mixing lines between mantle and crustal gases or calculation of end-member proportions can also be performed. We sincerely believe geoscientists can quickly and easily create these plots, free of charge, with this application. This study also presents previously published data from related literature to show the foundations of the application and to present sample plots created with it.     

Evaluation of Gravity and Aeromagnetic Anomalies for the Deep Structure and Possibility of Hydrocarbon Potential of the Region Surrounding Lake Van,Eastern Anatolia,Turkey

The North Anatolian Fault (NAF) is not observed on the surface beyond 40 km southeast of Karliova town toward the western shoreline of Lake Van. Various amplitudes of gravity and aeromagnetic anomalies are observed around the lake and surrounding region. In the gravity anomaly map, contour intensity is observed from the north of Mus city center toward Lake Van. There is a possibility that the NAF extends from here to the lake. Because there is no gravity data within the lake, the extension of the NAF is unknown and uncertain in the lake and to the east. Meanwhile, it is observed from the aeromagnetic anomalies that there are several positive and negative amplitude anomalies aligned around a slightly curved line in the east–west direction. The same curvature becomes much clearer in the analytic signal transformation map. The volcanic mountains of Nemrut and Suphan, and magnetic anomalies to the east of the Lake Van are all lined up and extended with this slightly curved line, provoking thoughts that a fault zone that was not previously mapped may exist. The epicenter of the major earthquake event that occurred on October 23, 2011 is located on this fault zone. The fault plane solution of this earthquake indicates a thrust fault in the east–west direction, consistent with the results of this study. Volcanic mountains in this zone are accepted as still being active because of gas seepages from their calderas, and magnetic anomalies are caused by buried causative bodies, probably magmatic intrusions. Because of its magmatic nature, this zone could be a good prospect for geothermal energy exploration. In this study, the basement of the Van Basin was also modelled three-dimensionally (3D) in order to investigate its hydrocarbon potential, because the first oil production in Anatolia was recorded around the Kurzot village in this basin. According to the 3D modelling results, the basin is composed of three different depressions aligned in the N–S direction and many prospective structures were observed between and around these depressions where the depocenter depths may reach down to 10 km.     

Crustal Structure of Turkey from Aeromagnetic, Gravity and Deep Seismic Reflection Data

In this paper, aeromagnetic and gravity anomalies obtained from the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration were subjected to upward continuation to 3?km from the ground surface to suppress shallow effects and to expose only regional, deep sources. Then, a reduction to pole (RTP) map of aeromagnetic anomalies was produced from the 3?km upward continued data. A sinuous boundary to the south of Turkey is observed in the RTP map that may indicate the suture zone between the Anatolides and African/Arabian Plates in the closure time of the Tethys Ocean. The sinuous boundary can be correlated with the recent palaeo-tectonic maps. The southern part of the sinuous boundary is quite different and less magnetic in comparison with the northern block. In addition, maxspots maps of the aeromagnetic and gravity anomalies were produced to find out and enhance the boundaries of tectonic units. Crustal thickness, recently calculated and mapped for the western Turkey, is also extended to the whole of Turkey, and the crustal thicknesses are correlated with the previous seismological findings and deep seismic sections. The average crustal thickness calculations using the gravity data are about 28?km along the coastal regions and increase up to 42?km through the Iranian border in the east of Turkey. Density and susceptibility values used as parameters for construction of two-dimensional (2D) gravity and magnetic models were compiled in a table from different localities of Turkey. 2D models indicate that all of the anomalous masses are located in the upper crust, and this could be well correlated with the earthquakes which occurred at shallow depths.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping of the Sera River Basin using logistic regression model

Of the natural hazards in Turkey, landslides are the second most devastating in terms of socio-economic losses, with the majority of landslides occurring in the Eastern Black Sea Region. The aim of this study is to use a statistical approach to carry out a landslide susceptibility assessment in one area at great risk from landslides: the Sera River Basin located in the Eastern Black Sea Region. This paper applies a multivariate statistical approach in the form of a logistics regression model to explore the probability distribution of future landslides in the region. The model attempts to find the best fitting function to describe the relationship between the dependent variable, here the presence or absence of landslides in a region and a set of independent parameters contributing to the occurrence of landslides. The dependent variable (0 for the absence of landslides and 1 for the presence of landslides) was generated using landslide data retrieved from an existing database and expert opinion. The database has information on a few landslides in the region, but is not extensive or complete, and thus unlike those normally used for research. Slope, angle, relief, the natural drainage network (including distance to rivers and the watershed index) and lithology were used as independent parameters in this study. The effect of each parameter was assessed using the corresponding coefficient in the logistic regression function. The results showed that the natural drainage network plays a significant role in determining landslide occurrence and distribution. Landslide susceptibility was evaluated using a predicted map of probability. Zones with high and medium susceptibility to landslides make up 38.8 % of the study area and are located mostly south of the Sera River Basin and along streams.     

Adsorption Kinetics of Chloroform from Aqueous Solutions onto Activated Lignite

The lignite coal researched by this study was subjected to a two‐stage activation process performed in the scope of obtaining active carbon from domestic resources. “Activation” and “carbonization” stages were used in the experiments. The modified lignite was produced by impregnating lignite with KOH and washing the activation product with 15% HCl solution after thermal treatment. Increasing KOH dosage also increased the removal efficiency. The variables investigated in adsorption experiments were contact time, initial concentration, pH, and sorbent dosage. Adsorption kinetics was fitted by using the pseudo‐first‐order equation, pseudo‐second‐order equation, and intra‐particle diffusion. Isotherm modeling was carried out using Langmuir, Freundlich, and Dubinin–Radushkevich equations. Selected target compound in this work is common environmental pollutant in waters. A commonly known effect of chloroform is its carcinogenic effect. Therefore, removal of these compounds from water is considerably important. Chloroform removal of 97% for was achieved by the use of Konya region activated lignite.     

Removal of Organochlorine Pesticides from Aqueous Solution by Using Neutralized Red Mud

This work describes the potential usability of neutralized red mud for the removal of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from aqueous solutions. After examination on the adsorption capability of neutralized red mud for all studied OCPs, the experiments were performed by employing aldrin as a model compound. The effect of several parameters, such as contact time, pH of the solution, initial aldrin concentration, and dosage of the adsorbent was evaluated by batch experiments. The determination of OCPs was carried out using traditional liquid–liquid extraction followed by a GC coupled with µ‐electron capture detector (GC‐µECD). The results showed that adsorption equilibrium time depended upon the initial aldrin concentration and adsorption followed the second‐order kinetic model. Kinetic study also indicated that the film diffusion mechanism was a main rate control mechanism. The removal was explained by considering the electrostatic interactions between metal oxides surface of the neutralized red mud and inductively charged centers (negative charge (d?) of chlorine atoms and positive charge (d+) of π‐cloud aromatic ring) of the aldrin molecules. In comparison to the Langmuir isotherm model, the Freundlich model better represented the adsorption data. The neutralized red mud was also succesfully employed for the removal of OCPs from real water samples, including tap water and surface (lake) water, fortified with studied OCPs.