MINERALOGICAL-PETROGRAPHICAL STUDIES AND GENESIS OF THE KARALAR (GAZİPAŞA, ANTALYA) GALENITE-BARITE MINERALIZATION

Abstract

The study area is situated within the Alanya massif in the central Tauride belt. Low metamorphic folded phyllites in upper Carboniferous age cover large areas in this region. They are overlain partly by lower Permian - Triassic aged, interbedded with ore levels, and partly dolomitized thickly bedded, light coloured limestones and quartzites. In the study area a limited amount of pyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite and fahlerz minerals accompany economically viable galenite-barite mineralizations. Along with these minerals cerussite, anglesite, covellite, azurite, malachite, goethite, lepidocrocite are found as alteration products. Galenite and barite rich levels alternate with each other as well as with quartzites and dolomitic limestones. These rhythmically alternating mineralized zones appear in the same stratigraphic level throughout the area. Barites are fine grained and have a very definite contact relation with the enclosing rocks. All this data indicates that the galenite-barite mineralizations in the area have a synsedimentary origin, and metal and barium ions probably originated from the submanne volcanism.