Petrology of the Plio-Quaternary Göbekören Volcanics (Kangal-Sivas)
Abstract: The study area is located at 15 km W-SW of Kangal district of Sivas province. Lithological units are observedin the study area ranging from Late Miocene to Plio- Quaternary in age. The rock units start with Late MiocenePliocene Kangal Formation and Upper Pliocene Uzunyayla Formation conformably overlies this unite. UzunyaylaFormation is uncomfortably overlain by the Plio-Quaternary Göbekören volcanics and again uncomfortably overthe Quaternary alluvium.The Late Miocene-Pliocene Kangal Formation has a thickness of about 200 m in the study are and consists ofsandstone, mudstone and lignite bands in some places. Uzunyayla Formation forms of marl and lacustrine limestonewhich was placed in conformity to Kangal Formation. Above units, Late Pliocene Göbekören Volcanics with darkbrown-black colour, porous, air-bubbled, massive columnar and an approximate thickness of 10 m is composedmostly from basalt and less from trachybasalt.Göbekören volcanics characterizes alkaline as geochemically. Both geochemical analyses and mineralogicalobservations show that there are olivine and clinopyroxene fractionation from basalts to trachybasalt. As a result ofthe geochemical investigations, it was observed that Göbekören volcanics has more enriched light rare earth elementsthan heavy rare earth elements which suggest that the crustal material may be added during the crystallization in themagmatism. In addition, the amount of partial melts increases from trachybasalt to basalts.Göbekören volcanics which is located in Sivas Basin is continental plate basalts which is formed as a result oflithospheric thinning.