Geochronology and Geochemistry of the Beypazari Granitoid Pluton, North Central Turkey: Tectonic Implications

Pamela Speciale

The Beypazari granitoid pluton was emplaced in a Late Cretaceous volcanic arc in north central Turkey.  This pluton provides important evidence for collision during the closure of the NeoTethys Ocean, a major event in Earth history.  The Neo-Tethys was located between the supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic.  As the ocean closed, the upper mantle was hydrated and partially melted by the subducting oceanic plate.  The melts subsequently ascended and evolved into the coarse-grained felsic, or granitoid, plutons we see today.  Several models have been developed to explain the processes of rifting, collision, and more recent strike-slip faulting and extrusion tectonics in Turkey.  My research is focused on possible causes for recrystallization of two ~5 Ma zircons found in an aplite dike in this Late Cretaceous pluton.  With the help of Dr. Catlos and our research group, I have acquired the first U-Pb zircon ion microprobe ages and produced the first cathodoluminescence (CL) images from the Beypazari granitoid.  Analysis and interpretation of CL images of these young zircons can offer useful insights into the role of igneous and metamorphic processes in recording the consolidation and evolution of Turkey.

Supervisor: Elizabeth Catlos