Ore paragenesis of Gümüsler (Nigde, Turkey) antimony-mercury mineralization

Yalcin M.G.*, Ilbeyli N.*, Yaman S ^Y

* Akdeniz University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geological Engineering, 07058 Antalya, Turkey

Y Cukurova University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geological Engineering, 01330 Adana, Turkey

(deceased)

 

The Nigde Massif in central Anatolia has abandoned antimony, mercury and iron mines. Therefore, the Gümüsler area in the Massif is chosen to determine the ore paragenesis of Gümüsler stibnite-mercury mineralization.

The grade of mineralization and reserves in the studied area is the most important in terms of quantities. Wall-rock mineralization is observed in the microscope according to the work of marble, schist and gneiss. Stibnite and cinnabar are seen as main ore minerals in the vessel. On the basis of their relationship, cinnabar is younger than stibnite. In addition, arsenopyrite is the oldest and galena is the youngest of the ore minerals. Arsenopyrite is generally found in quartz and stibnite. Kermesite is observed mainly in cinnabar. Antimony oxide minerals are seen in oxidation are servantite, senarmontite and kermesite. Limonite is observed in hematite-pyrite oxidation (Yalcin, 1995; Yalcin and Yaman, 1996).

In brief, the ore minerals are found mainly together sulfides, oxides, hydroxides and gangue minerals. Sulphide ore minerals have been determined that are stibnite, cinnabar, pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, marcasite, chalcocite, sphalerite, galena, metacinnabarite and covellite. Oxide and hydroxide minerals are seen as stibnite oxide, limonite, hematite, rutile, anatase, leucoxene, lepidocrocite and psilomelane. Quartz and calcite are gangue minerals. Other minerals are gypsum, graphite, zircon and cerusite.

References

Yalcin M.G., 1995, “Gumusler (Nigde, Turkey) Mineralogy and Geochemical Study of Polymetallic Antimony-Mercury Deposits”, Cukurova University, Phd Thesis, 165 p. Adana, Turkey (in Turkish with English abstract).

Yalcin M.G. and Yaman S., 1996, “Gumusler (Nigde) Antimony - Mercury Mineralogical examination of Mineralization”, Geosound, 28, 189–201.