Research Article Mineralogy, Geochemistry, and Origin of Buyukmahal Manganese Mineralization in the Artova Ophiolitic Complex, Yozgat, Turkey Nursel Öksüz and Neslihan Okuyucu Department of Geological Engineering, Faculty of Engineering & Architecture, Bozok University, 66100 Yozgat, Turkey Correspondence should be addressed to Nursel ¨ Oks¨ uz; nursel.oksuz@gmail.com Received 13 May 2013; Revised 8 December 2013; Accepted 17 December 2013; Published 6 February 2014 Academic Editor: Chengshuai Liu Copyright © 2014 N. ¨ Oks¨ uz and N. Okuyucu. his is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. he Artova ophiolite complex (AOC) is exposed along the northwestern and eastern margins of Yozgat area in Turkey. he Mn- deposit in the Buyukmahal area is part of this ophiolite complex. he deposit is in banded and lenticular forms and hosted by a radiolarite unit overlying the volcanics. Pyrolusite and magnetite are the main minerals of the manganese ore in the Buyukmahal (Yozgat) area. he gang minerals in the deposit are composed only of quartz and calcite. In this study, mineralogy, major oxide, trace element and REE contents of Buyukmahal manganese mineralization are evaluated. he geochemical data indicate that Buyukmahal mineralization does not originate from a pure hydrothermal or pure hydrogenous source but from a system consisting of both sources. It is also asserted that the mineralization was irst developed on a sea loor spreading center within the Alpine Ophiolite System and then obducted as part of the AOC. 1. Introduction he Alpine Ophiolite System (AOC) is exposed along the northwestern and eastern margins of the Yozgat region in Turkey. he Mn mineralization in the Buyukmahal is a part of this ophiolite complex. he mineralization in this area is highly irm and generally fractured and folded, developed in banded and lenticular shape, and syngenetic with radiolarite cherts. Mineralizations are chiely NW-SW trending and small anticline structures are observed in some parts. Although mineralization in the Buyukmahal area has not been studied, Derbent and Eymir manganese deposits within the AOC were investigated recently by ¨ Oks¨ uz [1, 2]. hese deposits were operated from time to time by local miners, but lately none of the deposits is mined out due to low reserve potential. he Eymir manganese deposit which is genetically linked to Buyukmahal mineralization occurs within radiolarite cherts of the lower Cretaceous ophiolite complex [1]. Major and trace element contents of the Eymir ore indicate that the deposit is of a hydrothermal- hydrogenous type volcano sedimentary mineralization and both oxic and anoxic sedimentation conditions prevailed. he Derbent manganese mineralization, another manganese deposit in the Yozgat region, occurs as two separate ore bodies [2]. Chemical data yield that hydrothermal and hydrogenous- diagenetic processes played important role in formation of Derbent mineralization. he geochemical characteristics of these deposits are consistent with those of several other manganese mineralizations such as Waziristan, Hazara [3], Baby Bare [4], Bat Ophiolitic melange Kerman (Iran) [5], Wakasa [6], C ¸ ayırlı [7], and Kasıma˘ ga [8] deposits. Partic- ularly Waziristan (Pakistan) and C ¸ayırlı (Turkey) deposits are regarded as hydrothermal exhalative manganese deposits occurring on sealoor spreading centers associated with ophiolite units [9, 10]. he Buyukmahal deposit under inves- tigation is also thought to be a hydrothermal exhalative manganese mineralization. he aim of this study is to discuss the mineralogical and geochemical mechanisms responsible for development of manganese ore in the Buyukmahal area. 2. Geological Setting Turkey comprising the border between Eurasia at the north and Gondwana at the south is an E-W elongating component Hindawi Publishing Corporation Journal of Chemistry Volume 2014, Article ID 837972, 11 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/837972