University of Leicester Society of Economic Geologists Student Chapter
Western Turkey Epithermal‐Au Mineralisation
Field Trip Report 29th March – 4th April With thanks to our sponsors:
Participants Rosalind Walker
Undergraduate
University of Leicester
Laurence Shotliff
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Laura Ward
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Eliot Thomas
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Ben Raeder
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Lawrence Collins
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Joshua Lawrence
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Bethan Williams
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Leah Silverwood
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Nicole D'Urban‐Jackson
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Acknowledgements We would like to gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Society of Economic Geologists, SRK Consulting and SRK Exploration without whom this field trip would not have been possible. Furthermore, we extend our thanks to Zack Van Coller and Tuncay Yavuz at Ariana Resources Plc. for their guidance and support during this trip. We would also like to thank the team at Ariana Resources and Mustafa Ozkayhan and the team at Eldordo Gold/Tüprag Metals for their time and input towards this trip. Front page photo‐ taken by Zan Van Coller overlooking Kiziltepe. Top Row (from left to right): Elliot Thomas, Laurence Shotliff, Bethany Williams, Joshua Lawrence, Benedict Raeder, Leah Silverwood and Lawrence Collins. Bottom Row (from left to right): Rosalind Walker, Laura Ward and Nicole D’Urban‐Jackson.
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Introduction In 2016 the University of Leicester SEG Student Chapter took 10 undergraduate students to the Tethyan Belt of western Turkey for a 7‐day fieldtrip. This trip looked at low, intermediate and high sulphidation Epithermal‐Au deposits in the area, with day trips to Efemçukuru gold mine, and Pamukkale Travertine Terraces, as well as a 3‐day trip to Sindirgi with Ariana Resources. The aim of this trip was to give students the opportunity to experience first‐hand the exploration techniques used to find gold, and the process it takes to open and run a mine. The trip was hugely successful for the chapter and truly rewarding to the participants. The skills gained on this trip are invaluable and the chapter hopes to repeat the trip for students in the years to come.
Itinerary Day 1 – 29th March 2016 The group journeyed from the University of Leicester to Birmingham international airport by bus. From Birmingham the group flew to Munich and on to Izmir airport where we were transferred by minibus to our accommodation for the evening.
Day 2 – 30th March 2016 On our first full day in Turkey the group travelled to the Efemçukuru gold mine roughly 40 km south‐west of Izmir. Upon arrival we were welcomed by Mustafa Ozkayhan and the team at Eldorado Gold and Tüprag Metals and given a detailed introductory lecture covering the geology of the area and the gold vein. We were also given an introduction to health and safety on the site before beginning the tour. The day started with a visit to a surface exposure of the vein to the south of the site by the exploration team with an opportunity see one of their exploratory drill sites. Lunch was kindly provided for us by Tüprag Metals before we were given an underground tour of the mine itself, examining the lode at different levels as well as some of the equipment and processing used at the site.
Day 3 – 31st March 2016 In the morning we travelled to Sindirgi, roughly 150 km north‐east of Izmir. We were met by Zack Van Coller and Tuncay Yavuz from Ariana Resources who gave us a brief health and safety talk and a detailed presentation on the geology of Western Turkey and the local area, as well as an introduction to their new mine site. We then travelled to the new site, currently in its final stages of development, which sits on the Arzu South vein. We were given a tour as well as further information on the local and regional geology.
Day 4 – 1st April 2016 The morning was spent at the Core store in Sindirgi where we examined the alteration zones associated with the epithermal quartz veins and were given an introduction to the portable XRF. We were also shown the portable drill rig used by Ariana Resources and given a rough guide to drill sites, and the role of the geologist on site. After lunch we travelled to the Banu vein were we saw some typical low‐ sulphidation features. The group then travelled to the Kepez Prospect where several of the larger regional features were visible, as well as more prospective high‐grade epithermal gold veins.
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Day 5 – 2nd April 2016 The penultimate day of our trip was spent out in the field near the Arzu North vein, collecting soil samples with the use of a GPS and waypoints. Using the data collected during the course of the morning, the group were then able to analyse these samples with a hand held XRF and input the data into Arc GIS to interpret any potentially ore rich veins.
Day 6 – 3rd April 2016 We concluded our 2016 Turkey trip with a visit to the World Heritage Site of the Travertine Terraces and Hieropolis in Pamukkale. The travertine terraces are a result of calcium carbonate deposits from the 17 boiling hot springs that flow down the hillsides of Pamukkale, while the ancient roman spa city, Hieropolis, sits higher up behind the springs. This opportunity allowed the group to see an outstanding, world famous geological site and a modern‐day equivalent to the processes which would have formed the gold veins previously seen on the trip.
Day 7‐ 4th April 2016 The morning of Day 7 was spent journeying back to Izmir Airport where we flew back to Birmingham, travelling from there back to the University of Leicester.
Map above highlights the group’s journey around Turkey with the numbered markers 01, 02 and 03 representing days 2, 3‐5 and 6 respectively.
Efemçukuru Efemçukuru gold mine is situated 2 km from the village of Efemçukuru, 30 km south west of Izmir, western Turkey. The site is operated by Tüprag Metals, a subsidiary of Eldorado Gold Corp. Exploration around Efemçukuru began in 1992 with drilling programs commencing in 1996. After veins were intersected at the site, engineering and feasibility studies of the mine site was completed by 2007 with the project finally commissioned in 2011.
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Geology and Mineralisation Efemçukuru is an intermediate sulfidation epithermal gold deposit hosted within Upper Cretaceous phyllite and schist at the western end of the Izmir‐Ankara Suture Zone in South West Turkey. The host rocks are locally silicified to hornfels and cut by moderately north to north‐east dipping faults that are exploited by rhyolite dykes and epithermal veins. The faults formed as a result of the closure of the Tethyan belt, and subsequently the formation of the Menderes Core complex. The group were given a very warm welcome to the Tüprag site and received an induction talk introducing the site and its safety policies as well as a talk discussing the geological history and setting of the mine. The group was then led by the exploration team to have a look at some near‐by prospects. Whilst studying the
Photograph, above, of the group kitted out in protective PPE ready for the underground mine tour. exposures of vein, the team explained more about the mineralogy and geology of the area, as well as further exploration undertaken at the site. Whilst visiting one of their active drill sites, the group were shown fresh core from the rig which clearly highlighted some of the key features in the paragenesis of the vein. After lunch, the group were given a tour of various sections of the underground mine which followed the vein through various stages of paragenesis to their current blast site.
Sindirgi with Ariana Resources Day 1 with Ariana Resources Ariana Resources kindly hosted the University of Leicester SEG chapter for three days during this trip. Zack Van Coller and Tuncay Yavuz provided the group with experience in exploration field work such as soil sampling methods and portable XRF use as well as comprehensive lectures focusing on drilling programs, ArcGIS and the role of geoscientists in a junior mining company.
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On day one with Ariana Resources (31st March) we were given an overview of the geology of the area by Zack, focusing on the gold mineralization and the prospects located within the Sindirgi Gold Corridor. We were then given a tour of the Arzu South site in the Kiziltepe licence area which over the past year has gone into the early stages of mine development, the area is named ‘Red Rabbit project’. For this Ariana has teamed up with JV Proccea to build and mine the resources of the Arzu South vein. From the work undertaken by Ariana, there is also Image taken by Lawrence Collins. Blast at the Arzu South site potential to extend the mine toward tailings dam the Arzu North site. This will be determined by a drill program taking place over the summer to define the extent and grade of the vein. Whilst on site we were given the opportunity to watch a blast at the tailings dam. The mineralisation in the Kiziltepe sector is hosted within a series of fiamme and welded rhyo‐dacite ignimbrite sequences deposited in the Miocene. The vein trend is north‐south and the veining has caused argylic alteration which is spatially associated with the highest grades of mineralisation. The gold itself is hosted within ginguro banding/spots, however various other key textures including colloform banding and lattice blading can also be found.
Image taken by Lawrence Collins. The developing mine site at Arzu South, part of the Red Rabbit Project.
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Day 2 with Ariana Resources The group started the day with some short lectures focusing on the alteration zones associated with epithermal veins, and how to set up a drill rig and some of the logistical issues that can be encountered. We were then given a tour of Ariana’s core storage facility and shown how the alteration zones appear in core samples. As well as being given the opportunity to use the portable XRF on the samples to see the types of signatures associated with the different zones. The tour of the facility was concluded by Zack showing the group Ariana’s drill rig and examples of various drill bits and components. After lunch the group drove out of Sindirgi to the Banu Vein found in the Kiziltepe prospect area south‐west from Arzu. The Vein showed some fantastic epithermal features and it was a great opportunity to see such clear examples of bladed calcite and colloform textures. Whilst there we also discussed stream sampling and methods of locating deposits and the group used the XRF in an effort to find the highest Au grade within ginguro bands or spots. We were then driven up to the Kepez Image taken by Zack Van Coller. The group examining core Vein located north east of the Kiziltepe area. The area around the veins shows samples at Ariana’s Storage facility some large scale faulting that exposes sections of serpentanised oceanic crust. The vein at Kepez North was extremely high grade averaging around 40‐50 g/t however there were several sections which were
Images taken by Lawrence Collins. Top left: The Banu epithermal quartz vein outcropping at the surface. Top right: The Kepez vein outcrop showing similar features but some notable differences. Bottom left: Group photo ontop of the Kepez vein
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above 100 g/t Au and up to 1000 g/t Ag which is a fantastic prospect. Conversely, there were several veins around the site that were barren.
Day 3 with Ariana Resources On our third day in Sindirgi the group split into teams taking soils samples with the use of a GPS. The activity was a great opportunity for the students to get an insight on the sorts of skills an exploration geologist would use in the field. The elemental composition of the soil is a good indication for the chemistry of the rocks below and anomalously high elements in the soil can indicate the presence of mineral deposits. As such it is an extremely relevant skill for industry exploration and a fantastic opportunity for the group. The groups took 24 samples each before travelling back to Ariana’s headquarters to analyse the samples using the portable XRF. The focus of the analysis was the arsenic content of the soil as arsenic is typically associated with epithermal gold deposits. After the samples were analysed the data was plotted with the use of ArcGIS and the group were shown how to manipulate the data to produce a professional standard geochemical grid on the map of the area. We also discussed the importance of sampling and keeping samples to be verified by an external source.
Image Left: Three‐person team sampling soil and using the GPS to track positions. Image Right: Leicester student, Laurence Shotliff, analysing soil samples using the portable XRF.
The University of Leicester SEG Student Chapter is once again grateful for the kind hospitality provided by Zack Van Coller and the rest of the Ariana Resources team in what was a truly rewarding few days.
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Pamukkale The final stop for the group before flying home was a trip to Pamukkale for an opportunity to see the World Heritage site there. The site plays host to the Pamukkale natural springs and also home to the stunning ruins of Hieropolis an ancient roman spa city. The site is a great modern day analogue for the ancient epithermal systems which host much of the economic gold in Turkey. The white material seen in the images is a form of limestone deposited by the hot hydrothermal fluid. Travertine often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream‐colored, and even rusty varieties. It is formed by a process of rapid precipitation of calcium carbonate. Many of the textural features shown in the travertine terraces and surrounding springs were comparable to the textures seen previously on the trip, preserved in the geological record.
Image above shows group gathering in one of the hydrothermal springs within the travertine terraces
Image above taken in Pamukkale showing the magnitude of travertine terrace produced as a result of hydrothermal fluids precipitating calcium carbonate onto the hillside.
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