Mineralogy and Geochemistry of Sediments from Lake Tuz

Abstract

Lake Tuz is in a closed basin, in the center of the Anatolia (Turkey). The lake has shallow hypersaline water. In this study, mineralogical and geochemical features of the lake sediments sampled by core drillings were investigated. Halite, polyhalite, calcite, magnesite, dolomite, huntite, quartz, and albite minerals were found in bulk sample and montmorillonite and vermiculite minerals were found in the clay fraction XRD analyzes. In geostatistical evaluations, elements are divided into four clusters. These clusters are named as Clastic, Hydrothermal, Evaporite-carbonate and Evaporite-sulphate. Trace elements included in the clastic cluster were used to interpret provenance. The Light Rare Earth Element (LREE) enriched chondrite normalized average REE pattern suggests a cratonic provenance for the lake sediments except for the low negative Eu anomaly. Trace element ratios of La/Sc, La/Co, Th/Sc, Th/Co, Zr/Sc, Zr/Co, Ba/Sc, and Ba/Co, which are critical for provenance, show a provenance in a “felsic-intermediate magmatic” composition. According to the La-Th-Sc diagram, the tectonic setting of the source area was found as "Continental Island Arc".