Soil geochemistry characteristics of bimodal-mafic type VMS deposits in the Central Pontides: Importance of data investigation in exploration and following discovery

Çangaldağ Metamorphic Complex is defined with low grade metamorphic equivalents of mafic to felsic intrusive and extrusives, clastics and volcanoclastics. The Au-Cu-Zn Say Yayla (deeply-seated; West Zone) and the Au-dominant Büyük Hill (gossan related; East Zone) deposits are classified as bimodal-mafic type VMS in that complex and they are hosted in the metafelsic ensimatic arc volcanics. These were investigated by soil samples developed over each mineralization to examine the soil characteristics with different textural features. A total of 274 soil samples were collected and they have been geochemically analysed and examined using various statistical methods. The results reveal that both chemical and mechanical weathering are effective in the studied zones. Mechanical processes are mostly associated with structural factors and topography. Copper and zinc, relatively mobile elements during weathering, are relatively useful through the deeply-seated mineralization rather than gossan related zone due to leaching processes. Particularly As and Pb enrichments in the East Zone and very strong positive correlations between them may indicate the absence of a very intense weathering period.Variable strong positive correlations of Ge, Ga, Sb, Tl, Zr, Sb, Ag, Hf with economic metals show that those elements can be examined as trace pathfinders through soil profiles. Four components are extracted following the principal component analysis and they explain 96.306% of total variance. These factors most likely identify gossan formation processes, immobile behaviours of the elements, weathering degree/conditions and mineralization itself.The geochemical studies of collected soils conducted on such mineralization type are the first, which carried out in the Anatolian geography. The information (e.g., bivariate and multivariate elemental associations, pathfinder and indicator elements, factor analyses) pertaining to the geochemical distribution along collected soils of such VMS mineralizations will be of relevance to those exploring for similar deposits in the Central Pontides or even elsewhere in the world.