Origin and Tectonic Significance of the Metamorphic Sole and Isolated Dykes of the Divriği Ophiolite (Sivas, Turkey): Evidence for Slab Break-off prior to Ophiolite Emplacement

Authors: OSMAN PARLAK, HÜSEYİN YILMAZ, DURMUŞ BOZTUĞ

Abstract: The Late Cretaceous Divriği ophiolite of east-central Anatolia comprises, from bottom to top, an ophiolitic mélange, metamorphic sole and remnants of oceanic lithosphere. The ophiolitic mélange has been thrust onto the Lower Carboniferous-Campanian Munzur Limestone (Tauride platform), and is in turn tectonically overlain by the metamorphic sole. The metamorphic-sole rocks are represented by amphibolite, plagioclase amphibolite, plagioclase-amphibole schist, plagioclase-epidote-amphibole schist and calc-schist. The oceanic-lithosphere remnant exhibits a complete section, excluding volcanic rocks, comprising mantle tectonites, ultramafic to mafic cumulates, isotropic gabbros and sheeted dykes. Isolated dykes intrude the metamorphic sole and mantle tectonites at different structural levels. The metamorphic-sole rocks beneath the Divriği ophiolite can be divided into two groups with distinct geochemical features. The first group is tholeiitic (Nb/Y=0.07-0.18), whereas the second group is alkaline (Nb/Y=1.77-3.48) in chemistry. Chondrite-normalized REE patterns, N-MORB-normalized spider diagrams and tectonic discrimination diagrams suggest that the protolith of the first group was similar to island-arc tholeiitic basalts, whereas the protolith of the second group was more akin to within-plate alkali basalts. The isolated dykes cutting the metamorphic sole and the mantle tectonites exhibit alkaline (Nb/Y=0.68-2.11) character and are geochemically similar to within-plate alkaline basalts. The geochemical evidence suggests that the Late Cretaceous Divriği ophiolite formed in a suprasubduction zone tectonic setting to the north of the Tauride platform. During intraoceanic subduction/thrusting, the IAT type and seamount-type alkaline basalts were metamorphosed and accreted to the base of the Divriği ophiolite. The alkaline isolated dykes were probably the result of late-stage magmatism fed by melts that originated within an asthenospheric window due to slab break-off, shortly before the emplacement of the Divriği ophiolite onto the Tauride platform to the south.

Keywords: isolated dyke, amphibolite, alkaline magma, tholeiitic magma, slab break-off, Divriği, Turkey

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