Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Arızlı Mn deposit (Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye) represents a diagenetic and supergene manganese mineralization system hosted within radiolarian chert-limestone alternations of an ophiolitic mélange. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis confirms that the primary manganese minerals are pyrolusite (MnO₂) and psilomelane [(Ba,H₂O)₂Mn₅O₁₀], with minor occurrences of quartz and calcite. Bulk geochemical analyses reveal MnO values ranging from 38.2 to 52.7 wt.%, with Mn/Fe ratios between 30 and 50, indicating enrichment in oxidized manganese. Trace element ratios, particularly Co/Zn and Ni/Co, suggest deposition under oxic conditions followed by diagenetic transformation and later-stage supergene enrichment. Discrimination diagrams – such as Fe₂O₃/TiO₂ vs. Al₂O₃/(Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃) and Co/Zn vs. Co+Ni+Cu – indicate that the deposit shares geochemical characteristics with supergene Mn accumulations in Iran, Morocco, and North China, while contrasting with hydrothermal Mn deposits found in Turkey and Pakistan. The mineralization is structurally concentrated in faulted boundaries between ophiolitic mélange and Mesozoic carbonates, which enabled fluid migration and the remobilization of manganese. This paper introduces a comprehensive genetic model for supergene manganese deposits in ophiolitic environments, improves our comprehension of manganese metallogenesis in Tethyan ophiolitic belts, and suggests geochemical criteria relevant to the global exploration of manganese-rich sequences.

Cihan YALÇIN, Hatice KARA (2026). MINERALOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ARIZLI MN DEPOSIT (AFYONKARAHISAR, TURKEY): EVIDENCE FOR DIAGENETIC AND SUPERGENE ENRICHMENT, Carpathian Journal of Earth and Environmental Sciences, February 2026, Vol. 21, No. 1, p. 71 – 80; https://doi.org/10.26471/cjees/2026/021/353