Geyikli (Çanakkale, Turkey) Heavy Mineral Sands: Insights to Their Origin Related with Alkaline Intrusive Rocks

Abstract

Essexites of Kestanbol pluton have significant amount of iron (Fe), titanium (Ti), Rare Earth Elements (REE) and thorium (Th) and considered as the source of Geyikli Heavy Mineral Sands (HMS). Geyikli HMS were enriched by the minerals of magnetite, rutile, monazite and apatite. In Geyikli HMS, REE contents (up to 0,25%) were rised by 4-5 times during placer deposition, mainly caused by the enriching of weathering resistant REE bearing dense phosphate minerals and zircon. On the other hand, Fe (up to 11%) and Ti (up to 2,5%) enrichments are heavily dependent on the magnetite, titanomagnetite and rutile minerals. By using the basic physical mineral processing techniques such sieving, shaking tables, multi gravity seperators, magnetic seperation, it is possible to reach higher grades for both REE and Fe-Ti and to have better initial values for electrochemical mineral processing techniques.