PAMUKKALE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES-PAMUKKALE UNIVERSITESI MUHENDISLIK BILIMLERI DERGISI, cilt.28, sa.6, ss.851-862, 2021 (ESCI)
Limestones, which are a type of carbonate rocks that are classified as
karstification of rocks, are widely observed in the Antalya complex. The
assessment of the elemental relationships in the formation of limestones
by using statistical methods is important for the interpretation of paleoredox states in the environment and for understanding its diagenetic
conditions. In the study, limestone samples collected from the Susuzdag
Formation were analyzed by the XRF method to determine their
chemical contents. Also, thin cross-sections of the limestone samples
were prepared and the mineralogical properties of the formation were
determined by performing detailed optical microscopy examinations.
The order of the contents enriched during the formation of limestones is
as follows: SiO2, MgO, Al2O3, K2O, TiO2 Fe2O3, SO3, Pb, Th, U, Sr, Mn, and
Co. The high values of K2O, Al2O3 and SiO2 elements at the regional scale
revealed the high clay presence in the limestones. In addition, high
concentrations of Al2O3 and TiO2 interpreted from distribution maps in
similar locations indicate the presence of minerals with aluminum oxide
and titanium oxide. The cumulative value of chemical contents, which
were observed to fall in 4 main groups, was calculated as 92.60%. The
limestone samples were found to have micritic and sparitic textural
features, and no foliation or lamination was observed in their thin crosssections. Moreover, according to the single-nicol images, the matrix
fillings of the cross-sections of the samples were found to contain clay.
It was thought that the limestones in the region underwent dehydration
reactions during their formation and lost their water molecules and
became enriched in kaolinite minerals.