Monazite geochronology, magmatism, and extensional dynamics within the Menderes Massif, western Turkey

Abstract

Geochemical and geochronological data were collected from S-type, peraluminous granites (Salihli and Turgutlu) that intrude a detachment that bounds the northern edge of the central Menderes Massif core complex (Aegean region, western Turkey). The granites may have been generated due to subduction of the Eastern Mediterranean floor along the Hellenic trench. In situ Th-Pb ion microprobe monazite ages from the rocks range from 21.7±4.5 Ma to 9.6±1.6 Ma (±1σ), which could record their exhumation history. Higher uncertainty in the ages is attributed to monazite common Pb, but the range is consistent with cathodoluminescence (CL) images that document complex textures within the granites. Salihli and Turgutlu granites share many similar characteristics, including multiple generations of plagioclase, plagioclase replacing K-feldspar and the development of myrmekite, evidence for fluid interaction, and multiple generations of microcracks. Ages reported here are similar to dates constraining extension reported elsewhere in the Aegean, but indicate additional complexities when linking movement within the Menderes Massif to large-scale geodynamic processes that created other metamorphic core complexes in the region. Difficulties exist in linking the ages obtained from the granites to specific tectonic events due to the presence of secondary alteration textures, generations of mineral growth and multiple episodes of deformation.