Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals

The Thrace Basin is located in the northwest of Türkiye, bounded by the Rhodope Zones to the west, the Strandja (Istranca, Strandzha) Massif to the North, and the İstanbul Zone to the east. TheStranja Massif’s basement is composed of the Tekedere Group, which includes Paleozoic gneisses and schists,...

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Main Authors: Ebru Sezen, Zehra Karakaş
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration 2025-08-01
Series:Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration
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Online Access:https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4234832
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author Ebru Sezen
Zehra Karakaş
author_facet Ebru Sezen
Zehra Karakaş
author_sort Ebru Sezen
collection DOAJ
description The Thrace Basin is located in the northwest of Türkiye, bounded by the Rhodope Zones to the west, the Strandja (Istranca, Strandzha) Massif to the North, and the İstanbul Zone to the east. TheStranja Massif’s basement is composed of the Tekedere Group, which includes Paleozoic gneisses and schists, as well as the Şeytandere Metagranite, consisting of altered and unaltered metagranites. Unaltered metagranites are characterized by large feldspar crystals and are typically white and pink in color, while altered metagranites are typically yellow color. The subject of this study Şeytandere metagranites which the uraninite mineral, for the first time, was identified in unaltered metagranite samples, while carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals were identified in altered meta-granite samples. The morphologies and elemental compositions of these minerals were identified by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The SEM-EDS analyses revealed that the major elements of carnotite [K2(UO2)2(V2O8)(H2O)3] and tyuyamunite [Ca(UO2)2(V2O8)(H2O)8] are of K, U and V and Ca, U and V, respectively. In the investigated samples carnotite has a plate-like morphology, whereas tyuyamunite shows a fibrous appearence. This investigation shows that carnotite and tyuyamunite are epigenetically formed from uranyl vanadate minerals in the Şeytandere metagranite. These minerals indicate uranium leaching from granitic materials and re-deposition as fine specks in open pores by circulating meteoric water. The leached uranyl ions, combined with vanadate ions, form carnotite and tyuyamunite under weathering conditions.
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spelling doaj-art-db66765062914e128b2c2120916a35382025-08-21T06:24:52ZengGeneral Directorate of Mineral Research and ExplorationBulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration0026-45632025-08-01177177112210.19111/bulletinofmre.155473476Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite mineralsEbru Sezen0https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2442-9286Zehra Karakaş1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5620-4518General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration (MTA), Department of Energy Raw Material 6 Research and Exploration, Ankara, TürkiyeAnkara University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Geological Engineering, Ankara, TürkiyeThe Thrace Basin is located in the northwest of Türkiye, bounded by the Rhodope Zones to the west, the Strandja (Istranca, Strandzha) Massif to the North, and the İstanbul Zone to the east. TheStranja Massif’s basement is composed of the Tekedere Group, which includes Paleozoic gneisses and schists, as well as the Şeytandere Metagranite, consisting of altered and unaltered metagranites. Unaltered metagranites are characterized by large feldspar crystals and are typically white and pink in color, while altered metagranites are typically yellow color. The subject of this study Şeytandere metagranites which the uraninite mineral, for the first time, was identified in unaltered metagranite samples, while carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals were identified in altered meta-granite samples. The morphologies and elemental compositions of these minerals were identified by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). The SEM-EDS analyses revealed that the major elements of carnotite [K2(UO2)2(V2O8)(H2O)3] and tyuyamunite [Ca(UO2)2(V2O8)(H2O)8] are of K, U and V and Ca, U and V, respectively. In the investigated samples carnotite has a plate-like morphology, whereas tyuyamunite shows a fibrous appearence. This investigation shows that carnotite and tyuyamunite are epigenetically formed from uranyl vanadate minerals in the Şeytandere metagranite. These minerals indicate uranium leaching from granitic materials and re-deposition as fine specks in open pores by circulating meteoric water. The leached uranyl ions, combined with vanadate ions, form carnotite and tyuyamunite under weathering conditions.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4234832uraniumcarnotitetyuyamuniteşeytanderemetagranitethracebasintürkiye
spellingShingle Ebru Sezen
Zehra Karakaş
Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals
Bulletin of the Mineral Research and Exploration
uranium
carnotite
tyuyamunite
şeytanderemetagranite
thracebasin
türkiye
title Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals
title_full Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals
title_fullStr Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals
title_full_unstemmed Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals
title_short Newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the Thrace Basin, NW Türkiye: Insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals
title_sort newly identified uranyl vanadate mineral formation in the thrace basin nw turkiye insights into identification and origin of carnotite and tyuyamunite minerals
topic uranium
carnotite
tyuyamunite
şeytanderemetagranite
thracebasin
türkiye
url https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4234832
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AT zehrakarakas newlyidentifieduranylvanadatemineralformationinthethracebasinnwturkiyeinsightsintoidentificationandoriginofcarnotiteandtyuyamuniteminerals