Metallic Mineral Deposits and Occurances of Izmir District, Türkiye

A number of metallic mineral deposits and occurances such as gold, antimony, lead-zinc (-copper), copper, mercury, iron and aluminium are known in Izmir district.

In Izmir, about 10 gold fields, most of them are located around Ödemis and others at Karsiyaka, Seferihisar and Bergama, are recorded. Preparation for exploitation are being carried on in Bergama-Ovacik gold deposit. Detailed exploration studies on Karsiyaka-Altintepe and Seferihisar-Efençukuru fields have been completed by MTA, but no production activities has started yet. Although a lot of gold fields are present in a relatively large area around Ödemis, they are not economically important. Ödemis gold fields might be taken into consideration as a source for historically important Sardis (Manisa-Salihli).

Three antimony deposits are reported in Izmir. Two of them are located near Ödemis and the other one near Menderes (Cumaovasi)-Sandikköy. Production have been going continuing on one of the Ödemis deposits.

Known lead-zinc (-copper) deposits of Izmir are taken place in Bayindir, Gümüldür, Buca-Kemalpasa area and Bergama. At none of them there isn't any production activity at present, but it it known that production was made from almost all of them in historical times. In addition to lead-zinc (-copper) deposits, a copper occurance, which has no economic importance today, could be mentioned.

Two known iron ore deposits, in Izmir, are located at Torbali-Yazibasi and Çirpi. Ores from them is hard to use as iron ore because of high contents of some impurities, but they have been exploited in times for cement industry use.

Mercury deposits are seen at Karaburun and Torbali-Ödemis region. After exploitation for a long time, activities have terminated at them as a result of decreasing the importance of mercury in the world due to environmental aspects.

An unrecorded aluminiumdeposit is located at east of Urla (at Özbek village and Malkaç Mount). No production activity has been done in it.

Apart from mentioned ore deposits and occurances, some manganese occurances might be mentioned. In heavy mineral reconnaissance carried out on sardis (Manisa-Salihli) gold placers in which assiterite ( atin mineral) was determined and presence of favourable geological conditions, Bozdag Mountain is thought quite interesting for tin mineralizations even though no known tin deposit is present there.

If the subject is examined according to the archaeological periods, these points should be noticed:

1. Production activities could have been carried out in some fields which are not feasible in present economic conditions,
2. From an iron-cup of a lead-zinc or an iron deposit, in which low copper contents are present, copper ore could have been mined,
3. Silver production could have been realized from lead-zinc deposits which are not presently accepted as silver deposits.