OFIOLITI, cilt.37, sa.2, ss.77-92, 2012 (SCI-Expanded)
The Ayli Dag ophiolites occur as an independent tectonic unit within the Intra-Pontide suture zone, central-northern Turkey. They crop out, together with the other units of the Intra-Pontide suture zone, at the top of the Late Cretaceous-Middle Paleocene foredeep sediments of the Sakarya Terrane. The Ayli Dag ophiolites sequence include in its lower part a mantle sequence consisting of not less than 2-3 km-thick peridotites, topped by 500-600 m-thick layered gabbros with alternating, dm- to m-thick layers of spinet-bearing dunites, melatroctolites, troctolites, ol-gabbros and leucogabbros. The gabbro sequence is over-lain by a sheeted dyke complex, that shows a transition to 100-200 m-thick massive basaltic lava flows followed by 600-800 m-thick massive and pillow lavas and breccias alternating with ophiolite-bearing arenites and cherts.