Geochemical, REE and Multivariate Statistical Constraints on Fe–Mn Mineralization in Durmuştepe Area (Maden, Elazığ, Türkiye)

In this study, we examined the mineralogy, geochemistry and origin of Fe–Mn mineralization occurring as lenses within siliceous mudstones of the Middle Eocene Maden Complex (Durmuştepe, Elazığ, Türkiye) using multivariate statistical methods and Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA). Major-oxide, trace-element and REE analyses were performed on 21 samples (n = 21), comprising 11 ore and 10 host-rock samples. Ore microscopy, discrimination diagrams, PAAS-normalized REE patterns, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA), factor analysis, Kendall correlation and CLR-transformed CoDA-PCA were applied. The ore consists of pyrolusite, braunite, manganite, magnetite and hematite. Massive and felty textures indicate rapid precipitation linked to abrupt physicochemical changes near the vents. Fe/Mn ≈ 1.62 and Co/Ni = 0.03–0.04 support an exhalative origin; Ce/Ce* = 0.10–0.15 (mean 0.11) records a pronounced negative Ce anomaly; and Eu/Eu* = 1.06–1.18 suggests vent-fluid temperatures below ~250 °C. CoDA-PCA shows that Ce is decoupled from the other lanthanides; HCA separates ore from host-rock populations; and factor analysis indicates that Ti–Al–K detrital input diluted ore accumulation. Integrating these results, we interpret Durmuştepe as a proximal volcano-sedimentary hydrothermal-exhalative Fe–Mn system that formed during magmatism in the Maden marginal basin under oxic seawater mixing and contemporaneous detrital sedimentation. The multivariate workflow also provides a reproducible approach for source characterization in similar mixed-origin deposits.