The most widespread blocks within the North Anatolian ophiolitic mélange of central Anatolia (Turkey) are ophiolitic fragments, Jurassic-Cretaceous carbonate blocks and pillow basalts. The blocks of pillow basalts have an immobile trace-element geochemistry that is characteristic of ocean-island alkali basalts. An N-MORB-normalized spider diagram shows a distinctive enrichment of most incompatible trace elements and exhibits a far greater range of absolute abundances than N-MORB. Selected incompatible-element contents and ratios of basalts show high Ba/Nb (~8),low Zr/Nb(~5)and low La/Nb(~0.5)relative to N-MORB. The presence of thin-shelled \"Protoglobigerina\" and Cadosina associated with miliolids and epistominid foraminifers indicates that the age of the pink biomicritic carbonates deposited between the pillow basalt lobes is within the Callovian-Hauterivian interval. Collectively, these results support the presence of a seamount on the Neotethyan oceanic crust and prove the presence of an older oceanic crust along the northern branch of Neotethys.

The most widespread blocks within the North Anatolian ophiolitic mélange of central Anatolia (Turkey) are ophiolitic fragments, Jurassic-Cretaceous carbonate blocks and pillow basalts. The blocks of pillow basalts have an immobile trace-element geochemistry that is characteristic of ocean-island alkali basalts. An N-MORB-normalized spider diagram shows a distinctive enrichment of most incompatible trace elements and exhibits a far greater range of absolute abundances than N-MORB. Selected incompatible-element contents and ratios of basalts show high Ba/Nb (~8),low Zr/Nb(~5)and low La/Nb(~0.5)relative to N-MORB. The presence of thin-shelled \"Protoglobigerina\" and Cadosina associated with miliolids and epistominid foraminifers indicates that the age of the pink biomicritic carbonates deposited between the pillow basalt lobes is within the Callovian-Hauterivian interval. Collectively, these results support the presence of a seamount on the Neotethyan oceanic crust and prove the presence of an older oceanic crust along the northern branch of Neotethys.