Braided river deposits related to progressive Miocene surface uplift in Kahraman Maraş area, SE Turkey

Oligocene–Miocene basin evolution in SE Anatolia, Turkey: constraints on the closure of the eastern Tethys gateway

“…Sedimentation resumed during the Aquitanian to Burdigalian (Early Miocene) with deposition of conglomerates and mudstones. In the Kahramanmaraş area, Derman & Atalik (1993) and Derman (1999) assigned a lower Miocene age to the about 1 km thick series of fluvial deposits, which precede the thick flysch deposits. We, however, have no age constraints on the fluvial deposits and can therefore not confirm an Early Miocene age.…”

“…2). This basin was also called the Lice trough (Dewey et al 1986;Karig & Kozlu 1990;Derman & Atalik 1993;Derman 1999). Eocene deposits in the Kahramanmaraş area are part of the Arabian Platform (Robertson et al 2004).…”

“…We interpret the whole section as a characteristic foreland basin flysch succession (as Dewey 1986;Karig & Kozlu 1990;Derman & Atalik 1993;Derman 1999). Assuming the Road and Avcılar sections were sampled with no overlap, the maximum thickness is about 6.1 km, but assuming an overlap of up to 1 km, the maximum thickness is about 5.1 km.…”

“…Our new results of the Kahramanmaraş basin can be compared to previously published data from the Hatay (around Antakya) and Lice regions (see Figs 2 & 9), which have been interpreted as foreland basins related to southward thrusting of the Taurus allochton over the Arabian continental margin belonging to an East-West elongated foreland basin overlying the Arabian promontory (e.g Perinçek 1979; Karig & Kozlu 1990;Derman and Atalik 1993;Derman 1999;Robertson 2004). …”

Comment on “Late Cenozoic reorganization of the Arabia‐Eurasia collision and the comparison of short‐term and long‐term deformation rates” by M. Allen, J. Jackson, and R. Walker

“…Regarding individual examples, the claim by Allen et al [2004] that no uplift has occurred in the core of the Greater Caucasus since 12 Ma is at odds with the local reported presence, at ∼3500 m above sea level on ∼4000 m high mountains, of marine sediment of Late Sarmatian (∼10 Ma) age [ Budagov , 1964], as previously noted [ Mitchell and Westaway , 1999]. Their claim that no uplift occurred in SE Turkey before 12 Ma is at odds with abundant local evidence that this region adjusted during the middle Miocene from being submerged to subaerial [e.g., Westaway and Arger , 1996; Derman , 1999; Arger et al , 2000]. Their claim that no uplift has occurred in Turkey (except SE Turkey) since 12 Ma is also at odds with the abundant evidence of Quaternary uplift throughout most of Turkey from river terrace staircases.…”