From Tethys to Eastern Paratethys: Oligocene depositional environments, paleoecology and paleobiogeography of the Thrace Basin (NW Turkey)

Abstract

The Oligocene depositional history of the Thrace Basin documents a unique paleogeographic position at a junction between the Western Tethys and the Eastern Paratethys. As part of the Tethys, shallow marine carbonate platforms prevailed during the Eocene. Subsequently, a three-staged process of isolation started with the Oligocene. During the Early Rupelian, the Thrace Basin was still part of the Western Tethys, indicated by typical Western Tethyan marine assemblages. The isolation from the Tethys during the Early Oligocene is reflected by oolite formation and endemic Eastern Paratethyan faunas of the Solenovian stage. The third phase reflects an increasing continentalisation of the Thrace Basin with widespread coastal swamps during the Late Solenovian. The mollusc assemblages are predominated by mangrove dwelling taxa and the mangrove plant Avicennia is recorded in the pollen spectra. The final continentalisation is indicated by the replacement of the coastal swamps by pure freshwater swamps and fluvial plains during the Late Oligocene (mammal zone MP 26). This paleogeographic affiliation of the Thrace Basin with the Eastern Paratethys after *32 Ma contrasts all currently used reconstructions which treat the basin as embayment of the Eastern Mediterranean basin.

Spatial distribution of climatic conditions from the Middle Eocene to Late Miocene based on palynoflora in Central, Eastern and Western Anatolia

“…Furthermore, palynofloras of Çanakkale-Şevketiye (Danişment Formation), Çanakkale-Kuzu harbor, Ispartaİncesu, Erzurum/Çirişlitepe-Muş/Keledeşdere, Ebulbahar, İstanbul-Şile, Çorum-Osmanoğlu and Milas-Kultak have used palaeovegetational and palaeoclimatic interpretations of the early Oligocene (Akgün, 2002;Akgün et al, 2013;Akkiraz, Akgün, & Örçen, 2011;Akyol, 1971;Alişan & Gerhard, 1987;Batı & Sancay, 2007;Gündoğan et al, 2005;İslamoğlu et al, 2010;Kayseri, 2010;Kayseri-Özer, 2011;Kayseri et al, 2006;Sancay, 2005;Sancay et al, 2006).…”

Oligocene bivalve faunas from the Silesian Nappe, Polish Outer Carpathians: evidence for the early history of the Paratethys

“…Based on the col lec tions stored in the Borissiak Paleontological In sti tute RAS and rel e vant lit er a ture (Merklin, 1961(Merklin, , 1974Nossovsky, 1962;Veselov and Sheremeta, 1964;Rusu, 1977Rusu, , 1999Kojumdgieva and Sapundgieva, 1981;Popov and Titova, 1982;Báldi, 1984Báldi, , 1986Kazakhashvili, 1984;Voronina and Popov, 1984;Popov et al, 1985Popov et al, , 1993bRusu et al, 1996;Schultz, 2003Schultz, , 2005éslamoÈlu et al, 2010), data on the stratigraphic range and palaeogeographic dis tri bu tion of each taxon iden ti fied are briefly pre sented be low.…”

“…In fact, a great dif ference in spe cies com po si tion be tween fau nas of par tic u lar basins is ob served. Up to the ear li est Oligocene (as signed to NP22 Zone), the mol lus can fauna pop u lat ing the Transylvanian and Thracian bas ins as well as these liv ing in the area of a present-day Ar me nia show a clearly West ern Tethyan af fil i a tion (Moisescu, 1972;Rusu, 1977;Voronina and Popov, 1984;éslamoÈlu et al, 2010). On the other hand, a bo real char ac ter is ob vi ous for the ear li est Oligocene as sem blages in hab it ing the North Al pine, Hun gar ian Paleogene and Carpathian Flysch bas ins (Báldi, 1986;Löffler, 1999;Studencka et al, 1999;Popov et al, 2002Popov et al, , 2009aPopov et al, , 2009b; our study).…”

“…Cor re spond ing fau nas are well-known from the Solenovian depos its from Ukraine and as far east as Kazakhstan in the Euxino-Cas pian area Popov, 1984, 1985;Popov et al, 1985Popov et al, , 1993bPopov et al, , 2002. The ap pear ance of bi valves be longing to highly en demic gen era such as Korobkoviella Merklin, Janschinella Merklin, Lenticorbula Merklin and Ergenica G. Popov, Urbnisia Goncharova in both the Transylvanian and Thracian bas ins co in cides with the in com ing of the for merly boreal spe cies Nucula compta Goldfuss, Saccella westendorpi (Nyst), Parvicardium scobinula (Merian in Deshayes) and Peronidia nysti (Desha yes) (Rusu, 1977(Rusu, , 1988Kojumdgieva and Sapundgieva, 1981;éslamoÈlu et al, 2010). These lat ter spe cies are al ready en coun tered in the low er most Oligocene strata (NP22 Zone) of the Exine-Cas pian area of the North ern Peri-Tethys (Popov et al, 1993b).…”

Kalkım-Gönen Havzasındaki Kömürlü Tortulların Paleoekolojik Özellikleri, Kuzeybatı Anadolu

“…Polen yüzdelerindeki değişim üç farklı yersel polen zonunu göstermektedir (Ü-1/3). Suc, 1984, Jiménez-Moreno et al 2005 (İslamoğlu et al, 2010;Akgün et al, 2013). In addition, these coaly deposits were thought to be only in the region of Thrace.…”