Late Quaternary landscape evolution of the southern Marmara region:paleogeographic implications for settlements, NW Turkey

Abstract

Introduction Northwest Turkey comprises two straits (the Çanakkale-Dardanelles strait and İstanbul-Bosphorus strait) and an inland sea (Sea of Marmara), which form the geographical boundary between Asia and Europe (Figure 1). The area delimited west, south, and east by the cities of Bursa, Kütahya, and Çanakkale, respectively, is known as the southern Marmara region in local descriptions. The morphology of the region is highly irregular due to a combination of active tectonics and different lithologies showing a variety of resistance to erosion (Ardel, 1960; Erol, 1981; Kazancı et al., 2014). Except for some north-south trending features, east-west and northeastsouthwest trending depressions and elongated hills dominate the relief of the area (Erol, 1991). Lithological units mainly consist of Mesozoic and Cenozoic and to a lesser extent Paleozoic rocks. Quaternary units are limited and are associated with tectonic lines (Erol, 1981, 1982; Şaroğlu et al., 1987; Emre et al., 1998) (Figure 2). Relatively significant Pleistocene continental deposits are found in the lower Susurluk Drainage Basin (SDB), close to the Sea of Marmara (Figures 1 and 2). Varying landscapes of northwestern Anatolia and patchy distributions of Quaternary units have been known since the early 20th century from descriptions by many authors (i.e.

The uppermost Pleistocene–Holocene mud drape across the Marmara Sea: Quantification of detrital supply from southern Marmara rivers

“…This can be tested against the measured volume around the Manyas and Uluabat Lakes and in the modern Kocasu Delta and its prodelta. If 14.0-16.8 km 3 of sediment were retained in this area since ~7.0 cal ka, when sea level reached a near-modern elevation, the average sediment thickness over an area of 1350 km 2 would be ~10.4-12.5 m. This range is very reasonable based on what is known about sediment thicknesses in the southern Marmara onshore region (Kazancı et al, 2019).…”

“…The Susurluk Drainage Basin (~23,000 km 2 ) consists of two distinct regions: (a) a rugged upland reaching elevations of >2500 m and drained by tributaries of the Kocasu River, and (b) a lowland depression (~1060 km 2 ) confined on its northern side by Karadağ Mountain and an adjacent prominent line of hills, with a single exit through the Karacabey Gorge (Kazancı et al, 2019) (Fig. 2).…”

“…The Kocasu River draining the Susurluk Drainage Basin (Fig. 2) (Kazancı et al, 2019) accounts for ~80% of the freshwater and ~90% of the suspended-sediment discharge to the Marmara Sea (Aksu et al, 1999). The remainder is almost entirely accounted for by the Biga and Gönen streams which also drain the southern Marmara region (Fig.…”

Disiplinlerarası Çalışmalar Işığında Daskyleion’da Yeni Bulgular

“…Daskyleion'da alınan karot örnekleri Göl'ün daha ilk yerleşim kurulmadan önce Hisartepe yakınlarına kadar sokulduğunu göstermektedir ve Akrodasyleion'un bir yarımada görünümünde olduğuna işaret etmektedir (İlhan vd. 2023;Kazancı vd. 2019).…”