New data concerning the age of the Aksu Thrust in the south of the Aksu valley, Isparta Angle (SW Turkey): consequences for the Antalya Basin and the Eastern Mediterranean

Abstract

Pliocene sediments in the Aksu valley of the Antalya Neogene basin, located in the central part of the Isparta Angle, are shown to have transgressed a palaeovalley which resulted from deep erosion, probably during a sea‐level lowstand related to the Messinian salinity crisis. The southern part of the Pliocene Aksu Basin exhibits shallow, open‐marine deposits bordered by reefal limestones to the east. The dominant facies are marls and silts, which contain an abundant fauna of molluscs, foraminifera and nannoplankton of Early to Late Pliocene age. The northern part of the basin corresponds to the infill of a canyon (200 m deep) and environs by green marls overlain by massive conglomerates. The marls yielded a microfauna including nannoplankton indicative of a Mid‐Pliocene age (limit N19–N20 and NN15 and NN16). This sequence was affected by strong compression, which resulted in duplication of the succession along several flat thrust faults. Kinematic data indicate a translation towards the west and southwest, related to the regionally important Aksu Thrust. This appears to be contemporaneous with the Levant Fault system and with the thrusting in the Kyrenia Range, north Cyprus. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Developments in research concerning Mesozoic–Tertiary Tethys and neotectonics in the Isparta Angle, SW Turkey

“…The structure in this area near the apex of the Isparta Angle is complicated by westward thrusting of the large Davras Dag carbonate platform over the Antalya allochthon and unconformably overlying Miocene turbidites (Burdigalian flysch). This took place during the Late Miocene Aksu phase (Gutnic et al 1979;Robertson 1993;Poisson et al 2003b).…”

“…Also, important outcrops are now submerged beneath Karg Lake. Poisson et al (2003b) report evidence that in the Aksu Basin (north of Antalya) coarse-grained clastic sediments are thrust-intercalated with fine-grained sediments that contain Middle Pliocene calcareous nannofossils. This implies that the Aksu Phase extended to Mid-Pliocene time rather than ending in the Late Miocene as previously assumed.…”

Reconstructing the sedimentary evolution of the Miocene Aksu Basin based on fan delta development (eastern Mediterranean-Turkey)

“…Because of the rising sea level following the salinity crisis, marine conditions prevailed in the southern part of the Aksu Basin, whereas northern parts remained terrestrial. The Eskiköy Formation is unconformably overlain by the shallow marine (marlsandstone) Yenimahalle Formation during that period (Poisson et al, 2003). These units grade from lacustrine to a fluvial Pliocene Alakilise Formation made up of thick-bedded conglomerates, lacustrine limestones, and siltstones (Poisson et al, 2003).…”

“…Stratigraphic columnar section of the study area (modified from Poisson et al, 2003Poisson et al, , 2011Karabıyıkoğlu et al, 2004;Üner, 2009 Karabıyıkoğlu et al, 2004;Çiner et al, 2008;Üner, 2009 Matrix to clast-supported breccia consisting of fine to coarse-grained, poorly sorted, very angular to subrounded extraclast limestone (Figure 4a). Thin-to very thick-bedded (3-200 cm) tabular units with sharply defined flat bases and tops; occasional normal grading with red mud or carbonate matrix.…”

Sedimentary record of mid-Miocene seismotectonic activity in the Sinop Peninsula, north-central Turkey

“…Little geological documentation exists of the earlier, preHolocene neotectonic activity and its onset in Anatolia (Poisson et al, 2003;Koç Taşgın, 2011;Koç Taşgın et al, 2011), most probably because of the negligible preservation potential of a surface record of older seismotectonic events.…”