Middle-Late Eocene marine record of the Biga Peninsula, NW Anatolia, Turkey

The Eocene shallow marine deposits marking the first marine incursion in the Biga Peninsula (NW Turkey) after the collision of the Sakarya and Anatolide-Tauride plates were investigated based on paleontological, litho- and chrono-stratigraphic data. Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF) from patchily distributed outcrops were studied in order to i) revise the stratigraphy of Eocene shallow marine units, and ii) establish a modern biostratigraphic setting and a correlation scheme. The Şevketiye Formation (Fm.) is herein defined as a predominantly shallow marine clastic deposit with subordinate carbonates overlying the Çamlıca metamorphic rocks, and passing laterally to the Soğucak Fm., a carbonate unit that is widely represented in the Thrace Basin. The record of alveolinids, primitive developmental stages of heterosteginids, and orthophragminids in the Şevketiye Fm. suggests that this formation is part of the Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ) 16?/17 (Late Lutetian?/Early Bartonian), SBZ17?/18 and SBZ19A (Early Bartonian/earliest Priabonian). The Soğucak Fm., which overlies the Eocene volcanics, on the other hand, yielded advanced developmental stages of heterosteginids, Spiroclypeus sp. and Nummulites fabianii lineages, implying a younger marine incursion during the Late Eocene (earliest Priabonian; SBZ19A). A drastic shift in the depositional regime is marked amid Priabonian by the deposition of deep-marine clastics and volcanoclastics of the Ceylan Fm. In conclusion, the Eocene Sea transgressed first Gökçeada (in the Aegean Sea) during the Late Lutetian, then reached the Biga and Gelibolu peninsulas in the Bartonian, and finally led to the widespread deposition of carbonate and siliciclastic rocks in the Biga Peninsula and the Thrace Basin during the Late Bartonian and Priabonian

Middle-Late Eocene marine record of the Biga Peninsula, NW Anatolia, Turkey

The Eocene shallow marine deposits marking the first marine incursion in the Biga Peninsula (NW Turkey) after the collision of the Sakarya and Anatolide-Tauride plates were investigated based on paleontological, litho- and chrono-stratigraphic data. Larger Benthic Foraminifera (LBF) from patchily distributed outcrops were studied in order to i) revise the stratigraphy of Eocene shallow marine units, and ii) establish a modern biostratigraphic setting and a correlation scheme. The Şevketiye Formation (Fm.) is herein defined as a predominantly shallow marine clastic deposit with subordinate carbonates overlying the Çamlıca metamorphic rocks, and passing laterally to the Soğucak Fm., a carbonate unit that is widely represented in the Thrace Basin. The record of alveolinids, primitive developmental stages of heterosteginids, and orthophragminids in the Şevketiye Fm. suggests that this formation is part of the Shallow Benthic Zones (SBZ) 16?/17 (Late Lutetian?/Early Bartonian), SBZ17?/18 and SBZ19A (Early Bartonian/earliest Priabonian). The Soğucak Fm., which overlies the Eocene volcanics, on the other hand, yielded advanced developmental stages of heterosteginids, Spiroclypeus sp. and Nummulites fabianii lineages, implying a younger marine incursion during the Late Eocene (earliest Priabonian; SBZ19A). A drastic shift in the depositional regime is marked amid Priabonian by the deposition of deep-marine clastics and volcanoclastics of the Ceylan Fm. In conclusion, the Eocene Sea transgressed first Gökçeada (in the Aegean Sea) during the Late Lutetian, then reached the Biga and Gelibolu peninsulas in the Bartonian, and finally led to the widespread deposition of carbonate and siliciclastic rocks in the Biga Peninsula and the Thrace Basin during the Late Bartonian and Priabonian

Imaging of subsurface lineaments in the southwestern part of the Thrace Basin from gravity data

Linear anomalies, as an indicator of the structural features of some geological bodies, are very important for the interpretation of gravity and magnetic data. In this study, an image processing technique known as the Hough transform (HT) algorithm is described for determining invisible boundaries and extensions in gravity anomaly maps. The Hough function implements the Hough transform used to extract straight lines or circles within two-dimensional potential field images. It is defined as image and Hough space. In the Hough domain, this function transforms each nonzero point in the parameter domain to a sinusoid. In the image space, each point in the Hough space is transformed to a straight line or circle. Lineaments are depicted from these straight lines which are transformed in the image domain. An application of the Hough transform to the Bouguer anomaly map of the southwestern part of the Thrace Basin, NW Turkey, shows the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Based on geological data and gravity data, the structural features in the southwestern part of the Thrace Basin are investigated by applying the proposed approach and the Blakely and Simpson method. Lineaments identified by these approaches are generally in good accordance with previously-mapped surface faults

Stratigraphy and tectonic evolution of the Kazdağı Massif (NW Anatolia) based on field studies and radiometric ages

The Kazda Massif was previously considered as the metamorphic basement of the Sakarya Zone, a microcontinental fragment in NW Anatolia. Our new field mapping, geochemical investigations, and radiometric dating lead to a re-evaluation of previous suggested models of the massif. The Kazda metamorphic succession is subdivided into two major units separated by a pronounced unconformity. The lower unit (the Tozlu metaophiolite) is a typical oceanic crust assemblage consisting of ultramafic rocks and cumulate gabbros. It is unconformably overlain by a thick platform sequence of the upper group (the Sarkz unit). The basement ophiolites and overlying platform strata were subjected to a single stage of high-temperature metamorphism under progressive compression during the Alpine orogeny, accompanied by migmatitic metagranite emplacement. Radiometric age data obtained from the Kazda metamorphic succession reveal a wide range of ages. Metagranites of the Kazda metamorphic succession define a U-Pb discordia upper intercept age of ca. 230Ma and a lower intercept age of 24.8 +/- 4.6Ma. This younger age agrees with Pb-207/Pb-206 single-zircon evaporation ages of 28.2 +/- 4.1 to 26 +/- 5.6Ma. Moreover, a lower intercept age of 28 +/- 10Ma from a leucocratic metagranite supports the Alpine ages of the massif within error limits. Reconnaissance detrital zircon ages constrain a wide range of possible transport and deposition ages of the metasediments in the Sarkz unit from ca. 120 to 420Ma. Following high-temperature metamorphism and metagranite emplacement, the Kazda sequence was internally imbricated by Alpine compression, and the lowermost Tozlu ophiolite thrust southward onto the Sarkz unit. Field mapping, internal stratigraphy, and new radiometric age data show that the Sarkz unit is the metamorphic equivalent of the Mesozoic platform succession of the Sakarya Zone. The underlying metaophiolites are remnants of the Palaeo tethys Ocean, which closed during the early Alpine orogeny. After strong deformation attending nappe emplacement, the unmetamorphosed Miocene Evciler and Kavlaklar granites intruded the tectonic packages of the Kazda Massif. During Pleistocene time, the Kazda Massif was elevated by EW trending high-angle normal faults dipping to Edremit Gulf, and attained its present structural and topographic position. Tectonic imbrication, erosion and younger E-W-trending faulting were the main cause of the exhumation of the massif

Basement Types, Lower Eocene Series, Upper Eocene Olistostromes and the Initiation of the Southern Thrace Basin, NW Turkey

The Eocene sequence of the southern Thrace Basin unconformably overlies two types of basement: (1) Slate, limestone and phyllite crop out in small inliers under the Upper Eocene conglomerates and limestones in the Mecidiye region, north of Saros Bay. These low-grade metamorphic rocks form the eastern extension of the Circum-Rhodope Belt of Greece. (2) In the \u15eark\uf6y region south of the Ganos Fault, tectonically elevated basement consisting of serpentinite, metadiabase and Upper Cretaceous blueschists is unconformably overlain by the upper Bartonian to lower Priabonian shallow marine limestones of the So\u11fucak Formation. In some places erosional remnants of an upper Ypresian transgressive sequence (the newly discovered Di\u15fbudak series) underlie the So\u11fucak Limestones. This Di\u15fbudak series starts with sandstone and conglomerate and passes up into sandy limestone, marl and shale. Hydrocarbon exploration wells south of the Ganos Fault have also encountered an ophiolitic m\ue9lange basement under the Di\u15fbudak series and/or under the So\u11fucak Formation. The Ganos Fault forms the boundary between the two basement types. The So\u11fucak Limestone is overlain by an Upper Eocene to Early Oligocene flysch sequence with olistostromes. The clasts in the flysch include the So\u11fucak Limestone, Cretaceous and Palaeocene pelagic limestone, serpentinite, basalt,gabbro, greywacke, quartz-diorite and greenschist. They range in size from sand grains to olistoliths up to one kilometer across. Composite olistoliths consist of pelagic limestone or basalt overlain by the Upper Eocene limestone. The Upper Eocene mass flows were probably formed in an extensional setting and were derived from the south from the flanks of large normal faults related to the opening of the southern Thrace Basin. The Di\u15fbudak series is absent along the observed basement-Eocene contacts, which implies that the main transgression leading to the development of the southern Thrace Basin started in the late Bartonia

Apatite fission-track data for the Miocene Arabia-Eurasia collision

none3noneOkay A.; Zattin M.; Cavazza W.Okay A.; Zattin M.; Cavazza W