SOURCE-TO-SINK EVOLUTION OF A SUPRADETACHMENT BASIN UNRAVELED BY DETRITAL APATITE FISSION TRACK ANALYSIS: THE GEDIZ GRABEN (MENDERES MASSIF, WESTERN TURKEY)

Abstract

International audienceThe Menderes Massif (Western Turkey) is a Tertiary continental metamorphic core complexexhumed in the upper Oligocene – Miocene time, during the deposition of a series of E-Wtrending basins. Several studies addressed the exhumation history of the massif, but the depositionalhistory of these basins is still poorly defined. Moreover, the full potential of supradetachmentbasins in recording major tectonic events is often unexploited. In this work, weuse the Gediz Graben supradetachment basin as a case study to illustrate the benefits of acomprehensive approach to detrital fission track dating that combines analysis of modern riversediments, analysis of fossil sedimentary successions, and mineral fertility determinations. Thisapproach allowed us i) to reconstruct the modern short-term erosion pattern, ii) to constrainthe long-term exhumation history of the margins of the basin highlighting relevant alongstrikevariations and deciphering the spatial relevance of the main exhumation events, iii) toidentify major exhumation event recorded in the sedimentary sequence of the basin and iv)to constrain the maximum age for the onset of sedimentation in the basin and for the mainsedimentary units. Here we illustrate how to reconcile our detrital apatite fission track datasetwith field evidences in order to build a coherent 4D model for the evolution of this supradetachmentbasin, which is eventually discussed within the framework of the Cenozoic evolutionof the Menderes Massi