Stratigraphy of Upper Cretaceous-Palaeogene sequences in the southern and eastern Menderes Massif (western Turkey)

• Published in: International Journal of Earth Sciences
• Main Authors: Sozbilir, H, Sari, B, Ozkar, I, Toker, V, Ozer, S
• Other Authors: ,, 161924
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2001
• Subjects: Yerbilimleri; Mühendislik ve Teknoloji; YER BİLİMİ; MULTİDİSİPLİNER; Jeoloji Mühendisliği; JEOLOJİ; Temel Bilimler (SCI); Planktonic foraminifera
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12627/21981; https://doi.org/10.1007/s005310000142

The stratigraphy of the uppermost levels of the Menderes Massif is controversial and within its details lie vital constraints to the tectonic evolution of south-western Turkey. Our primary study was carried out in four reference areas along the southern and eastern Menderes Massif. These areas lie in the upper part of the Menderes metamorphic cover and have a clear stratigraphic relationship and contain datable fossils. The first one, in the Akbuk-Milas area, is located south-east of Bafa Lake where the Milas, then Kizilagac; and Kazikli formations are well exposed. There, the Milas formation grades upwards into the Kizilagac formation. The contact between the Kizilagac and the overlying Kazikli formation is not clearly seen but is interpreted as an unconformity. The Milas and Kizilagac formations are also found north of Mugla. in the region of Yatagan and Kavaklidere. In these areas, the Milas formation consists of schists and conformably overlying platform-type, enemy and rudist-bearing marbles. Rudists from the main palaeontological data from which a Santonian-Campanian age is indicated. The Kizilagac formation is characterized by reddish-greyish pelagic marbles with marly-pelitic interlayers and coarsening up debris flow deposits. Pelagic marbles within the formation contain planktonic foraminifera and nanoplankton of late Campanian to late Maastrichtian age. The Kazikli formation is of flysch type and includes carbonate blocks. Planktonic foraminifera of Middle Palaeocene age are present in carbonate lenses within the formation. In the Serinhisar-Tavas area, Mesozoic platform-type marbles (Yilanli formation) belonging to the cover series of the Menderes Massif exhibit an imbricated internal structure. Two rudist levels can be distinguished in the uppermost part of the formation: the first indicates a middle-late Cenomanian age and the upper one is Santonian to Campanian in age. These marbles are unconformably covered by the Palaeocene-Early Eocene Zeybekolentepe formation with polygenetic breccias. In the ...