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Middle Miocene deposits exposed at the Tınaz lignite mine, Yatağan Basin, Muğla, southwestern Turkey, were palynologically investigated. The Tınaz lignite mine section belongs to the Eskihisar Formation. The lignite seam at the base of the section represents the uppermost part of the Turgut Member. Above, c. 65 m of clayey siltstone, limestone, and marls represent the Sekköy Member. Nine spores, zygospores and cysts of fungi and algae, seven moss and fern spores, 12 gymnosperm pollen types, and more than 80 angiosperm pollen taxa were recovered from the Tınaz lignite mine section. Three pollen zones were recognized, of which pollen zone 1 corresponds to the formation of the main lignite seam and reflects the change from a fluviatile to a lacustrine depositional setting. Pollen zones 2 and 3 and a transitional zone 2-3 reflect different stages of lake development and a shift in local vegetation from forested (pollen zones 1 and 2) to more open (transitional zone 2-3, zone 3). Interpreting changes in regional vegetation from pollen zones 1 to 3 is not straightforward as changes in the pollen spectra may be affected by changing contributions of airborne and water transported pollen and spores to the observed palynoassemblages. Age inference for the Tınaz lignite mine section has been complicated by the absence of datable ash layers, associated mammal faunas, or marine sediments. However, pollen zone 3 shares key features with the pollen spectrum recovered from the nearby mammal site Yenieskihisar (upper part of Sekköy Member) for which an age of 12.5-11.

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