Paleoenvironments of the Cappadocia region during the Neogene and Quaternary, central Turkey

Abstract

The Cappadocia region located in the centre of Anatolia is mainly known because of its Neogene and Quaternary volcanism and related geomorphology showing spectacular erosional landscapes. However, in contrast to its relatively well-studied volcanic and geomorphic history, studies on its sedimentary deposits together with its environmental and climatic history are still few. In this study, we outline the paleoenvironments of the Cappadocia region through sedimentological and paleontological data. We interpreted five Neogene and Quaternary depositional environments based on 29 lithofacies described in this study, and mammal and pollen fossil contents described by previous studies in the study area. Three terrestrial packages in these periods mainly represented by fluvial and lacustrine environments were elaborated through facies descriptions. Lithofacies variations in each of these successions indicate deposition in highly dynamic environments. The middle Miocene succession is mostly represented by braided river deposits expressing deposition in a relatively high energetic environment, whereas the late Miocene-Pliocene units similarly indicate a braided river system, but was dominated by lacustrine and floodplain facies intercalated with large amount of volcanic products. Quaternary sediments in the region deposited in similar environments mainly filling the large sedimentary basins bounded by active faults and around the recent riverbeds. As pointed out by palynological data, the northern part of the Cappadocia region was dominated by arboreal taxa during the middle Miocene relative to following periods, and there is a general trend of increase in steppic herbs since the early late Miocene consistent with paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic data collected from the entire Eastern Mediterranean region. Mammal fossil content of the sedimentary and volcanoclastic units in the study area, which are correlative with stratigraphic levels where palynological studies were carried out, also indicates an herb-dominated relatively arid ecosystem since the late Miocene. Faunal data in this time coincide with a dramatic diversification in Anatolia caused by regional tectonics driven by continental collision between the Eurasian and Arabian plates in the east. While the neotectonics and climatic conditions shaped the current landscape of Anatolia mainly during the early-middle Pleistocene, insufficient mammal and pollen data from this time interval still make the early Quaternary evolution of the Cappadocia region a debate. On the other hand, detailed and robustly dated palynological data from the late Pleistocene-Holocene of the region establish a gradual increase of arboreal taxa during the early Holocene, while it is characterized by an increase in steppic herbs in the late Holocene. In addition, as a result of its very rich cultural history, anthropogenic factors should have influenced this environmental change during this period, as evidenced in several locations throughout Anatolia.

When did the drainage system of the Kızılırmak River form in Cappadocia (Anatolia, Turkey)? A revised geological and geomorphological stratigraphy

“…The Kışladağ limestone in the Güzelöz section starts just above the Kızılkaya ignimbrite (Göz et al, 2014;Meijers et al, 2020). The age of the Güzelöz section according to pollen analysis points to 4.5-3 Ma (Yavuz and Toprak, 2010;Gürbüz et al, 2019). Meijers et al (2018Meijers et al ( , 2020 assigned an age of between 4.4 and 3.5 Ma to the Kışladağ limestone in the Güzelöz section.…”

“…Meijers et al (2018Meijers et al ( , 2020 assigned an age of between 4.4 and 3.5 Ma to the Kışladağ limestone in the Güzelöz section. Therefore, the upper age limit of the Kışladağ Limestone Member is ~ 3.5-3 Ma and represents the late Pliocene lacustrine environment in the region (Pasquaré, 1968;Le Pennec et al, 2005;Göz et al, 2014;Gürbüz et al, 2019).…”

Geology and geomorphology of the Cappadocia volcanic Province, Turkey

“…Within these boundaries, the present issue contains several articles concerning two important aspects of the evolution of the geological, geomorphological and biological features that took and still take part in forming and constructing today's Cappadocia. The articles of this special issue concern two broad topics: (1) palaeoenvironments (see papers by Doğan et al 2019;Gürbüz et al 2019;Tuncer et al 2019), and (2) processes and consequences of magmatic activity and their relationships with the evolution of the volcanic landscapes through time and space (see papers by Atici et al 2019;Aydemir et al 2019;Ersoy et al 2019;Kuzucuoğlu et al 2019;Mouralis et al 2019b).…”

“…With a synthetic presentation of geological data from sedimentary deposits and paleontological remains recording past environments and climates in Cappadocia, Gürbüz et al (2019) and Doğan et al (2019) characterize several phases of depositional environments in the region. Their analyses of lithofacies, fossil mammal and pollen contents point to three terrestrial packages recording lacustrine and fluvial, highly dynamic environments.…”

“…While the early Pleistocene environmental evolution remains little known (Gürbüz et al 2019), the geomorphology and geology of this period are studied by Doğan et al (2019). These authors integrate both the sedimentological records of lake/river deposits and their tectonic deformations, documenting a drainage system organized and developed since the beginning of Pleistocene until today.…”