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Mammal bearing late Miocene tuffs of the Akkaşdagi region; distribution, age, petrographical and geochemical characteristics

2005; Muséum national d'histoire naturelle; Volume: 27; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

1638-9395

Levent Karadenizli, Gürol Seyítoǧlu, Şevket Şen, Mehmet Cihat Alçiçek, Gerçek Saraç, Nizamettin Kazancı, Nicolas Arnaud,

Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology

The Neogene tuffs of the Akkasdagi region, in the south eastern part of the Cankiri-Corum Basin in the Central Anatolia, yielded one of the richest mammalian faunas of Turkey. the main aim of the present study is to provide data on the distribution, age, petrographical, mineralogical and geo-chemical composition of these tuffs. it is shown that they are primary products of a volcanic process. The Akkasdagi are included in a late Miocene sedimentary sequence and were deposited as pyroclastic flow deposits. The gas escape stuctures ( gas segregation pipes)in tuffs and the abundance of pumice and lithic clasts in the lower parts should be mentionned. the age of the tuffs is determined as late Miocebe (MN 12 zone) based on the rich mammalian fauna and as 7.1±. 0.1 Ma on the basis of radiometric dating. The petrographic investigations indicated that the Akkasdagi tuffs are vitric tuffs. Biotite and lithic clasts occur in a glassy matrix. In addition, they contain feldpar (orthoclase), quartz phenocrysts, oxyyhornblende and pumic clasts. With these properties, the tuffs present all characteristisc of ignimbrites. Geochemical analyses reveal the calc-alkaline nature and rhyolitic composition of these tuffs. These results show that the Akkasdagi tuffs show similaities to those of the Nevsehir Plateau which belong to the Central Anatolian Volcanic Provience. Because these tuffs are pyroclastic flow deposits, it is thought that the source area should area should be close to Akkasdagi. Volcanic activity might have caused the mass death of mammals the remains of which are concentrated in several bone pockets.