Braided river deposits related to progressive Miocene surface uplift in Kahraman Maraş area, SE Turkey

Abstract

A very thick sequence of braided river deposits accumulated during the Miocene to the east and south of Ahir Dagi near Kahraman Maras, SE Turkey. The area was a narrow marine trough during the Early Miocene which was filled by a prograding delta sequence that subsequently became an area of alluvial fan deposition. The basal alluvial fan sediments are dominated by mudflow and stream flow redbeds, interbedded with basalt flows. This sequence passes up into very thick braided stream deposits that dominated the area during the Middle Miocene. During this period, a marine basin existed directly to the west of the area, but the river system apparently was diverted through intervening low-lying areas to enter this basin not from the east, but rather from the southwest side of Ahir Dagi. Stratigraphic relations indicate that, prior to the Early Langhian, both eastern and western areas formed parts of the same large basin. Ahir Dagi became a topographic high during the Langhian, obstructing the river course and separating this fluvial system from the basinal areas. Differences between the stratigraphic sections of Beydemirli and Fatmausagi demonstrate the presence of a topographic barrier between the depositional site of the braided stream deposits and the site of marine deposition to the east of the Ahir Dagi. The uplift of Ahir Dagi high probably resulted from Early–Middle Miocene compression and thrusting which is demonstrated throughout this region. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.