Latest Miocene and Pleistocene ages of faulting, determined by 40Ar/39Ar single‐crystal dating of airfall tuff and silicic extrusives of the Erciyes Basin, central Turkey: evidence for intraplate deformation related to the tectonic escape of Anatolia

Abstract

AbstractThe Ericiyes Basin is a trans‐tensional basin situated 20 km north of the regional Ecemiş Fault Zone. Recently it has been hypothesized that faulting within the Erciyes Basin links with the Ecemiş Fault Zone further south as part of a regional Central Anatolian Fault Zone. New 40Ar/39Ar dating of volcanic and volcaniclastic rocks adjacent to faults, both along the margins and in the centre of the Erciyes Basin, constrains the timing of basin inception and later faulting. Extensional faulting occurred along the eastern and western margins of the basin during the Early Messinian (latest Miocene). Sinistral and minor normal faulting were active along the axis of the basin during the early Pleistocene. These fault timings are similar to those inferred for the Ecemiş Fault Zone further south, and support the hypothesis that faulting within the Erciyes Basin and the Ecemiş Fault Zone are indeed linked.