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.