Sedimentological and Geochemical Records of Lower Cretaceous Carbonate Successions Around Trabzon (NE Turkey): Implications for Paleoenvironmental Evolution and Paleoclimatological Conditions of Tethys

Abstract

Upper Jurassic–lower Cretaceous carbonates (Berdiga Fm.) are widely exposed in the NE Turkey. An integrated study of sedimentological and geochemical analysis was carried out on the lower Cretaceous carbonates of Berdiga Fm. in Trabzon area in order to reveal the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatological conditions of northern Tethyan Ocean. Three microfacies types were identified corresponding to inner to slope environments. Inner platform environment developed during the Hauterivian–Aptian interval. End of the Aptian, syn-sedimentary extensional tectonic regime might probably have caused the progressive deepening of the environment, so the inner platform environment evolved into an outer platform and then into slope during the late Aptian–Albian time. Additionally, δ18O stable isotope values of the belemnites of studied section indicate that paleotemperature ranged between 25 and 26 °C during Aptian–Albian interval. Therefore warm Cretaceous climate conditions were recorded in the Eastern Pontides.