Temporal and Spatial Variations in Rock Uplift From River‐Profile Inversions at the Central Anatolian Plateau Southern Margin

Simone Racano,Taylor F. Schildgen,Scott R. Miller,Domenico Cosentino

doi:10.1029/2020jf006027

Abstract

AbstractIn geodynamically active areas, spatio‐temporal variations in rock uplift can provide key insights into the processes responsible for the evolution of topography. The Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP) southern margin experienced a rapid rock‐uplift pulse with maximum rates of 3.5 m/kyr during the Quaternary, based on marine sediments dated to the middle Pleistocene that are now located at 1,500 m.a.s.l. Fluvial landscapes record elements that reflect temporal and spatial variations in rock‐uplift rates, such as the normalized river steepness index, which is affected by rock‐uplift rate, the erodibility of the underlying rock, and climate. Following the calibration of river profiles for an erosion coefficient value, which can be done using independent data (in our case, uplifted marine terraces and dated marine sediments), river profiles can be inverted for the rock‐uplift histories that created them. Here, we demonstrate how it is possible to define the spatio‐temporal rock‐uplift history of the CAP southern margin by quantitative analysis of river profiles.

Highlights

IntroductionHigh-elevation, low relief plateaus, such as the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau and the Altiplano-Puna Plateau, represent singular topographic features on the Earth surface that are often considered responsible for both local and global climate changes (Ehlers & Poulsen, 2009; Gregory-Wodzicki, 2000; Harris, 2006; Hartley, 2003; Lenters & Cook, 1997; Molnar et al, 1993; Ruddiman & Kutzbach, 1989; Strecker et al, 2007; Zhisheng et al, 2001)
The Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP) southern margin experienced a rapid rock-uplift pulse with maximum rates of 3.5 m/kyr during the Quaternary, based on marine sediments dated to the middle Pleistocene that are located at 1,500 m.a.s.l
Modeling the evolution of interpreted marine terraces along the CAP southern margin indicates the middle Pleistocene rock-uplift pulse occurred during MIS7 (210–240 ka), with maximum uplift rates estimated at 3.4–3.8 m/kyr (Racano et al, 2020)

Summary

Introduction

High-elevation, low relief plateaus, such as the Himalayan-Tibetan Plateau and the Altiplano-Puna Plateau, represent singular topographic features on the Earth surface that are often considered responsible for both local and global climate changes (Ehlers & Poulsen, 2009; Gregory-Wodzicki, 2000; Harris, 2006; Hartley, 2003; Lenters & Cook, 1997; Molnar et al, 1993; Ruddiman & Kutzbach, 1989; Strecker et al, 2007; Zhisheng et al, 2001). 11 and 5 Ma was interpreted to indicate late Miocene surface uplift of the CAP southern margin (Meijers et al, 2018). Schildgen, Cosentino, Bookhagen, et al (2012) used uplifted marine sediments and qualitative river-profile analysis to suggest two main rock-uplift phases at the southern margin: An initial slower phase starting after ca. 1.6 Ma. Stratigraphic analysis has been used to refine the timing of these two main rock-uplift phases, the first at the end of the Miocene (5.45–5.33 Ma, Radeff et al, 2017), and the second during the middle Pleistocene (after 0.467 Ma, Öğretmen, Cipollari, et al, 2018). Modeling the evolution of interpreted marine terraces along the CAP southern margin indicates the middle Pleistocene rock-uplift pulse occurred during MIS7 (210–240 ka), with maximum uplift rates estimated at 3.4–3.8 m/kyr (Racano et al, 2020)

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Discussion

Conclusion