South-central Turkey Research Articles

Reassessing the origins of Near Eastern obsidian vessels: Not as simple as “Central Anatolia”

In the 1960s, Renfrew and colleagues tested an obsidian vessel from Tepe Gawra in northern Iraq. The vessel was attributed to their “Group 1e-f” chemical type, which matched obsidian from the Acıgöl volcanic complex in central Turkey as well as unclear locations in eastern Turkey and Armenia. Renfrew and colleagues favored an attribution of the vessel to Acıgöl, and consequently, an association between obsidian vessels and central Turkey became widely held in the literature. Given the destructive nature of chemical analysis until the 21st century, obsidian vessels and fragments were almost never tested, so there were few chances to overturn or support this association. Furthermore, such vessels have attracted much attention as likely prestige objects. To consider value and meanings derived from a material’s source, however, it is crucial to have the correct identification of its origin. First I consider the available sourcing data for previously studied vessel fragments. Second I report my new source identifications for a vessel with an uncertain provenience in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, fragments from Ur, and the same vessel from Tepe Gawra tested by Renfrew and colleagues. Only the site located in south-central Turkey (Domuztepe) had polished artifact fragments from the obsidian sources of Cappadocia. For Mesopotamian (Tepe Gawra, Ur, Kenan Tepe) and Zagros (Tal-e Malyan) sites, the vessels instead derived from four sources in eastern Turkey: Sarıkamış 2, Nemrut Dağ 2, Bingöl B, and Meydan Dağ. Thus, the association between obsidian vessels and central Turkey must be abandoned, as must narratives based on this association (e.g., exchange between early states or elites in Cappadocia and Mesopotamia).

Coseismic Faulting Model and Post-Seismic Surface Motion of the 2023 Turkey–Syria Earthquake Doublet Revealed by InSAR and GPS Measurements

On 6 February 2023 (UTC), an earthquake doublet, consisting of the Mw 7.8 Pazarcik earthquake and the Mw 7.5 Elbistan earthquake, struck south-central Turkey and northwestern Syria, which was the largest earthquake that occurred in Turkey since the 1939 Erzincan earthquake. The faulting model of this earthquake was estimated based on the coseismic InSAR and GPS displacements. In addition, the best-fitting coseismic faulting model indicates that both the Pazarcik earthquake and the Elbistan earthquake were controlled by predominated left-lateral strike-slip motion, with slip peaks of 9.7 m and 10.8 m, respectively. The Coulomb failure stress (CFS) change suggests that the Pazarcik earthquake has a positive effect in triggering the rupture of the seismogenic fault of the Elbistan earthquake. Furthermore, these two main shocks promoted the occurrence of the Mw 6.3 strong aftershock. Additionally, it is found that the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake doublet increased the rupture risk of the Puturge segment of the EAF fault and the northern segment of the Dead Sea Fault (DSF). It is crucial to note that the northern segment of the DSF has not experienced a large earthquake in several centuries, highlighting the need for heightened attention to the potential seismic hazard of this segment. Finally, a deformation zone adjacent to the DSF was identified, potentially attributed to the motion of a blind submarine fault.

Rapid report of seismic damage to hospitals in the 2023 Turkey earthquake sequences

The seismic performance of medical systems is crucial for the seismic resilience of communities. The report summarizes the observed damage to twelve hospital buildings in the area affected by the MW 7.8 and MW 7.5 earthquakes on February 6, 2023 in Turkey. They include five base-isolated buildings and seven fixed-base buildings in southcentral Turkey's seven most heavily affected provinces. By relating the post-quake occupancy statuses of the hospitals with the estimated seismic demands during the earthquake doublet, the report offers the following observations: (1) the base-isolated hospital buildings on friction pendulum bearings generally exhibited superior performance of achieving the goal of immediate occupancy and provided better protection for nonstructural elements than fixed-base counterparts did; (2) the fixed-base hospital buildings of reinforced concrete structures constructed after 2001 successfully achieved the goal of collapse prevention even under very high seismic demands; (3) some fixed-base hospitals also remained operational even if they were very close to the fault rupture and were subjected to higher-than-design-level earthquake ground motions.

Moment magnitudes of two large Turkish earthquakes on February 6, 2023 from long-period coda

Two large earthquakes (an earthquake doublet) occurred in south-central Turkey on February 6, 2023, causing massive damages and casualties. The magnitudes and the relative sizes of the two mainshocks are essential information for scientific research and public awareness. There are obvious discrepancies among the results that have been reported so far, which may be revised and updated later. Here we applied a novel and reliable long-period coda moment magnitude method to the two large earthquakes. The moment magnitudes (with one standard error) are 7.95±0.013 and 7.86±0.012, respectively, which are larger than all the previous reports. The first mainshock, which matches the largest recorded earthquakes in the Turkish history, is slightly larger than the second one by 0.11±0.035 in magnitude or by 0.04 to 0.18 at 95% confidence level.

Modelling climate change impacts at a drinking water reservoir in Turkey and implications for reservoir management in semi-arid regions.

Climate change can have severe impacts on the water availability in semi-arid regions. In this study, we assessed the impact of climatic changes on water availability in the Altınapa Reservoir Watershed, located in the Konya province, south-central Turkey. Altınapa Reservoir supplies drinking water to Konya, a city of about 2 million population. We investigated possible changes in streamflow and reservoir storage over 2021-2098 under two representative concentration pathway scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) developed based on GFDL-ESM2M, HadGEM2-ES, and MPI-ESM-MR global circulation models. We used a physically based model (SWAT-Soil and Water Assessment Tool) for understanding the hydrologic response of the basin to climatic changes. Results show that upward trends in air temperatures in the range of 0.01-0.04°C/year and 0.005-0.06°C/year are expected from 2021 to 2098 under the RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. According to the HadGEM2-ES model, precipitation and streamflow would show a downward trend at a rate of 0.96mm/year and 0.007 m3/s/year under the RCP4.5 scenario and at a rate of 1.62mm/year and 0.01 m3/s/year under the RCP8.5 scenario, respectively. GFDL-ESM2M and MPI-ESM-MR models project upward trends in precipitation and streamflow under the RCP4.5 scenario (in the range of 0.64-1.28mm/year and 0.0003-0.006 m3/s/year, respectively), and downward trends under the RCP8.5 scenario (in the range of 0.47-0.76mm/year and 0.0015-0.003 m3/s/year, respectively). Reservoir storage is projected to increase slightly according to GFDL-ESM2M model and decrease according to the HadGEM2-ES, and MPI-ESM-MR models under both scenarios. Precipitation, streamflow, and reservoir storage predictions of GFDL-ESM2M and MPI-ESM-MR models are considerably lower than those observed in the basin in recent decades, showing that water resources will decrease in the future. The changes in water withdrawal patterns could cause further reductions in water availability. Good resilience to climate change can be achieved by a flexible water management system and by reducing water consumption and water losses in the watershed and from the reservoirs.

‘I was not aware that I did not know’: developing a sense of place with place-based education

The current research aims to reveal how place-based education (PBE) increases prospective social studies teachers’ awareness of the local community and develops a sense of place in them. We employed the case study model to achieve this purpose. In the first stage of the study, each of the 14 participants studying at a public university located in Konya, a city in south-central Turkey, interviewed 10 people to determine local people’s level of awareness of local historical and cultural elements. In the second stage, the participants developed various projects based on the data obtained from the interviews to increase local people’s awareness of local historical and cultural heritage elements. In the third stage, the participants submitted their projects to relevant stakeholders. We evaluated the data by using the content analysis method. The results of the study showed that PBE applications promoted prospective teachers’ sense of place and social participation skills. Besides, it was determined that these applications contributed to the active learning, communication, research, and historical thinking skills of the participants. The results are discussed with the relevant literature in terms of integrating PBE applications into undergraduate education, and some suggestions are presented.

A School Tablet in the Shape of a Five-Sided Prism in Adana Museum

Abstract In 2002 a 5-sided prism with a handle inscribed with cuneiform was acquired by Adana Museum by means of confiscation, but it is thought to be from Osmaniye-Toprakkale in the Adana province of south-central Turkey. The prism has a grey slip and a handle-like portion on its top with a hole through it, whereby it could have been used as an amulet or at least somehow displayed. The text on the prism consists of the first 54 lines of a basic cuneiform exercise for students, known as “Syllable Alphabet A”. This prism school-tablet, which is written in Babylonian script, is probably to be dated to the first half of the 2nd millennium BC, although a date later in the 2nd millennium cannot be excluded. The article presents the object and its text, considers its possible use-function, as well as raising the question of possible connections with Old Babylonian traders’ networks, such as evidenced at Tilmen Höyük on the other side of the Amanus mountains.

Assessment of the concentrations, distributions, and sources of potentially toxic elements in the soil–water–plant system in the Bolkar mining district, Niğde, south-central Turkey

Assessment of the concentrations, distributions, and sources of potentially toxic elements in the soil–water–plant system in the Bolkar mining district, Niğde, south-central Turkey

Spatial autocorrelation analysis and the social organisation of crop and herd management at Çatalhöyük

AbstractThis article uses spatial autocorrelation analysis in order to explore the social organisation of crop and herd management at the Neolithic site of Çatalhöyük in south-central Turkey. Evidence for spatial clustering across the settlement is sought at different scales (house, neighbourhood, radial wedge, sector, sub-mound) in the different periods of occupation from Early to Late. The data used are sheep carbon and nitrogen isotopes, densities of weed species in archaeobotanical assemblages and the densities of weed species in sheep dung. The results are interpreted in relation to existing work both on crop and herd management and consumption at Çatalhöyük and on the social organisation of the settlement. Complex nested and cross-cutting social groupings shared many aspects of production and consumption activities across the site resulting in limited spatial clustering of values. The impacts of taphonomic factors on these results are considered. Especially by the Late period of occupation at Çatalhöyük, there is some evidence of distinct labour and consumption organisation linked to houses and house groupings.

Pollution and probabilistic human health risk assessment of potentially toxic elements in the soil-water-plant system in the Bolkar mining district, Niğde, south-central Turkey.

Globally, potentially toxic elements (PTEs) are regarded as an important group of pollutants for the wider environment because of their intrinsic toxicity and probable accumulation in the soil-water-plant system. In this regard, this study assessed the pollution levels and probable human health risks of PTEs in the soil-water-plant system in the Bolkar mining district of the Niğde Province in south-central Turkey. Pollution assessment using contamination factor, enrichment factor, index of geoaccumulation, and soil pollution index reveals moderate to extremely high pollution of PTEs in the soil, exposing the soils to extreme toxicity levels. The areas that fall under the toxic to extremely toxic categories are in proximity to the ore slags and agricultural lands towards the central and southern domains of the study area. The water hazard index (WHI) values indicate that 100% of the samples collected in both winter and fall seasons are of extreme toxicity (WHI > 15). Arsenic is the dominant contaminant among the PTEs in the soil and water samples. The bioconcentration factor values of the PTEs in most of the fruit plants are > 1, indicating very high levels of element transfer from the soil and water to the plants. The probabilistic human health risk assessment involved exposure to arsenic in groundwater (a major pathway to humans) since it is the only carcinogenic element in this study. The estimated daily intake of arsenic-contaminated water exceeds the safe limit of 5 × 10-8 mg/kg/day. About 33.3% and 55.6% of the groundwater samples have higher hazard quotient and carcinogenic risk values of arsenic in the winter and fall seasons, respectively. This implies that the people are more exposed to the carcinogenic effects of drinking arsenic-contaminated water.

Evaluation of prenatally diagnosed fetal sacrococcygeal teratomas: A case series of seventeen pregnancies from South-central Turkey.

Objective:To evaluate sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) cases according to associated cardiac, extracardiac, and chromosomal anomalies in the prenatal period, and to review their outcomes.Materials and Methods:Data of pregnancies with a prenatal diagnosis of SCT between 2009 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed.Results:One ongoing pregnancy was excluded. There were five medically terminated cases, three due to severe heart failure and the remaining two due to additional congenital defects. Two infants who had heart failure due to hyperdynamic flow died in the neonatal period. Nine infants are well and alive at the time of writing.Conclusion:When a lesion is detected in the sacrococcygeal region during fetal sonography, the differential diagnosis should be made with an appropriate evaluation with emphasis on a possible diagnosis of fetal SCT. Tumor growth and heart failure should be monitored with serial scans when SCT has been diagnosed prenatally.

Geochemical and Multivariate Statistical Evaluation of Trace Elements in Groundwater of Niğde Municipality, South-Central Turkey: Implications for Arsenic Contamination and Human Health Risks Assessment.

This study was conducted to determine the concentrations of trace elements, their sources, and human health risks associated with arsenic contamination in groundwater of the Niğde Municipality, south-central Turkey. Fourteen groundwater samples were collected from groundwater supply sources fed by the Niğde water distribution system and were analysed for Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, and Ba concentrations. Multivariate statistical analyses were applied to decipher the source and interrelationships among trace elements in groundwater. The groundwater is mainly tapped from Quaternary alluvial and volcanic aquifers of the Niğde Massif. The pH of groundwater is slightly acidic to neutral, which controls the solubility and mobility of the trace elements. The mean concentrations of the trace elements vary in the order Zn > Fe > Ba > As > Cr > Ni > Se > Cu > Co > Mn > Al. All of the trace element concentrations comply with the maximum permissible values provided by the Turkish Standards Institution and the World Health Organization, except Zn, Cr, and As. However, approximately 7.14% of the studied samples are contaminated with Zn and Cr, whereas 86% are contaminated with As. The As concentrations range from 9.47 to 32.9µg/L with an average value of 16.8µg/L. Contamination assessment indicates that the As contamination is dominant in the southern and southwestern parts of the area. The primary source of As in groundwater is attributed to geogenic processes involving weathering and dissolution of bed rocks and other factors, such as pH conditions, adsorption, and surface complexation. Three bimetallic complex associations are distinguished in groundwater: Fe-coordination group, As-coordination group and Ba-coordination group, all showing strong positive correlation with Cu and Ni. The As-coordination group is the most dominant in groundwater, which resulted in the high As content of groundwater. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate that As mobilization in groundwater is associated with pH, EC, Ni, Cu, and Ba depending on the redox conditions of the aquifer, controlled mainly by geogenic processes. The carcinogenic risk of arsenic affecting children and adults reaches 2 × 10-4 and 3 × 10-4, respectively, exceeding the guideline value of 1 × 10-4. The estimated hazard quotient for children is in the range of 1.79-6.21, whereas that of adults is 0.77-2.66, indicating that children in the municipality are more exposed to the noncarcinogenic effects of the consumption of high groundwater arsenic.

Late Cenozoic tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Ulukışla Basin: progressive basin development in south-central Turkey

The Ulukisla Basin is one of the most important late Cretaceous-Cenozoic basins in central Anatolia. The basin is surrounded by the Bolkar Mountains of Tauride Platform in the south, the Nigde Massif of Central Anatolian Crystalline Complex to the north, and the Ecemis Fault Zone and Aladag Mountains in the east. The fact that time interval proposed for the formation of Ulukisla Basin is quite wide and more than one tectonic regime prevailed in the region, have led to various suggestions concerning the evolution of the basin. While the suggestions majorly examine the character of the basin during the late Cretaceous-early Cenozoic, the number of detailed studies on the status of the basin in the late Cenozoic is limited. In this study, we focused on the less-studied late Cenozoic evolution to differentiate the tectonic phases that controlled the development of Ulukisla Basin through structural data, and elaborate the responses of sedimentation and paleogeography during this period through detailed facies analyses. Our findings indicate that the Ulukisla Basin, which started to develop as a supradetachment basin in the late Cretaceous, has continued its extensional development progressively during its Cenozoic history. While the relatively well-studied early Cenozoic sequences represent a marine environment that was rapidly changed shallow- to deep-sea environment and then gained a shallow character by the middle Eocene, sedimentary features and fossil contents of the late Cenozoic units characterize deposition started in a paralic environment changing into a terrestrial environment rapidly, as a result of isolation by the uplifting of surrounding topographies while the basin continues its development under an extensional tectonic regime. However, the extensional basin history surceased in post-middle Eocene and post-middle Miocene, probably caused by the closing processes of the different branches of Neotethys Ocean.

Profile of Clark Spencer Larsen

The Ohio State University biological anthropologist Clark Spencer Larsen has conducted pioneering research on biocultural adaptation that occurred during the last 10,000 years of human evolution. He was among the first to apply multidisciplinary approaches to the study of temporal trends in diet, health, mobility, and interpersonal conflict. Elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in 2016, Larsen was part of a 25-year project at Catalhoyuk, a site in south-central Turkey that was continuously occupied for more than 1,150 years (7100–5950 BC). Larsen’s Inaugural Article (1) synthesizes his team’s bioarchaeological findings. These findings shed light on how early farming affected Catalhoyuk’s Neolithic societies and others, with impacts continuing to the present. Clark Spencer Larsen. Image courtesy of John Nixon (photographer). Larsen grew up in Beatrice, Nebraska. Near this town is the national monument and associated museum for the initial homestead following President Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Homestead Act of 1863. “In my family’s first of many visits to the Homestead National Monument, my parents, Leon and Patricia Larsen, showed me artifacts associated with early pioneer settlement,” Larsen says. “As an 8-year-old, I was enthralled with what I was seeing. Ever since, I have continued to be interested in earlier people, especially those documented and interpreted by archaeologists and paleontologists.” By his early teens, Larsen decided that archaeology was to be his life’s work. Larsen’s mother facilitated a meeting at their home with late archaeologist R. Clark Mallam, who was teaching at the University of Nebraska. He advised Larsen to get fieldwork experience and to apply to Kansas State University (KSU). Larsen followed Mallam’s guidance. Days after graduating from Beatrice Senior High School, Larsen worked on an excavation project at Nebraska’s Fort Atkinson before attending KSU. As a KSU freshman, Larsen took a human osteology course taught by biological …

Evolution of the Palaeotethys in the Eastern Mediterranean: a multi-method approach to unravel the age, provenance and tectonic setting of the Upper Palaeozoic Konya Complex and its Mesozoic cover sequence (south-central Turkey)

ABSTRACTSiliciclastic sediments from the Upper Palaeozoic Konya Complex and its Mesozoic cover were studied by a multi-method approach combining thin-section petrography, bulk-rock geochemistry, mineral chemistry of rutile, and U–Pb geochronology of detrital zircons. Provenance sensitive data of samples from the Upper Palaeozoic Halıcı Formation indicate sediment supply from mainly low- to medium-grade metamorphosed sedimentary rocks of felsic character, while the contribution from volcanic rocks was rare. The detrital zircon record of sediments from the Halıcı Formation documents sediment supply from different sources and excludes a similar provenance. Some samples show great similarities with Palaeozoic sandstones from the cover sequence of the Saharan Metacraton and the Arabian–Nubian Shield, while the other samples indicate a provenance that must be sought in units with a southern Eurasian affinity. The upper limit for sediment deposition in the Halıcı Formation is mostly constrained by Early Palaeozoic zircon populations; however, sediment accumulation in Pennsylvanian–Cisuralian time is more likely, contemporaneously with the Upper Palaeozoic succession on the Karaburun Peninsula (western Turkey). The provenance of sediments from the Upper Triassic Ardıçlı Formation remains enigmatic, but the source should be sought nonetheless in units close to the depositional site. In any case, detrital zircon age spectra and compositional data exclude recycling of underlying rock units (i.e. Halıcı Formation). Overall, our new provenance data reveal great similarities between the Konya Complex and comparable units (Chios, Karaburun) but also highlight distinct differences in terms of sediment composition and provenance.

Comparing pollen and archaeobotanical data for Chalcolithic cereal agriculture at Çatalhöyük, Turkey

Establishing agricultural activity using pollen analysis is one of the prime challenges of a palaeoecological investigation. Here we report combined pollen and archaeobotanical data originating from a waterlogged off-site organic-rich fill radiocarbon dated to ∼8 ka Cal BP located between the two occupation mounds at Neolithic-Chalcolithic Çatalhöyük, south central Turkey in order to investigate the record of Early Chalcolithic agricultural activity. Pollen results indicate extremely high abundances of Cerealia-type pollen (30->70%) and critical measurements of these show them to be Triticum-type, Avena/Triticum-type, Secale-type and Hordeum-type. Pollen data are also compared with archaeobotanical data retrieved from the same sediment matrix and show high abundances of Triticum and Hordeum grains, awns, spikelet forks and glume bases. Archaeobotanical and pollen data are therefore unequivocal in showing the presence of cereals throughout the period of deposition, and although preservation of archaeobotanical cereal plant remains is typically poor, the presence of glume wheats, including emmer/‘New Type’ wheat and domesticated barley, is consistent with cereal data from on-site excavation deposits at Çatalhöyük. Pollen data also include high occurrences of clusters of Cerealia-type, Chenopodiaceae, Poaceae and Asteraceae and point to local deposition that is best explained as the anthers being deposited at the coring site attached to cereal or other herbaceous waste material. Archaeobotanical data in addition to very high percentage values of individual Cerealia-type pollen grains and clusters of Cerealia-type pollen and other non-arboreal pollen types suggest that the margins of the Çatalhöyük site were probably used for early stage crop processing activities as well as a waste site. Although radiocarbon dating of this organic-rich fill suggests that it was deposited over a very short time period (∼300 years) during the Early Chalcolithic, the data highlight the importance of adopting complementary palynological and archaeobotanical approaches in order to better understand the taphonomy of micro and macrofossil deposits associated with archaeological sites. While more distant, regional pollen sites in south-central Anatolia have difficulty registering Neolithic-Chalcolithic cereal cultivation, this study shows that if a pollen core site is located too close to an archaeological site, then pollen assemblages can be overwhelmed and ‘swamped’ by the products of local cereal processing and the inclusion of domestic waste material thus rendering it difficult to elucidate meaningful data on local agricultural activity.

Ground calcium carbonate (GCC) from the Barre de Ghomrassene in Southeast Tunisia: a suitable raw material for paint industry

The main scope of the present work is to investigate the potential of using ground calcium carbonate (GCC) from the Barre de Ghomrassene (BDG) in Southeast Tunisia in paint industry. In order to evaluate the performance of the material and the formulated paint films, representative raw specimens of main deposits of naturel GCCs in the Mediterranean basin and Middle East countries such as extra-white limestone from the Abiod Formation (Feriana region in West-Central Tunisia), Asigedigi Formation (Nigde Group, South Central Turkey), and Samalut Formation (Elminea, South Cairo, Egypt) were considered. Samples were ground to specific surface of about 3000 cm2/g and were subjected to detailed characterization including chemical and mineral composition, physical, and chromaticity characteristics. Results show that the GCC from the lower part of the Barre de Ghomrassene is, in most, dark and grainstone in texture, which limit its use in paint and coating application. Elsewhere, it is marked by high purity degree (generally more than 97% calcite); high lightness (more than 86.5, 95.2 in average) with relatively low chromaticity (a* < 3.3, b* < 9.1); low oil intake (17.4 g/100 GCC); very low electrolyte levels; good pH buffering (close to 9); accepted ranges of density and abrasion (2.65–2.7 and 10–18, respectively); good grindability; low levels of harmful components such as MgO, SiO2, Fe2O3, and acid insoluble residue (less than 0.1% each); and improved rheological properties. The BDG seems to be a suitable filler for paint when mixed with water, styrene acrylic, and common additives. The formulated paint films meet all standard requirements, in that they have very good opacity, matt visual dualgloss 20/60°, high luminescence (L* = 96.4), suitable hardness (145 s), good adhesion (B5), and sufficient impact resistance (1.5 kg m). The performances of these films are analogous to those based on Abiod and Samalut formations (natural carbonate), but they are slightly less lighter than those based on Asigedigi Formation (metamorphic carbonate). Hence, the studied GCC can be used to substitute them in particular for local GCCs from the Abiod Formation, which are limited and over exploited.

Age, Size, and Growth of the Turkish Endemic Frog Pelophylax Caralitanus (Anura: Ranidae).

Pelophylax caralitanus is a medium-sized frog that is endemic to the upland Lake District of south-central Turkey and currently identified as a threatened species as a result of overharvesting and habitat modification. In this report, demographic data are provided for four major lakeside populations of this species based on a skeletochronological analysis of bone growth in large samples of frogs that were captured and released during 2011 and 2013. Adult males (aged 2-9 years) and females (aged 2-10 years) ranged in size from 66 to 105 mm snout-vent length (SVL) and 65 to 110 mm SVL, respectively, and typically attained sexual maturity in their second (low-elevation sites) or third (high-elevation sites) summer of growth following metamorphosis. The four populations exhibited differences in growth rate and age at sexual maturity, which appeared to reflect differences in the average monthly temperature and length of the growth season rather than elevation per se, that is, warmer temperatures and longer growth seasons resulted in smaller adults. All populations had a similar overall age structure, with approximately equal frequencies of individuals in the five age and size classes following maturity. Anat Rec, 301:1224-1234, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Mut Basin, Turkey: Miocene carbonate depositional styles and mixed systems in an icehouse setting

The Mut Basin in southcentral Turkey contains a rich variety of Cenozoic carbonate deposits that developed on a complex pre-Miocene topography and can be studied in seismic-scale, three-dimensional outcrops. These include open and rimmed carbonate shelves with steep slopes, small isolated platforms, and mixed carbonate–siliciclastic systems showing reciprocal sedimentation. The exceptional preservations of the stratal geometries make it possible to easily link large-scale depositional geometry to depositional facies in a variety of platform types and depositional environments. The Mut Basin provides a better understanding of (1) the control of antecedent topography on carbonate platform development, (2) the influence of icehouse conditions (e.g., high-amplitude, high-frequency sea level fluctuations) on the carbonate system, (3) the link between faunal evolution and the style of carbonate platforms and stratigraphic architecture, (4) lateral and reciprocal carbonate and siliciclastic sedimentation, (5) platform asymmetry and local controls on stratal geometries, and (6) the architecture of steep carbonate margin and associated gravitational collapse deposits. These concepts are directly applicable to time-equivalent Cenozoic carbonate reservoir systems in Southeast Asia, the southern Caribbean, and the eastern Mediterranean.

Haplophyllum sahinii (Rutaceae), a new species from Central Anatolia (Turkey)

Haplophyllum sahinii (Rutaceae) is described and illustrated as a new species, growing in the rocky fields near the village of Apasaraycık-Apa (Konya), in Central Anatolia. It is compared with the similar H. vulcanicum from Karadağ (Karaman) in south-central Turkey, from the point of view of plant, pollen and seed morphology. Some morphological characters of leaves, bracts, petals, ovary and capsule appendage are diagnostic in distinguishing the two species. Distribution map, and description of seed and pollen characters of the new species, are also given.