AbstractExtensive tufa deposits covering 600 km2 of the terraced Plio‐Quaternary Antalya coastal plain were deposited from cool karstic spring waters, reaching a total thickness of up to 250 m. The tufa formed within the Aksu Basin, a large N–S‐trending half‐graben bordered by the Taurus Mountains. The tufa is exposed on two main levels: an upper terrace at c. 300 m above sea level (a.s.l.) and a lower terrace at 100–200 m a.s.l. An additional terrace is reported to be submerged offshore at −50 to −100 m below sea level. Tufa deposition was preceded by Late Pliocene regression of a shallow sea. Initial tufa deposition occurred in and around small lakes ponded by N–S extensional fault blocks. The tufa was mainly precipitated in shallow lakes, marshes and sluggish streams, resulting in complex facies associations. Radiometric dating of the lower terrace yielded ages of >600 ka (the maximum resolution of the method). A climatically favourable time for maximum tufa formation was 2.0–1.5 Ma (latest Pliocene), representing a prolonged period of cool, but seasonally variable climate. This favoured carbonate dissolution, aquifer recharge and profuse, uninterrupted spring activity. Basin‐wide tufa deposition ended when the lakes and marshes shrank. Afterwards mid‐Late Quaternary climatic conditions were unsuitable for large‐scale tufa deposition. Pre‐existing tufa was then eroded, dissolved and karstified, while terra rossa soils formed. Gradual tectonic uplift continued during Quaternary time. Glacio‐eustatic sea‐level fluctuations during the mid‐Quaternary, coupled with localized stream erosion, created the second main terrace, backed by irregular cliffs and promontories. The submarine terrace possibly formed in response to Late Quaternary sea‐level fall, followed by post‐glacial submergence and sculpting of coastal cliffs. Relatively small volumes of spring water continued to flow at different levels of the terrace system, depositing high‐energy tufa in waterfalls, cascades and areas of sloping run‐off. This tufa locally forms veneers on escarpments, gorges and cliffs eroded into the pre‐existing sub‐horizontal lacustrine/paludal tufa. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.