Tectono-stratigraphical evolution of the Çankırı Basin (Central Anatolia, Turkey)

Abstract

The Izmir-Ankara-Erzincan Suture Zone (IAESZ) demarcates the former position of the northern Neotethys ocean. Along the IAESZ, the Rhodope-Pontide fragments and Taurides collided and amalgamated in the Early Tertiary, leaving behind a number of basins with a thick in-fill that was accumulated during the subduction and collision processes. The Çankırı Basin is one of the largest of such Tertiary basins in Turkey and is located within the IAESZ. It is a unique area to study the subduction and collisionary processes and post-collisional history of central Anatolia, owing to a nearly complete sedimentary record from Late Cretaceous to Recent. This thesis presents an integrated stUdy concerning the Late Cretaceous to Recent tectono-stratigraphical evolution of the Çankırı Basin using stratigraphical studies, structural geology, kinematic analysis, paleomagnetic studies, 3D modeling, seismic interpretation and gravimetric analysis.