Late Palaeozoic-Cenozoic tectonic development of carbonate platform, margin and oceanic units in the Eastern Taurides, Turkey

Continental margin-type, ophiolitic and melange units are exposed throughout central eastern Turkey (e.g. Gurun, Hekimhan and Pinarbasi areas). These restore as a north-verging Triassic- rifted continental margin that underwent Jurassic-Early Cretaceous passive margin subsidence. Chemically 'enriched' basaltic lavas of seamount type are interbedded with and overlain by Middle Jurassic-Early Cretaceous ribbon cherts. Ophiolitic rocks (e.g. Pinarbasi, Daglica, Kuluncak, Hekimhan, Divrigi) formed by spreading above a Late Cretaceous northwards-dipping intra-oceanic subduction zone. Emplacement of continental margin units, melanges and ophiolites onto the East Tauride platform was driven by trench-margin collision during latest Cretaceous. The northern part of the East Tauride neritic carbonate platform detached and overthrust the continent to the south (Malatya Metamorphics) which was deeply underthrust, metamorphosed at least to greenschist facies and exhumed by latest Cretaceous. Collision-related Mid-Eocene southwards thrusting strongly affected the western part of the region (e. g. Pinarbasi), whereas areas further east (e.g. Darende, Hekimhan, Divrigi, Sivas) mainly experienced folding. Taking account of the regional tectonic setting, we infer that the Gurun platform, with its distinctive unbroken up to Lutetian-aged succession, represents a small exotic terrane that was translated from a relatively southerly (`internal') part of the Tauride platform (Geyik Dag.), related to strike-slip displacement (syn/post-Eocene to pre-Pliocene).