Development of evaporites and the counterclockwise rotation of Anatolia, Turkey

In western and central Anatolia, numerous basins developed during Tertiary time. The major basins generally are not connected to one another, and cove r large areas containing substantial sedimentary deposits. These basins inc lude the following: Thrace, Gediz, Buyuk Menderes, Beypazari, Tuz Golu, Ulu kisla, Sivas, Erzincan, Mug, and Adana, as well as others. Two significant differences can clearly be seen in the basin sequences: (1) the age of evap orites-in central Anatolia, evaporites developed during the Oligocene, wher eas in western Anatolia they formed during the late Miocene; and (2) the ch aracter of the deposition-in central Anatolia, Oligocene redbed molasse dep osits are abundant, whereas in western Anatolia they developed in the late Miocene and the beds are thin and not very abundant. Climate is one of the governing: factors of deposition, controlled by elevation and latitude. The refore, the difference in sequences between central and western Anatolia de pends on these two parameters. In this study, paleogeographic latitudes of central and western Anatolia during the Oligocene and post-Oligocene are in vestigated in light of paleomagnetic data and GPS measurements. These studi es reveal that the Anatolian block was subjected to considerable displaceme nt along different latitudes by counterclockwise rotation. The change in cl imate by rotational displacement of central and western Anatolia over time is the main reason for differences in depositional characteristics and ages of the evaporites.