Late Quaternary palaeohydrology of the Konya Basin, Turkey, based on isotope studies of modern hydrology and lacustrine carbonates

The Konya plain in south central Anatolia, Turkey, which is now largely dry , was occupied around the time of the Last Glacial Maximum by a fresh-oligo saline lake covering more than 4000 km(2). Sediment cores from three residu al water bodies (Pinarbasi, Akgol and Suleymanhaci) within the larger Pleis tocene lake basin, have been analysed using a multidisciplinary approach. T he sediment sequences are dated as spanning the last >50 Ka years, although breaks in sedimentation mean that there is only partial chronological over lap between them. Carbon and oxygen isotope analyses on lacustrine carbonat e from the three cores give contrasting isotope profiles which reflect the different ages and independent hydrological behaviour of different sub-basi ns through the late Quaternary. Distinguishing changes that are regional fr om local effects is aided by modern isotope hydrology studies and by compar ing the carbonate delta(13)C and delta(18)O values to diatom and other anal yses undertaken on the same cores.