Paleomagnetic dataset: constraints on the timing and distribution of Cenozoic rotations in Central and Eastern Anatolia

To quantitatively reconstruct the kinematic evolution of Central and Eastern Anatolia within the framework of Neotethyan subduction accommodating Africa-Eurasia convergence, we paleomagnetically assess timing and amount of vertical axis rotations across the Ulukisla and Sivas regions. We show paleomagnetic results from ~30 localities identifying a coherent rotation of a block - comprising the southern Kirsehir Block, the Ulukisla basin, the Central and Eastern Taurides, and the southern part of the Sivas basin. This block experienced a ~30° counter-clockwise vertical axis rotation since Oligocene time. Sediments in the northern Sivas region show clockwise rotations. We use the rotation patterns together with known fault zones to argue that the counter-clockwise rotating domain of south-central Turkey was bounded by the Savcili Thrust Zone and Deliler-Tecer Fault Zone in the north and by the African-Arabian trench in the south, the western boundary of which is poorly constrained and requires future study. Our new paleomagnetic constraints provide a key ingredient for future kinematic restorations of the Anatolian tectonic collage.

We combine our extensive new dataset with existing data (Guerer et al., 2018, and references therein) to identify the dimension of rotating domains in Central and Eastern Anatolia, and identify structures that may have accommodated these rotations. Paleomagnetic interpretations and statistical analyses were carried out using the platform independent portal Paleomagnetism.org (Koymans et al., 2016).

Supplement to: Gürer, Derya; van Hinsbergen, Douwe J J; Özkaptan, Murat; Creton, Iverna; Koymans, Mathijs R; Cascella, Antonio; Langereis, Cornelis G (2018): Paleomagnetic constraints on the timing and distribution of Cenozoic rotations in Central and Eastern Anatolia. Solid Earth, 9(2), 295-322