Identification of ore extraction and metal working in ancient times: a case study of Sagalassos (SW Turkey)

The extensive territory of the ancient (Hellenistic to Byzantine) city of Sagalassos (SW Turkey) offered a rich variety in natural mineral resources. The frequent occurrence of iron slag in the excavations at the site proved the local working of metal. A geochemical prospection campaign was done in the territory of the ancient city in order to identify or discard the city and its territory as a self-sustaining metallurgical centre. Secondly, the geochemical impact of ancient metallurgy was investigated. Geochemical anomalies identified in stream sediments are explained by the presence of mineralised deposits and ancient metal working. Mg, Cr, Co and Ni anomalies point to chromite and chrysotile-magnetite deposits related to the basic rocks of the Lycian nappes in the area. Fe, V and Ti anomalies indicate the presence of iron mineralisations, which have been worked for iron production in ancient times. Finally, the association of P, Cu, Pb, Mn, As and Ag anomalies are an indicator of human activity at archaeological sites. Within the framework of this geochemical prospection, a metal working site apart from the city of Sagalassos was identified. Here, ore was both extracted and processed to workable iron.     

The identification of an active fault by a multidisciplinary study at the archaeological site of Sagalassos (SW Turkey)

The archaeological site of Sagalassos (SW Turkey) is located in a region characterized by the absence of any significant recent seismic activity, contrary to adjacent regions. However, the assessment of earthquake-related damage at the site suggests that the earthquakes that have been demonstrated to have struck this Pisidian city in ca. AD 500 and in the middle or second half of the 7th century AD are characterized by an MSK intensity of at least VIII and occurred on a fault very close to the city. Different investigation techniques (archaeoseismology, remote sensing and geomorphology, surface geology and structural data, 2D resistivity imaging and palaeoseismological trenching) have been applied at the archaeological site and its direct surroundings in search for the causative fault of these earthquakes. This multidisciplinary approach shows that each of the different approaches independently provides only partial, non-conclusive information with respect to the fault identification. Integration is imperative to give a conclusive answer in the search for the causative fault. This study has, indeed, revealed the existence of a to date unknown active normal fault system passing underneath ancient Sagalassos, i.e. the Sagalassos fault. A historical coseismic surface rupture event on this fault could be identified. This event possibly corresponds to the devastating Sagalassos earthquakes of ca. AD 500 and the middle or second half of the 7th century AD. Finally, this study demonstrates that in the particular geodynamic setting of SW Turkey archaeological sites with extensive earthquake-related damage form an important tool in any attempt to asses the seismic hazard.     

Deterioration of the volcanic kerb and pavement stones in a humid environment in the city centre of Izmir, Turkey

?zmir is the third largest city in Turkey and has being the centre of art, culture, tourism and trade activities throughout the 5,000 years of its history. Natural stones brought from different parts of the world have been widely used for construction of the prestigious buildings, monuments and roads etc., in the past in the city. Renovation of the street pavements and public gathering areas in the city centre has been undertaken by the Metropolitan Municipality in 2000 and continued through the year of 2001. These renovation activities have mainly been carried out in the streets running parallel to the sea shore. Volcanic rocks brought from the Central Anatolia Ankara-Gölba?? (andesites) and Kayseri-?ncesu (tuffs) have been used in the renovation works. These rocks have shown extensive deteriorations within 4 years of their usage between 2001 and 2005 under the influence of different environmental factors. In this study, the deteriorations developed in the recently placed volcanic rocks used as kerb and pavement stones in the city centre of ?zmir in the light of their mineralogical, chemical, physical and mechanical properties, used locations and the environmental factors are presented.     

Palaeoseismicity of the Dinar fault, SW Turkey

The NW–SE-trending Dinar fault is an active normal fault upon which the 1 October 1995 earthquake ( M  = 6.1) occurred. The 1995 earthquake resulted in a c. 10-km-long surface rupture with the south side down-thrown by 50 cm. Investigations of two trench sites perpendicular to the 1995 rupture suggest at least two prior large earthquakes in historical times. Radiocarbon dates and historical records constrain the age of events between 1500 bc and ad 53, event 2 possibly coinciding with the earthquake that damaged Dinar (the ancient city of Apamea Kibotos) in c. 80 bc and event 1 around 1500 bc. Surface displacements determined for events 1 and 2, compared to the 1995 surface faulting, indicate that M > 6.8 earthquakes were associated with each rupture. Using the total displacement in trenches, a slip rate of about 1 mm yr⁻¹ can be estimated for the Dinar fault. Observations suggest that the return period for large earthquakes in the Dinar area is about 1500–2000 years.     

Delineation of shallow resistivity structure in the city of Burdur,SW Turkey by vertical electrical sounding measurements

The city of Burdur, which is built on an alluvium aquifer, is located in one of the most seismically active zones in southwestern Turkey. The soil properties in the study site are characterized by unconsolidated and water-saturated sediments including silty, clayey and sandy units, and shallow groundwater level is the other characteristic of the site. Thus, the city is under soil liquefaction risk during a large earthquake. A resistivity survey including 189 vertical electrical sounding (VES) measurements was carried out in 2000 as part of a multi-disciplinary project aiming to investigate settlement properties in Burdur city and its vicinity. In the present study, the VES data acquired by using a Schlumberger array were re-processed with 1D and 2D inversion techniques to determine liquefaction potential in the study site. The results of some 1D interpretations were compared to the data from several wells drilled during the project. Also, the groundwater level map that was previously obtained by hydrological studies was extended toward north by using the resistivity data. 2D least-squares inversions were performed along nine VES profiles. This provided very useful information on vertical and horizontal extends of geologic units and water content in the subsurface. The study area is characterized by low resistivity distribution (<150 Ωm) originating from high fluid content in the subsurface. Lower resistivity (3–30 Ωm) is associated with the Quaternary and the Tertiary lacustrine sediments while relatively high resistivity (40–150 Ωm) is related to the Quaternary alluvial cone deposits. This study has also shown that the resistivity measurements are useful in the estimation of liquefaction risk in a site by providing information on the groundwater level and the fluid content in the subsurface. Based on this, we obtained a liquefaction hazard map for the study area. The liquefaction potential was classified by considering the resistivity distributions from 2D inversion of the VES profiles, the types of the sediments and the extended groundwater level map. According to this map, the study area was characterized by high liquefaction hazard risk.     

Beachrock as evidence of sea-level lowstand during the classical period,Parion antique city,Marmara Sea,Turkey

Results obtained from beachrock lying on the north coast of the antique city of Parion in Çanakkale province, NW Turkey, are presented based on field data, petrographic analyses, cement fabrics, and radiocarbon dating. Extending to 20?m offshore at a depth of ?2?m, the studied 50-cm thick beachrock is poorly sorted lithic sandstone. Both exposed and submerged parts are characterized by sequentially precipitated marine phreatic and vadose cements composed of micrite encrustations with micro-organism borings, pseudopeloidal aggregates of high-Mg calcites with scalenohedral habits and meniscus bridges. Radiocarbon ages point to a deposition during the classical period when the sea level was below (between ?1 and ?1.5?m) that of the present. The beachrock witnesses a granule- and pebble-dominated wide beach prior to cementation, suggesting that Parion’s fortification walls were behind the coastline during this lowstand and raises questions concerning the existence of a harbor north of the city.     

Hummocky moraines in the Namaras and Susam Valleys,Central Taurids,SW Turkey

Late Quaternary glacial features have been found in the Central Taurid Mountains, in U-shaped valleys located at an altitude of more than 2000 m and surrounded by mountain ranges reaching 2850 m. No present day active glaciers exist in this area where the snowline elevation lies at about 3500 m. The Namaras Valley and its tributary Susam Valley are characterized by coarse loose material forming chaotic knob-and-kettle topography. Mounds, 1–10 m high and 10–30 m wide, are separated by 5–30 m wide, several meters deep, irregular depressions. The upper surfaces of the mounds are covered by angular to subangular limestone pebbles and blocks and internal sediments show a typical diamicton appearance with pebbles suspended in a muddy to sandy matrix. These chaotic structures are interpreted as hummocky disintegration moraines from former active glaciers. Successive cross-valley morainic ridges, up to 200 m high and several hundreds of meters long, limit the down-valley extension of these hummocks, and are interpreted as ice-marginal moraines. In the tributary Susam Valley, part of the coarse loose material forms a 200–250 m long and 90–120 m wide tongue-shaped structure with successive arcuate ridges and furrows at its down-valley reach. This structure, which is connected upward to a talus slope and perched cirque, ressembles the morphology of a periglacial rockglacier but is interpreted as the disintegration moraine controlled by small periodic retreat and readvance of the last active ice-front in this region.     

Geoarchaeological investigations of the “potters' quarter” at Sagalassos,southwest Turkey

The potters' quarter of the ancient city of Sagalassos, southwest Turkey, was one of the largest and most enduring ceramic‐producing manufactories in the eastern Mediterranean. The objective of our study was to determine environmental circumstances that favored development of different clay resources in the territory of Sagalassos and to assess utilization of these resources in the local pottery manufactory. The potters' quarter was established where, owing to favorable geological circumstances, a large clay body had developed. The bedrock in the potters' quarter, a tectonized ophiolite sequence, has synclinal structure; hence, surface runoff and groundwater tend to accumulate in its center. The weathering of the basic rock formed a smectite‐rich clay with vertic properties. This clay was mined in antiquity, and mineralogical and chemical analyses indicate that it was used for the production of local ceramics from Hellenistic to Byzantine times. It is likely that colluvium on top of the ophiolitic clay at the potters' quarter is related to deforestation and slope processes after the potters' quarter was abandoned. In sum, environmental circumstances determined the location of the artisanal quarter of Sagalassos, with its clay quarrying operation and ceramic manufactory. However, for the local mass‐produced Sagalassos red slip ware, the results of our chemical and mineralogical analyses indicate that a different, more suitable clay was used: detrital lake sediments, rich in chlorite and chlorite/smectite mixed layers, located about 8 km from the original artisanal quarter. The choice for this clay was determined both by the presence of a suitable clay deposit, as well as socio‐economic circumstances such as land ownership. The site of Sagalassos yielded unique evidence of mining of clay at a ceramic production site, as well as import of nearby clays. The local and imported clays were used side‐by‐side, but one for the production of common wares and building ceramics, and the other for the manufacturing of luxury fine tablewares. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Microtextural Characteristics and Origin of Dolomites in the Tepearasi Formation, SW of Beysehir-Konya, Turkey

The Tepearasi Formation of the autochthonous Geyikdagi Group in the Central Tauride Belt, SE of Beysehir, is Dogger in age and consists dominantly of massive limestones and greyish dolomites occurring within the middle to upper sections. The total thickness of the dolomitic levels ranges from 100-300 m and laterally extends 500-700 m. Three types of dolomite were distinguished through petrographic analyses: homogeneous, mottled (saddle-crystalline) and joint-filling dolomite, which were interpreted to have formed in two different stages, early diagenetic and late diagenetic. The homogeneous dolomite of the early diagenetic stage is light-coloured and monotonous-textured and shows the form of a dolosparite mosaic. The mottled dolomite formed in the late diagenetic stage is light- to dark-coloured and coarsely granular idiomorphic. The other type of late diagenetic dolomite, described as the joint-filling type, presents a crystal growth pattern from the joint walls towards the centre of the joint space. I     

Historical pollution trends in a disturbed, estuarine sedimentary environment, SW Sweden

The objective of this article is to determine whether pollution trends can be reconstructed from sediments in the outer Göta älv estuary. Detailed interpretation of heavy metal profiles in the recent sediment, in combination with profiles of ²¹⁰Pb- and ¹³⁷Cs-activity, organic carbon content and grain size distribution, allows estimation of historical trends. This is based on the assumption that only certain intervals, which can be identified, are disturbed. The sediment data are compared with archive data on historical trends in emissions of heavy metals. Special attention is given to mercury, which shows high enrichment over long periods of time. It is found that the most polluted sediments were deposited between 1930 and 1980, but that episodic discharges have also occurred more recently. Nevertheless, the effects of remediation since the 1970s are apparent.     

Liquefaction potential and susceptibility mapping in the city of Yalova, Turkey

This study presents results of both field and laboratory tests that have been used to asses liquefaction susceptibilities of the soils in Yalova city, located in the well-known seismically active North Anatolian Fault Zone. Liquefaction potentials of the sub-surface materials in Yalova city were estimated by using the standard penetration test (SPT) method of field testing. The data obtained have been mapped according to susceptibility, and the susceptibility maps based on the geotechnical data indicated a moderate to high susceptibility to liquefaction for the magnitude of earthquake of M=7.4. Both the high groundwater level and the grain size of the soils, in conjunction with the active seismic features of the region, result in conditions favourable to the occurrence of liquefaction. When the surface and near surface geological conditions were taken under consideration, it was seen that the study areas geology is prone to liquefaction having a moderate liquefaction susceptibility. If geologic and geomorphological criteria are considered, it should be understood that the study area as discussed under the regions geology is susceptible to liquefaction. The geotechnical data largely support the geologic-based liquefaction susceptibility of the study area.     

Spatial Distribution of Elemental Enrichments around Archaeological Sites: Insights from the Ancient City of Sagalassos in Southwest Turkey

Ancient human activities have resulted in important elemental enrichments in soils at archaeological sites. Nevertheless, the spatial extent of such elemental enrichment signals is rarely studied. Our research addresses this theme by studying the characteristics and extent of the geochemical enrichment halo around the monumental Colonnaded Street of the Hellenistic to Byzantine city of Sagalassos in southwest Turkey. Given the complex geology of the area, a strategy applying multivariate statistical data analysis techniques is proposed to identify whether the enrichments have a geological or an anthropogenic source. In addition, we evaluate how a wide variety of natural and anthropogenic processes may influence the distribution of elements around the site. In this paper, it is shown that enrichments of P and Pb are present up to a distance of 450 m and 150 m away from the city, respectively. Hence, we conclude that the extent of chemical enrichment haloes around archaeological sites may be element specific.     

Nature and onset age of neotectonic regime in the northern core of Isparta Angle,SW Turkey

The Isparta Angle (IA) is a reverse Λ-shaped morphotectonic structure located to the north of Antalya Gulf in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. It resulted from the northward curvature of the originally E–W-trending Tauride orogenic belt owing to the nappe emplacements and related clockwise and anti-clockwise rotations in a time period of Early Paleocene to Early Pliocene. The IA is included in the southwest Anatolian tensional neotectonic domain and characterized by a series of grabens and horsts bounded by active normal faults of dissimilar length and trend. The evolutionary history of the graben-horst system is episodic. It is evidenced by two graben fills. These are older and modern (younger) graben fills separated by an intervening angular unconformity. The modern graben fill is nearly flat-lying (non-deformed) whereas older graben fill was deformed into a series of anticlines and synclines with ENE-trending curvi-linear axes by a short-term compressive tectonic regime operated in NNW–SSE direction during Late Pliocene. The diagnostic structures taking a part in the development of grabens and shaping the northern section of the IA are the margin-boundary normal faults. They occur in numerous single and several fault zones displaying a basin ward facing step-like land shape. Most of fault segments, particularly the master faults, are active and have a capacity of creating destructive earthquakes with a magnitude (up to Mw?=?7.0). This is evidenced by both the historical and instrumental period earthquakes. Both the focal mechanism solution of earthquakes and the stereographic plots of slip-plane data, measured on the active margin-boundary faults of various grabens comprising the IA, on the Schmidt lower hemisphere net obviously reveal that the IA is under the influence of the tensional neotectonic regime, not a compressive tectonic regime, i.e. the sinistral strike-slip shearing along the Pliny arc has not propagated yet onshore, and its commencement age is Early Quaternary.     

开展城市环境综合整治努力改善城市人居环境

在全省组织开展城市环境综合整治活动，用三年左右的时间打一场攻坚战，基本消除城市环境脏乱差现象，着力营造适宜创业发展和生活居住的城市环境，这是山东省委、省政府从全省经济社会发展大局出发，做出的重大战略决策。     

Material properties of the Menderes Massif Marbles from SW Turkey

Marbles are extensively quarried at four different stratigraphical levels from Permo-Carbonifereous to Paleogene in the southern flank of the Menderes Massif in SW Turkey. These marbles differ in color, texture and pattern depending on their stratigraphical levels and are well known in the international trade as the Mugla Black (Permo-Carbonifereous), Mugla White (Cretaceous), Milas Lemon, Lilac, Aubergine, Pearl, Veined and White (Triassic) and Aegean Bordeaux (Paleogene) marbles. The mineralogical, chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the representative marbles samples obtained from the quarries working in four major metamorphic carbonate horizons in the cover successions of the Menderes Massif's southern flank in SW Turkey are determined and the results of over 1700 tests carried out on the selected marble samples are presented. The mean test values of the physical and mechanical tests are in general, found to be above the threshold acceptance values suggested by the American and Turkish Standards for the use of marbles as a building stone and in the same order as the properties of Italian (Carrara) and Greek marbles reported in the literature. Additionally, the mean test values of the marbles have given high correlations with one another and the relations obtained between the index test results determined by simple techniques requiring minimal sample preparation effort and the mean values of the more elaborate engineering tests results are presented as tables and graphs for wider use.     

Sedimentary facies, depositional environments and palaeogeographic evolution of the Neogene Denizli Basin, SW Anatolia, Turkey

The Denizli Basin (southwestern Anatolia, Turkey) contains a record of environmental changes dating since the Early Miocene. Detailed facies analysis of the Neogene formations in this half-graben enables us to document successive depositional regimes and palaeogeographic settings. Sedimentation commenced in the Early Miocene with the deposition of alluvial-fan and fluvial facies (K?z?lburun Formation). At this stage, alluvial fans sourced from elevated areas to the south prograded towards the basin centre. The Middle Miocene time saw the establishment of marginal lacustrine and wetland environments followed by the development of a shallow lake (Sazak Formation). The uppermost part of this unit consists of evaporitic saline lake and saline mudflat facies that grade upward into brackish lacustrine deposits of Late Miocene-Pliocene age (Kolankaya Formation). The lake became shallower at the end of the Pliocene time, as is indicated by expansion shoreface/foreshore facies. In the Early Quaternary, the Denizli Basin was transformed into a graben by the activation of ESE-trending normal faults. Alluvial fans were active at the basin margins, whereas a meandering river system occupied the basin central part.Oxygen isotope data from carbonates in the successive formations show an alternation of wetter climatic periods, when fresh water settings predominated, and very arid periods, when the basin hosted brackish to hypersaline lakes. The Neogene sedimentation was controlled by an active, ESE-trending major normal fault along the basin's southern margin and by climatically induced lake-level changes. The deposition was more or less continuous from the Early Miocene to Late Pliocene time, with local unconformities developed only in the uppermost part of the basin-fill succession. The unconformable base of the overlying Quaternary deposits reflects the basin's transformation from a half-graben into a graben system.     

Oligo-Miocene extension in the Lycian orogen: evidence from the Lycian molasse basin,SW Turkey

The Lycian molasse basin of SW Turkey is a NE-SW-oriented basin that developed on an imbricated basement, comprising the allochthonous Mesozoic rocks of the Lycian nappes and Palaeocene-Eocene supra-allochthonous sediments. The imbricated basement has resulted from a complex history related to the emplacement of different tectonic units from Late Cretaceous to Late Eocene. Following imbrication, extensional collapse of the Lycian orogen resulted in extensive emergent areas, some of which coincide with present-day mountains. These were surrounded by interconnected depressions, namely, the Kale-Tavas, Çardak-Dazk?r? and Denizli subbasins.

The Lycian molasse sequence contains a relatively complete record of the tectonic history of the Lycian orogenic collapse from which it was derived. The sequence is characterised by interdependence between tectonism and sedimentation, the latter of which includes fining-and coarsening-upward sedimentary cycles with syn-depositional intrabasinal unconformities.

The Denizli subbasin consists of thick, coarse-grained wedges of alluvial fans and fine-grained fan-delta deposits formed in a shallowmarine environment. Some areas of the fan deltas were colonised by corals, red algae and foraminifera, forming patch reefs.

The first phase of extensional collapse in the region is marked by the Lycian orogenic collapse, which may have been initiated by the beginning of the Oligocene (Rupelian), following the main Menderes metamorphism. Starting in the latest Early Miocene or in the Middle Miocene, the area of the molasse basin was subject to deformation with the Lycian nappes, and to erosion as well. At that time, the Lycian nappes, with some ophiolitic assemblages, were thrust over the molasse deposits and thus, NE-SW-trending folds were formed. The molasse deposits and thrust-related deformational structures were then unconformably covered by Upper Miocene continental deposits which belong to the neotectonic period of SW Turkey. The second phase of extensional collapse is marked by granitic intrusions and the formation of Miocene detachment-related extensional basins. This phase may have been related to the exhumation of the gneissic core of the Menderes Massif, from which fragments were derived and incorporated into the upper parts of the Denizli subbasin during the Aquitanian.     

Miocene remagnetisation of carbonate platform and Antalya Complex units within the Isparta angle, SW Turkey

A palaeomagnetic study has been carried out within the Mesozoic and Tertiary units of the relatively autochthonous carbonate platforms and the allochthonous deep-sea volcanics and sediments of the Antalya Complex, exposed around the Isparta angle, SW Turkey. The Antalya Complex is interpreted as a mosaic of carbonate platforms, basinal sediments, volcanic and ophiolitic rocks which formed within a southerly strand of the Neotethyan ocean, adjacent to Gondwana.

The results indicate a widespread remagnetisation event. Negative fold tests show that the remanence at most sites is of secondary origin (e.g., within the çirali lavas). The magnetisation is carried by magnetite of presumed authigenic origin. The remagnetisation event is believed to have occurred in the Early-Middle Miocene (Burdigalian-Langhian). It was possibly triggered by the migration of orogenic fluids ahead of the advancing Lycian nappes during their emplacement onto the carbonate platforms.

Subsequent to remagnetisation, a large segment of the Isparta angle underwent an anticlockwise rotation of 30°. This rotation is attributed to the overall convergence and bending of the Hellenic arc and the final stages of emplacement of the Lycian Nappes during the Late Miocene, in agreement with previous studies.

Previously, southerly palaeolatitudes were inferred from Late Triassic extrusives of the Gödene Zone ( albali Dag unit). The post-folding magnetisation identified here within the Çirali lavas of the Gödene Zone to the south implies that these low palaeolatitudes result from the inappropriate application of structural tilt corrections. The available data cannot be used to substantiate an origin for the Antalya units south of the equator in the early Mesozoic. Instead, a position close to the northern margin of Gondwana is indicated.     

Zn-rich högbomite formed from gahnite in the metabauxites of the Menderes Massif,SW Turkey

Gahnite, ZnAl₂O₄, present as an accessory mineral in regionally metamorphosed low-grade diasporites, has reacted in adjacent higher-grade, corundum-bearing metabauxite equivalents (emeries) to form Zn-rich högbomite, (Zn,Fe²⁺,Mg,Ni)_t-2x (Ti,Sn)_xAl₂O₄, of the 4H polytype. Commonly, the initial högbomite crystals grew epitactically along the octahedral faces of gahnite, which was subsequently dissolved, so that högbomite now forms spectacularly intergrown sets of eight crystals in perfect crystallographic orientation to each other. This indicates a metamorphic reaction, probably involving a fluid, transporting mainly the elements Zn and Al. Reactant Ti minerals in the diasporites were rutile and titanian hematite (10–15 mol% FeTiO₃). In the emeries högbomite coexists with still more Ti-rich hematites containing between 26 and 37 mol% FeTiO₃. The overall reaction relations involving partial reduction may be subdivided into the intial univariant reaction, gahnite+diaspore+Ti-hematite+rutile=högbomite+H₂O+O₂. This was followed, in the absence of gahnite, by compositional readjustments of högbomite and Ti-hematite and the appearance of magnetite. Core to rim zoning profiles indicate that, with continued growth, the högbomite crystals became poorer in Zn and Ti, but richer in Fe²⁺, while the Ti-contents of coexisting hematite increased. Högbomite formation at the expense of gahnite started at temperatures as low as about 400° C for an estimated pressure of 5–6 kbar.