Late Cenozoic tectonics and stratigraphy of northwestern Anatolia: the effects of the North Anatolian Fault to the region

In northwest Anatolia, there is a mosaic of different morpho-tectonic fragments within the western part of the right-lateral strike-slip North Anatolian Fault (NAF) Zone. These were developed from compressional and extensional tectonic regimes during the paleo- and neo-tectonic periods of Turkish orogenic history. A NE-SW-trending left-lateral strike-slip fault system (Adapazari-Karasu Fault) extends through the northern part of the Sakarya River Valley and began to develop within a N–S compressional tectonic regime which involved all of northern Anatolia during Middle Eocene to early Middle Miocene times. Since the end of Middle Miocene times, this fault system forms a border between a compressional tectonic regime in the eastern area eastwards from the northern part of the Sakarya River Valley, and an extensional tectonic regime in the Marmara region to the west. The extension caused the development of basins and ridges, and the incursions of the Mediterranean Sea into the site of the future Sea of Marmara since Late Miocene times. Following the initiation in late Middle Miocene times and the eastward propagation of extension along the western part of the NAF, a block (North Anatolian Block) began to form in the northern Anatolia region since the end of Pliocene times. The Adapazari-Karasu Fault constitutes the western boundary of this block which is bounded by the NAF in the south, the Northeast Anatolian Fault in the east, and the South Black Sea Thrust Fault in the north. The northeastward movement of the North Anatolian Block caused the formation of a marine connection between the Black Sea and the Aegean/Mediterranean Sea during the Pleistocene.     

Tree‐ring‐based annual precipitation reconstruction for the Hexi Corridor,NW China: consequences for climate history on and beyond the mid‐latitude Asian continent

An annual (July to June) precipitation reconstruction for the period AD 1760–2010 was developed from a Picea crassifolia regional tree‐ring chronology from two sites in the northern mountainous region of the Hexi Corridor, NW China. This reconstruction explains 52.1% of the actual precipitation variance during the period 1951 to 2010. Spatial correlations with gridded land‐surface data reveal that our reconstruction contains a strong regional precipitation signal for the Hexi Corridor and for the southern margin of the Badain Jaran Desert. Significant spectral peaks were identified at 31.9, 11.1, 8.0, 7.0, 3.2, 2.6 and 2.2 years. A large‐scale comparison indicates that our reconstruction is more consistent with climate records of a Westerly‐dominated Central Asia, and that the Westerlies have a greater impact on the precipitation in this region than the Asian summer monsoon. Our reconstructed precipitation series is significantly correlated with sea‐surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Atlantic Ocean (positive), the tropical Indian Ocean (positive), the western tropical Pacific Ocean (positive), and the western North Pacific Ocean (negative). The spatial correlation patterns between our precipitation reconstruction and SSTs of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans suggest a connection between regional precipitation variations and the high‐mid‐latitude northern atmospheric circulations (Westerlies and Asian summer monsoon).     

Changes of Paleo-precipitation on the Sunda Shelf Since the Last Glacial Maximum Revealed by Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes

The Sunda Shelf, owing to its unique geographical location and roles, has attracted much attention on its changes during the glacial cycle. At present, there is a consensus about the change of temperature in the region, but the reconstruction of paleo precipitation has been disputed. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope records since the last glacial in the Sunda Shelf were collected, combining with other paleo climate record, we roughly divided the precipitation records in the region into the Northern and Southern areas. During the glacial, the precipitation changed little and climate remained moist in the northern area, while precipitation decreased greatly,and the climate became dry in the southern. Difference in the precipitation isotopes between the northern and southern areas might be related to the different controlling factors of the precipitation isotopes in the two areas and large-scale atmospheric circulation in the region. Limited by the collected hydrogen and oxygen records, the precise mechanism of division in regional hydrological changes of the region still needs more work to confirm.     

Counterclockwise rotation of the Anatolian block

Seismological and other data from the boundaries of Anatolia are used to discuss the motion and plate tectonics of this block. Models which include a rotation of Anatolia around a single pole are shown to be inconsistent with much of this data. In particular a westward motion of Anatolia, which is the most commonly used model, should be reconsidered. Models which use a single pole of rotation fail because they assume the North Anatolian Fault to be an ideal transform fault which describes all of the motion between Anatolia and the Black Sea. In effect, internal deformation in the form of extension in western Anatolia and for the most part strike-slip faulting in eastern Anatolia, are important and account for some of the relative motion. Thus, a more appropriate model for this region is one which not only stresses the dominance of the North Anatolian Fault, but also recognises the importance of internal deformation and the limitation of classic plate tectonic models which this deformation implies. The preferred model for the motion of Anatolia is a nonuniform, tight, counterclockwise rotation approximated by the shape of the North Anatolian Fault as well as by the faults which splay from it to the south. Such a model is consistent with data from the boundaries of Anatolia including the source mechanism of earthquakes and depth of Benioff zone along the southern boundary of the block. Counterclockwise rotation of Anatolia is the natural consequence of the collision of Arabia with eastern Anatolia, coupled with subduction in the eastern Mediterranean.     

南海的氧同位素3期

以南海北、西、南部3个沉积速率相对较高而且连续的沉积柱状样MD2904,MD2901和MD2897为基础,通过粒度、碳酸盐、有机地球化学和元素分析,并综合前人研究成果,对南海MIS3期进行探讨。结果显示,南海MIS3是末次冰期中的弱暖期,海水表层古温度比相邻的MIS2和MIS4期略高,但是明显比MIS1和MIS5期低。MIS3的最大特点就在于其气候的不稳定性,发生了多次气候快速变化事件。在格陵兰冰芯中记录的千年尺度快速气候变化事件（D/O事件和Heinrich事件）基本上在南海北、西、南部都有响应,具有与全球同步的特征。南海MIS3古生产力都显示出较高的特点,这与东亚季风有着密切的关系,北部主要受冬季风影响,西部和南部主要受夏季风影响。南海南部MIS3表现出比MIS5更高的古生产力和更强的夏季风强度,这一特点有待更进一步深入研究。     

黑海西北部多瑙河峡谷北侧陆坡沉积特征及其与古气候的关系

【研究目的】在末次冰期，全球气候变化以千年尺度的快速、大幅度温度波动旋回为特征，这种波动变化在两极冰芯、深海沉积、中国黄土和洞穴石笋等诸多地质样品中均有记录。黑海位于北大西洋与东亚季风区过渡带，具有极有代表性的沉积记录。本文旨在通过对黑海沉积序列的研究，建立起其区域环境变化与北大西洋及东亚季风气候域气候变化的联系。【研究方法】研究对取自黑海西北部罗马尼亚陆坡区多瑙河峡谷北侧GAS-CS12钻孔的长22.0 m的岩芯样品，进行了粒度、矿物成分、主量元素、有机碳、总氮及碳氮同位素等分析。【研究结果】揭示出该段岩芯沉积于末次冰期中后期“Neoeuxine”湖相阶段，可划分为5个沉积单元，对应于北大西洋H4、H3、H1气候变化事件、末次冰盛期（LGM）及Bolling-Allerod气候变暖事件。【结论】建立起了其沉积序列及区域环境变化与北大西洋及东亚季风气候域气候变化的联系，印证了末次冰期千年尺度的气候变化事件在北大西洋、东亚季风区及两者过渡带上具有高度的一致性。创新点：建立了黑海西北沉积序列与区域环境变化的关系；补充了北大西洋与东亚季风区两者过渡带上气候波动事件的可靠时标。     

Holocene and late glacial palaeoceanography and palaeolimnology of the Black Sea: Changing sediment provenance and basin hydrography over the past 20,000 years

The elemental geochemistry of Late Pleistocene and Holocene sediments of the Black Sea, recovered in box cores from the basin margins and a 5-m gravity core from the central abyssal region of the basin, identifies two terrigenous sediment sources over the last 20 kyrs. One source region includes Anatolia and the southern Caucasus; the second region is the area drained by rivers entering the Black Sea from Eastern Europe. Alkali metal:Al and heavy:light rare-earth element ratios reveal that the relative contribution of the two sources shifted abruptly every few thousand years during the late glacial and early Holocene lacustrine phase of the basin. The shifts in source were coeval with changes in the lake level as determined from the distribution of quartz and the heavy mineral-hosted trace elements Ti and Zr.The geochemistry of the abyssal sediments further recorded a sequence of changes to the geochemistry of the water column following the lacustrine phase, when high salinity Mediterranean water entered the basin beginning 9.3 kyrs BP. Bottom water that had been oxic throughout the lake phase became anoxic at approximately 8.4 kyrs BP, as recorded by the accumulation from the water column of several redox-sensitive trace metals (Mo, Re, U). The accumulation of organic carbon and several trace nutrients (Cd, Cu, Ni, Zn) increased sharply ca. 0.4 kyrs later, at 8.0 kyrs BP, reflecting an increase of primary productivity. Its increase was coeval with a shift in the dinoflagellate ecology from stenohaline to euryhaline assemblages. During this profound environmental change from the lacustrine to the marine phase, the accumulation rate of the lithogenous sediment fraction decreased as much as 10-fold in response to the rise of the water level in the basin from a low stand ca. 9.3 ka to its current level.     

Messinian events in the Black Sea

Past hydrological interactions between the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea are poorly resolved due to complications in establishing a high‐resolution time frame for the Black Sea. We present a new greigite‐based magnetostratigraphic age model for the Mio‐Pliocene deposits of DSDP Hole 380/380A, drilled in the southwestern Black Sea. This age model is complemented by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of a volcanic ash layer, allowing a direct correlation of Black Sea deposits to the Messinian salinity crisis (MSC) interval of the Mediterranean Sea. Proxy records divide these DSDP deposits into four intervals: (i) Pre‐MSC marine conditions (6.1–6.0 Ma); (ii) highstand, fresh to brackish water conditions (~6.0–5.6 Ma); (iii) lowstand, fresh‐water environment (5.6–5.4 Ma) and (iv) highstand, fresh‐water conditions (5.4–post 5.0 Ma). Our results indicate the Black Sea was a major fresh‐water source during gypsum precipitation in the Mediterranean Sea. The introduction of Lago Mare fauna during the final stage of the MSC coincides with a sea‐level rise in the Black Sea. Across the Mio‐Pliocene boundary, sea‐level and salinity in the Black Sea did not change significantly.     

Glacial drainage towards the Mediterranean during the Middle and Late Pleistocene

To a varying degree the Middle and Late Pleistocene ice sheets in northern Eurasia redirected the drainage of major catchments in Europe and western Siberia from the North Sea and Arctic Ocean south to the Caspian, Black Sea, and ultimately the Mediterranean. During the Late Weichselian, glacial meltwater reached the Mediterranean through the Dniepr and Don catchments and to a minor extent through the Danube. During the Warthe Substage of the Saalian, meltwater from the Volga was most likely added. During the Drenthe Substagc of the Saalian the watershed shifted Par to the east, and meltwater reached the Mediterranean also from the Oh. Irtysh, Yenisei, and Tunguska catchments in Siberia. Depending on the extent of the ice sheets, the increase in freshwater supply during deglaciations resulted in reductions of Mediterranean overflow into the North Atlantic. Such overflow reductions may have reduced vapour transport to the ice sheets and thus accelerated wastage.     

Quantifying climatic change through the last glacial–interglacial transition based on lake isotope palaeohydrology from central Turkey

Questions remain as to the nature of climatic change through the last glacial–interglacial transition in the eastern Mediterranean region, particularly the relative contribution of evaporation and precipitation to regional water balance. Here changes in oxygen isotope values through this time period from Eski Acıgöl, a crater lake in central Turkey, are investigated using hydrological and isotope mass balance models. These allow changes in evaporation and precipitation to be quantified and their relative importance evaluated. We show that it is the volumetric flux rate of water passing through the lake system and not the precipitation-to-evaporation ratio per se which controlled the stable isotope record in Eski Acıgöl. Early Holocene precipitation is shown to be much greater than that during both the latter part of the last glaciation and the present day. We test these calculated values against other records in the same region, firstly with other lake records in Anatolia, the Konya basin and Lake Van, and secondly with isotope-inferred palaeo-precipitation data from Soreq cave in Israel. This reveals a contrast between pre- and post-LGM precipitation values in Turkey (wetter and drier, respectively) and also suggests that during the last glacial–interglacial transition there was a more marked precipitation gradient than at present between northern/interior and southern/coastal parts of the eastern Mediterranean region.     

南海北部MD12-3432站MIS 11期以来底栖有孔虫反映的古环境变化

南海具有典型边缘海特征,其北部陆坡由于具有高沉积速率的地层剖面,可以用于研究亚轨道尺度气候变化。本研究以南海北部陆坡下部MD12 3432柱状样(19°16.88′N,116°14.52′E,水深2 125 m)为主要研究材料,分析其粗组分百分含量、底栖有孔虫丰度和特定环境指示属种的百分含量与丰度,并结合相关研究结果,运用多指标综合分析,重建了南海北部陆坡MIS 11期(距今约40万年)以来的表层初级生产力和底层水溶解氧含量的演化情况。与之前研究不同,本研究发现MIS11期以来南海北部的古生产力在温暖的间冰期高、在寒冷的冰期低,且主要受控于东亚夏季风影响下低纬地区降水强度的变化。在MIS 7期和MIS 9期可能有较高溶解氧含量的底层水进入南海北部,导致在高生产力的暖期中,喜氧的低生产力指示种Cibicidoides wuellerstorfi丰度增加。     

Effective precipitation in southern Spain ( 266 to 46 ka) based on a speleothem stable carbon isotope record

We present the longest-duration directly dated terrestrial palaeoclimate record from the western Mediterranean region: a flowstone speleothem from Gitana Cave, southeast Spain. The main phase of growth was 274 to 58 ka, dated by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICPMS) U-series methods. Effective precipitation, which we consider primarily responsible for flowstone calcite δ¹³C variations, measured at 300 μm resolution, was higher during interglacials associated with marine oxygen isotope stages (MIS) 7 and 5, and lower during glacial MIS 6. There is a close correspondence between speleothem δ¹³C and sea surface temperature (SST) estimates from adjacent Atlantic Ocean cores during MIS 6, which implies that oceanic conditions are critical in controlling the western Mediterranean terrestrial moisture balance during glacial periods. Other features of our record, such as the sequence of termination II warming/moistening between approximately 133 and 127 ka, including a “pause” around 130–128 ka, and the lagged termination of MIS 5 warm intervals (5e, 5c and 5a) are similar to other terrestrial records within the Mediterranean basin, indicating climate synchroneity along the northern Mediterranean coast. The Gitana cave region also may have been a refugium for temperate species during short-lived cold/arid periods during MIS 5.     

Sr and Nd isotope composition of Late Pleistocene sapropels and nonsapropelic sediments from the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: implications for detrital influx and climatic conditions in the source areas

Isotopic ratios of Sr and Nd from lithogenic components of three isochronous core sections recovered from an east-west transect in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) have been analyzed. The data are used for a quantitative estimate of the temporal and spatial variation of detrital flux to the EMS, assuming Saharan dust and Aegean/Nile particulate matter as dominant end members. It was established that the carbonate-free Saharan dust flux during deposition of the nonsapropel layers of marine oxygen isotope stage 5.4 (MIS 5.4) was similar to the present flux. During the deposition of sapropels S5 and S6, however, the Saharan dust input was drastically reduced and was not balanced by a change in the riverine influx at this time. Denser vegetation cover during more humid conditions may have reduced physical erosion and sediment removal in the source area. During marine oxygen isotope stage 6.2 (MIS 6.2) a pronounced increase of Saharan dust and detrital influx from the Aegean region is evident and implies more arid conditions in the southern and northern catchment areas. During this period, intersite variations are interpreted in terms of their geographic location relative to the seaways connecting the Aegean Sea and EMS. The width of the straits and hence the amount of sediment entering the eastern basins may have been affected by a low sea level that impeded interbasin sediment dispersal.     

Tsunamis Observed on and Near the Turkish Coast

For centuries, inhabitants of coastal areas have suffered from the effects of tsunamis. Turkey, with a coastline of 8333 km, has experienced many tsunamis.Historical records reveal that, during the observation period over 3000 years, the coastal and surrounding areas of Turkey have been affected by more than ninety tsunamis. These tended to cluster around the Marmara Sea, the city of Istanbul and the gulfs of Izmit, Izmir, Fethiye and Iskenderun. Each of the tsunami occurrences surveyed in this paper deserves further individual study. The most extensive available information concerns the tsunamis associated with the Istanbul Earthquakes of 1509 and 1894, the Eastern Marmara Earthquake in 1963 and that of Izmit in 1999,which disturbed the Marmara Sea; the Earthquake of 1939 in Erzincan ineastern Anatolia; and the 1968 Bartn Earthquake, which affected Fatsa and Amasra on the Black Sea. In addition to these, it is known that a tsunami occurred in 1598 on the shores of the Black Sea in connection with an earthquake at Amasya in northern Anatolia.     

欧亚大陆湖泊记录和两万年来大气环流变化

159个湖泊地质记录提供了欧亚大陆两万年来大气环流变化信息。盛冰期北欧低湖面而地中海地区高湖面,反映冰流反气旋控制和西风带南迁。随着晚冰期冰流高压减弱、西风带回迁,南欧为低湖面而北欧低湖面范围减小。全新世早中期北欧阻塞高压发展,干燥炎热;南欧地区性季风环流加强,气旋雨增加。中国青藏高原至东西伯利亚高湖面,反映东亚季风扩张、季风雨以及高原对流雨增加。晚更新世以来湖泊所反映的西风带和季风环流变化,揭示了辐射异常和北半球冰流消长的动力控制。     

Climate on the southern Black Sea coast during the Holocene: implications from the Sofular Cave record

We present the updated Holocene section of the Sofular Cave record from the southern Black Sea coast (northern Turkey); an area with considerably different present-day climate compared to that of the neighboring Eastern Mediterranean region. Stalagmite δ¹³C, growth rates and initial (²³⁴U/²³⁸U) ratios provide information about hydrological changes above the cave; and prove to be more useful than δ¹⁸O for deciphering Holocene climatic variations. Between ～9.6 and 5.4 ka BP (despite a pause from ～8.4 to 7.8 ka BP), the Sofular record indicates a remarkable increase in rainfall amount and intensity, in line with other paleoclimate studies in the Eastern Mediterranean. During that period, enhanced summertime insolation either produced much stronger storms in the following fall and winter through high sea surface temperatures, or it invoked a regional summer monsoon circulation and rainfall. We suggest that one or both of these climatic mechanisms led to a coupling of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean rainfall regimes at that time, which can explain the observed proxy signals. However, there are discrepancies among the Eastern Mediterranean records in terms of the timing of this wet period; implying that changes were probably not always occurring through the same mechanism. Nevertheless, the Sofular Cave record does provide hints and bring about new questions about the connection between regional and large scale climates, highlighting the need for a more extensive network of high quality paleoclimate records to better understand Holocene climate.     

A case for a downwasting mountain glacier during Termination I,Verçenik valley,northeastern Turkey

Field evidence of palaeoglacial records in the Verçenik valley in the Eastern Black Sea Mountains was examined and 19 samples for surface exposure dating with cosmogenic ¹⁰Be were collected with the aim of increasing knowledge on the amplitude and frequency of palaeoglacier advances in Anatolia. Glacial erosional features were mapped and the flow directions of the palaeoglaciers were determined. The Verçenik palaeoglacier advanced before 26.1 k ± 1.2 k yr. The Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) advance continued until 18.8 k ±1.0 k yr. The Verçenik palaeoglacier collapsed during Termination I. After 17.7 k ± 0.8 k yr there was no more ice in the main valley. The Verçenik palaeoglacier most probably then separated into five small glaciers that were restricted to the tributary valleys. Among these, the Hem?in palaeoglacier completed its recession around 15.7 k ± 0.8 k yr. On the basis of glacial erosion features, a Lateglacial glacier advance can be identified. Evidence of the Little Ice Age advance appears to be absent. The results from this valley system seem to be consistent with the first results from the adjacent Kavron valley and with the Anatolian LGM palaeoclimate, the sea surface temperature minima in the western Mediterranean, the deposition of red clay layers in the Black Sea and deposition of the Heinrich‐1 layer in the North Atlantic. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Orbital scale vegetation change in Africa

Palynological records of Middle and Late Pleistocene marine sediments off African shores is reviewed in order to reveal long-term patterns of vegetation change during climate cycles. Whether the transport of pollen and spores from the source areas on the continent to the ocean floor is mainly by wind or predominantly by rivers depends on the region. Despite the differences in transportation, accumulation rates in the marine sediments decline exponentially with distance to the shore. The marine sediments provide well-dated records presenting the vegetation history of the main biomes of western and southern Africa. The extent of different biomes varied with the climate changes of the glacial interglacial cycle. The Mediterranean forest area expanded during interglacials, the northern Saharan desert during glacials, and the semi-desert area in between during the transitions. In the sub-Saharan mountains ericaceous scrubland spread mainly during glacials and the mountainous forest area often increased during intermediate periods. Savannahs extended or shifted to lower latitudes during glacials. While the representation of the tropical rain forest fluctuated with summer insolation and precession, that of the subtropical biomes showed more obliquity variability or followed the pattern of glacial and interglacials.     

Sub‐millennial climate shifts in the western Mediterranean during the last glacial period recorded in a speleothem from Mallorca,Spain

Very few high‐resolution and directly dated terrestrial archives of the last glacial period exist for the western Mediterranean region, yet this is a key locality for recording sub‐millennial North Atlantic and Mediterranean climate change. Here, we present evidence of effective precipitation changes based on growth history and δ¹³C of calcite in a Mallorcan stalagmite that grew between 112 and 48 ka. Effective precipitation in Mallorca appears to have been sensitive to proximal sea surface temperature variations and at certain times, ca. 76 ka for example, changed rapidly from moist to arid conditions in only a few centuries. A sea‐level highstand during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a interrupted growth. Regrowth started promptly after this, but effective precipitation decreased markedly for much of the later part of MIS 5a, and also for shorter periods correlative with Heinrich events H8 (ca. 90 ka) and H6 (ca. 65 ka), with growth ceasing during H5 (ca. 48 ka). Arid episodes in Mallorca appear to be expressions of extremely cold periods recorded further north in Europe and occur contemporaneously with rapid decreases in Greenland temperature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene climate and cultural evolution in late prehistoric-early historic West Asia

The precipitation climatology and the underlying climate mechanisms of the eastern Mediterranean, West Asia, and the Indian subcontinent are reviewed, with emphasis on upper and middle tropospheric flow in the subtropics and its steering of precipitation. Holocene climate change of the region is summarized from proxy records. The Indian monsoon weakened during the Holocene over its northernmost region, the Ganges and Indus catchments and the western Arabian Sea. Southern regions, the Indian Peninsula, do not show a reduction, but an increase of summer monsoon rain across the Holocene. The long-term trend towards drier conditions in the eastern Mediterranean can be linked to a regionally complex monsoon evolution. Abrupt climate change events, such as the widespread droughts around 8200, 5200 and 4200 cal yr BP, are suggested to be the result of altered subtropical upper-level flow over the eastern Mediterranean and Asia.The abrupt climate change events of the Holocene radically altered precipitation, fundamental for cereal agriculture, across the expanse of late prehistoric-early historic cultures known from the archaeological record in these regions. Social adaptations to reduced agro-production, in both dry-farming and irrigation agriculture regions, are visible in the archaeological record during each abrupt climate change event in West Asia. Chronological refinement, in both the paleoclimate and archaeological records, and transfer functions for both precipitation and agro-production are needed to understand precisely the evident causal linkages.