Turbidites and their association with past earthquakes in the deep Çınarcık Basin of the Marmara Sea

Two gravity cores (CAG-3 and C-15) from the tectonically active, 1,276-m deep Çınarcık Basin of the Marmara Sea each include three sandy turbiditic mud units (1 mm–2 cm thick) with sharp basal contacts. The high benthic foraminifer content of these units suggests that the sediments were transported by turbidity currents from the upper slope region. These units represent the thin edges of turbidites thickening towards the subsiding north-eastern part of the basin, and contain quartz, detrital calcite, intact shells and shell fragments, smectite, pyrite framboids, muscovite, biotite, epidote and garnet. Their clay fractions are more enriched in smectite than those of adjacent layers. AMS 14C ages (957±43 a.d. and 578±31 a.d.) of two upper and middle turbiditic units in core C15 overlap with the historical İstanbul-Thrace (intensity=10) and İstanbul-Kocaeli (intensity=9) earthquakes of 26 October 986 and 15 August 553, respectively. This overlap, together with sedimentological characteristics, strongly suggests that the turbiditic units are related to the tectono-seismic activity of the North Anatolian Fault. The age of the lowest turbiditic unit in core C-3 was found to be 6,573±87 a b.p. (calendar) by AMS 14 C. In terms of chronostratigraphic relationships and lithological composition, the turbiditic units in core CAG-3 cannot be correlated with those in C15. This can be explained by gravity-controlled sedimentation causing wedging out of turbidites towards the edge of the basin.     

P–T–t evolution of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit in Western Anatolia/Turkey: Geodynamic implications for the Aegean region

Eclogite and blueschist facies rocks occurring as a tectonic unit between the underlying Menderes Massif (MM) and the overlying Afyon Zone/Lycian Nappes and the Bornova Flysch Zone in western Anatolia represent the eastward continuation of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit (CBU) in Turkey. This high-P unit is attributed to the closure of the Pindos Ocean and consists of (a) a Triassic to Upper Cretaceous coherent series derived from passive continental margin sediments and (b) the tectonically overlying Upper Cretaceous Selçuk mélange with eclogite blocks embedded in a pelitic epidote-blueschist matrix. The coherent series has experienced epidote-blueschist facies metamorphism (490 ± 25°C/11.5 ± 1.5 kbar; 38 km depth). ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar white mica and ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U monazite dating of quartz metaconglomerate from coherent series yielded middle Eocene ages of 44 ± 0.3 and 40.1 ± 3.1 Ma for epidote-blueschist facies metamorphism, respectively. The epidote-blueschist facies metamorphism of the matrix of the Selçuk mélange culminates at 520 ± 15°C/13 ± 1.5 kbar, 43 km depth, and is dated at 57.5 ± 0.3–54.5 ± 0.1 Ma (⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar phengite). Eclogite facies metamorphism of the blocks (570 ± 30°C/18 ± 2 kbar, 60 km depth) is early Eocene and dated at 56.2 ± 1.5 Ma by ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U zircon. Eclogites experienced a nearly isothermal retrogression (490 ± 40°C/~6 to 7 kbar) during their incorporation into the Selçuk mélange. The retrograde overprints of the coherent series (410 ± 15°C/7 ± 1.5 kbar from Dilek Peninsula and 485 ± 33°C/~6 to 7 kbar from Selçuk–Tire area) and the Selçuk mélange (510 ± 15°C/6 ± 1 kbar) are dated at 35.8 ± 0.5–34.3 ± 0.1 Ma by ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar white mica and 31.6 ± 6.6 Ma by ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U allanite dating methods, respectively. Regional geological constrains reveal that the contact between the MM and the CBU originally formed a lithosphere-scale transform fault zone. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar white mica age from the contact indicates that the CBU and the MM were tectonically juxtaposed under greenschist facies conditions during late Eocene, 35.1 ± 0.3 Ma.     

The origin of Neogene tectonic rotations in the Galatean volcanic massif, central Anatolia

A paleomagnetic study was carried out on Neogene volcanic rocks at 30 sites within the Galatean massif (40.4°N, 31.5°E) to determine possible block rotations due to stress variations. Two phases of rotation could be characterized as the result of Neogene volcanic activity. We suggest that the first stage of rotation was isolated in Early Middle Miocene calc-alkali rocks, with a relative counterclockwise rotation of R ± ΔR = −20.2 ± 9.3° with respect to Eurasia. This accommodates the south-westward rotational collapse of the Western Anatolia peninsula across a pole on the Bitlis suture. In the neotectonic period, on other hand, a relative clockwise rotation of R ± ΔR = 27.3 ± 6.4° with respect to Eurasia is predicted. In contrast to the uniform clockwise rotations, extremely large clockwise rotations up to 264° are restricted in a narrow zone between two dextral faults. We believe that the second stage rotations support the idea of individual microblock rotations due to deformation along the North Anatolian Fault zone.     

Use of regionalized stormflow coefficients with a view to hydroclimatological hazard mapping

Abstract

An attempt was made to compensate for the lack of long hydrological time series and the lack of information on maximum streamflow in the Alzette River basin (Luxembourg) via the regionalization of stormflow coefficients. Streamflow data recorded since 1995 with a very dense streamgauge network allowed the determination of maximum stormflow coefficients in 18 sub-basins of the Alzette. The stormflow coefficients were then regionalized via stepwise multiple regression analysis for 83 different sub-basins of the Alzette. Combined with 10-year daily rainfall heights (statistical estimation), this regionalization allowed the spatial variability of storm runoff in the Alzette basin to be mapped, thus providing a view of hazard and risk-producing areas, as well as of risk-exposed areas. In a basin with little historical hydrological information this technique can help identify areas where storm runoff reducing measures should be applied from the outset.     

The influence of a heavily polluted urban river on the adjacent aquifer systems

 Ankara Creek is often subjected to overflowing of sewage caused by rainfall or direct discharge of raw sewage. Alluvial aquifers adjacent to Ankara Creek and its tributaries have considerable groundwater potential. The present status of groundwater quality is far from drinking water standards. Groundwater contamination in Ankara is suspected to be caused by Ankara Creek which is heavily polluted by raw sewage discharge, surface runoff and other common sources. In order to investigate the influence of heavily polluted Ankara Creek on the groundwater contamination in the adjacent alluvial aquifers, five sampling stations on Ankara Creek and 25 water wells were monitored during 1996. At five different sampling periods, water samples were collected from both surface water and groundwater. Chemical analyses of basic ions, pollution parameters and heavy metals in natural waters were carried out. The organic pollution prevails in Ankara Creek whereas total dissolved solids (TDS) and heavy metal concentrations are considerably low. Starting from the idea that Ankara Creek somewhat influences the groundwater quality and the contaminants in groundwater should attenuate with respect to distance, a series of water wells in a certain area, each having different distance from the creek, were examined using four pollution parameters. It is concluded that Ankara Creek barely influences the aquifer systems in connection. This is attributed to two reasons: rapid attenuation of contaminants due to dilution in groundwater and a blanket of very fine sized materials covering the bottom of Ankara Creek. Received: 28. April 1997 · Accepted: 23. February 1998