Search

Pyroclastic deposits on Anafi Island, Cyclades, Greece, were initially related to the Minoan eruption (1613 BC), but later geochemical studies favored an older chronology that points at the Lower Pumice eruption of Santorini (172 ka). Here we attempt through OSL dating to provide a minimum age by dating sand-sized quartz from colluvium overlying the deposits. The chronological results excluded the possibility of being Minoan.

The Gediz (Alaşehir) Graben is located in the highly tectonically active and seismogenic region of Western Turkey, which has been experiencing high-angle normal faulting since ~ 2 Ma. Rivers upstream of the normal fault-bounded graben each contain a lithologic knickpoint related to the change in bedrock geology (from soft sediments to hard metamorphic rocks) and a non-lithologic knickpoint, caused by an increase in fault slip rate at ~ 0.8 Ma. Therefore, this system represents an ideal natural laboratory to investigate the relative roles of bedrock lithology / rock strength and rates of faulting on the behaviour and evolution of bedrock river systems. Our results show that metamorphic rocks in the catchments are 2-3 times harder than the sedimentary rocks. Stream power increases downstream reaching local maxima upstream of the fault within the metamorphic bedrock but declines rapidly once softer sedimentary rocks are encountered. We also demonstrate a positive correlation between throw rate and stream power in the metamorphic rocks characteristic of rivers obeying a detachment-limited model of erosion. In sedimentary rocks stream powers are invariant with throw rate but do scale with the river’s sediment transport capacity. We also present new Be10 denudation rates that show correlations with calculated stream power and fault throw rates. This study demonstrates that the strength of underlying bedrock is a major influence on river evolution and that the nature of the underlying lithology profoundly influences the way in which the river behaves.

The large fossil vertebrates obtained from the alluvial flood-plain deposits of the Kolankaya formationare determined as Skoufotragus laticeps (Andree, 1926) and Hipparion brachypus (Hensel, 1862),as representative elements of palaeomammal faunas spanning from the eastern Mediterranean toIranian domains during the late Miocene (early-middle Turolian, MN11-12). These first Turolianrecords from the basin fill succession bear importance on reconstruction for the palaeobiogeographicdiversity of relevant taxons as well as admit of interbasinal stratigraphic correlation for the WesternAnatolian terrestrial Neogene basins.

[No abstract available], ???? ??????????????? ???????????? (????): 111Y192 Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi, The authors are grateful to the support of the international bilateral project between The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK) and The Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR) with grant number of 111Y192 . We are grateful to J.D. Gardner (Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology) for reading and improving an earlier version of the manuscript. M.C. Alçiçek is indebted to the GEBİP grant (The Outstanding Young Scientist Award) given by the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA).

The Palaeogene Isparta Basin of southwestern Anatolia formed between two convergent arms of the Isparta Bend orocline of the Tauride orogen. The origin of this tightening orocline is hypothetically explained in plate-tectonic terms. Basin sedimentation commenced on a down-warped Mesozoic carbonate platform of a crustal block accreted at the end of Cretaceous to the southern margin of the Anatolian plate. The basin earliest deposits are Palaeocene reddish mudstones with a fossil-barren condensed basal part and increasingly interspersed with thin calcarenitic turbidites towards the top. The supply of turbiditic sediment to the basin plain subsequently increased, as the upper-bathyal basin plain became surrounded from both sides by a narrow littoral shelf with an advancing turbiditic slope ramp. A major forced regression occurred at the end of Bartonian, causing incision of subaerial to submarine valleys up 600 m deep, filled in with gravelly to sandy turbidites and debrisflow deposits during the subsequent rise of relative sea level. The half-filled valleys were re-incised due to a Rupelian forced regression and were fully filled with fluvio-deltaic bayhead deposits during a final marine transgression that re-established the basin-margin biocalcarenitic shelf. The littoral environment then expanded across the shallowing basin, as the basin axial zone was up-domed and eroded to bedrock level at the end of Oligocene and the basin was tectonically inverted in Miocene. The pattern of intra-orocline foreland sedimentation documented by this case study provides tentative criteria for the recognition of synorogenic oroclines and for their distinction from post-orogenic oroclines. © 2017 The Authors. Basin Research © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd, European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers and International Association of Sedimentologists

The Karahayıt Geothermal Field (KGF) is located at the northern margin of the Denizli Basin in SW Anatolia (Turkey) where thermal waters discharge along the Quaternary normal fault segments locally displaced by conjugate transfer faults. Major and trace element contents and stable isotopes (δ18O, δ2H, δ3H and δ13C) of the KGF thermal and cold waters were analyzed in order to determine their origin and evolution and reservoir temperatures. Two main thermal waters, indicated as being fed by steam-heated aquifers, are recognized: (1) Ca-HCO3 and (2) Ca-SO4 types. All thermal waters have shown non-equilibrium chemical conditions, indicating mixing processes. According to the δ18O (−9.14 to −8.07‰) and δ2H (−59.50 to −51.80‰) data, the KGF thermal waters are meteoric in origin and originated from precipitation in the northern piedmont of Yenice Horst with elevation of 900 m asl. Various geothermometers yield the reservoir temperatures of 80–130 °C. A conceptual flow model for the KGF was suggested as follows: the thermal waters were derived from a regional flow system with high recharge areas and deep circulation depth. The NW- and NE-trending conjugate fault segments (the Pamukkale Fault Zone) serve as features of hydraulic channelling, magmatic heat source and fluid convection in the extensional settings. This fault system is characterized by migration of a large amount of CO2-rich gas from the deep geothermal reservoir. Consequently, the KGF is characterized by a fault-hosted geothermal system affected by magmatism and active extensional tectonics, the same as other geothermal fields in this crustal extensional setting. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Bouchal, Johannes Martin/0000-0002-4241-9075; Boulton, Sarah/0000-0002-8251-0025; Bilgin, Melike/0000-0003-4047-2865; Mayda, Serdar/0000-0001-5432-3559; HALACLAR, KAZIM/0000-0002-4990-9851, WOS: 000502451700002, Terrestrial fossil records from the SW Anatolian basins are crucial both for regional correlations and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions. By reassessing biostratigraphic constraints and incorporating new fossil data, we calibrated and reconstructed the late Neogene and Quaternary palaeoenvironments within a regional palaeogeographical framework. the culmination of the Taurides in SW Anatolia was followed by a regional crustal extension from the late Tortonian onwards that created a broad array of NE-trending orogen-top basins with synchronic associations of alluvial fan, fluvial and lacustrine deposits. the terrestrial basins are superimposed on the upper Burdigalian marine units with a c. 7 myr of hiatus that corresponds to a shift from regional shortening to extension. the initial infill of these basins is documented by a transition from marginal alluvial fans and axial fluvial systems into central shallow-perennial lakes coinciding with a climatic shift from warm/humid to arid conditions. the basal alluvial fan deposits abound in fossil macro-mammals of an early Turolian (MN11-12; late Tortonian) age. the Pliocene epoch in the region was punctuated by subhumid/humid conditions resulting in a rise of local base levels and expansion of lakes as evidenced by marsh-swamp deposits containing diverse fossil mammal assemblages indicating late Ruscinian (late MN15; late Zanclean) age. A second pulse of extension, accompanied by regional climatic changes, prompted subsequent deepening of the lakes as manifested by thick and laterally extensive carbonate successions. These lakes, which prevailed c. 1 myr, later shrank due to renewed progradation of alluvial fans and eventually filled up and dried out, reflected by marsh-swamp deposits at the top of a complete lacustrine succession that contains diverse micro-mammal assemblages indicating a latest Villanyian (MN17; Gelasian) age. A third pulse of tectonic reorganisation and associated extension dissected the basins into their present-day configuration from the early Pleistocene onwards under warm/humid climatic conditions. the new age data provide means to correlate deposits across various basins in the region that help to place the basin development into a regional tectonic framework, which can be attributed to the consequence of the well-articulated regional phenomena of slab-tear/detachment-induced uplift followed by crustal extension and basin formation (late Tortonian), the outward extension of the Aegean arc (early Pliocene) and eventually accompanied by westward extrusion of the Anatolian Plate (early Pleistocene).

Mayda, Serdar/0000-0001-5432-3559; ANDRIEU-PONEL, Valerie/0000-0001-7044-967X, WOS: 000508492400005, The early Pleistocene travertines from Kocaba in the Denizli Basin (SW Turkey), from which the only known Homo erectus from Anatolia derives, are covered by a succession of lake deposits. So far, the taphonomic history of the site has precluded a detailed palaeoecological analysis. This paper details the sedimentary succession and palaeoenvironmental conditions by analysing the micro- and macro palaeontological species compositions. These data provide direct evidence of the opportunities and limiting factors of the environment inhabited by hominins during the early Pleistocene. Four distinctive lithostratigraphic units are recognized in the Quaternary succession, consisting of: Lower Travertine, Lower Conglomerates, Upper Travertine, and Upper Conglomerates. These units correspond to an alternation of lacustrine limestone, fluvial-lacustrine siliciclastic deposits and subaerially precipitated travertine accumulations. the age of the succession is constrained by cosmogenic nuclide concentration, palaeomagnetic measurements and large mammal biostratigraphy which suggest deposition occurred between similar to 1.6 and 1.2 Ma. the travertine succession contains a moderately diverse macromammal fauna, including Homo erectus, decapod crustaceans and leaf imprints. the herbivore association likely dwelled in a mixed landscape during temperate and humid climatic conditions, supported by negative delta O-18 values from analysed gastropod and bivalve shells. the presence of an anomalohaline lake is indicated by an abundant and well-preserved ostracod community, consisting of alkaline tolerant taxa and freshwater genera further supported by the presence of cardiid bivalves. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved., Scientific and Technological Research Council of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK); French Scientific Research National Center (CNRS) [TUBITAK-CNRS 110Y335]; Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA)Turkish Academy of Sciences; Alexander-von-Humboldt fellowshipAlexander von Humboldt Foundation, This study would not have been possible without the help and access throughout the year by the management of the Faber Quarry. in particular, we thank Haydar Alptekin, Koray Ates and LINT. Korkmaz, and the director Nejdet Karakuyu for their support. We further thank John Kappelman (University of Texas) for his constructive and helpful advice. the study was supported by international bilateral cooperation project between the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and the French Scientific Research National Center (CNRS; PICS program "First Human in Turkey" 2016-2018), research grant no. TUBITAK-CNRS 110Y335. This paper contributes to the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation Program PRIDE ("Pontocaspian Rise and Demise"). M.C.A. is grateful to the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) for a GEBIP (Young Scientist Award) grant. T.A.N. was supported by an Alexander-von-Humboldt fellowship.

Pollen analysis was done on lacustrine sedimentary sequences dated by micromammals as late Pliocene–early Pleistocene that outcrop in two Neogene graben basins from SW Turkey. This study shows vegetation changes from steppe-like to more forested environments, very similar to the cyclic oscillations related to late Pleistocene glacial–interglacial climate changes. Artemisia was abundant during cold–arid periods, indicating that this species was already widespread in this area during the latest Pliocene and the beginning of the Pleistocene. A review of pollen records from Anatolia agrees with this study, suggesting that the spreading of this arid species occurred during a major climatic change: the beginning of the first glaciations and probably a change in seasonality towards summer aridity. Artemisia temporarily disappeared from the region during warm–wet periods and thus we suggest that glacial–interglacial-type oscillations already occurred in the area during the late Pliocene–early Pleistocene.

• NE-trending Pliny–Strabo trench has envisaged being continued into Anatolia as strike-slip fault.

The locality of Bicakci (Cameli basin, Anatolia) has yielded a diverse fauna of micromammals. The arvicolines are the most diverse and abundant group. Their stage in evolution shows that the fauna is late Villanyian in age and can be placed in the lower part of the zone P of the Anatolian Neogene biozonation. Thus, it is on the brink of the important Villanyian/Biharian transition. The presence of three species of hamster, in combination with the occurrence of Borsodia, a high abundance of Kalymnomys and a near absence of insectivores, suggests a dry, open landscape. However, the important contribution of Clethrionomys in the vole fauna indicates the nearby presence of woodlands. Overall, the environment at the time of deposition appears to have been similar to that of the area today. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A multiproxy study of the anastomosed fluvial succession from the Çameli Basin (SW Anatolia, Turkey) provides new insights on the palaeoenvironmental and palaeogeographical evolution of an extensional basin located at the top of western Taurides mountain range in the eastern Mediterranean. Detailed sedimentological, palaeontological and geochemical analyses on biogenic carbonates were carried out on the early Pleistocene (latest Villanyian) organic-rich fluvial succession in the Bıçakçı locality. Five main facies association groups characteristic of different sedimentary environments are recognized: (i) channel (CH), comprising lens-shaped bodies of fine- to medium-grained sandstones with minor siltstone interlayers; (ii) crevasse-splay (CS), including laminated siltstones and fine- to medium-grained sandstones sheets; (iii) pond (PD), containing laminated carbonaceous shales interbedded with siltstone or sandstone; (iv) swamp (SW), comprising coal beds with siltstone interbeds; and (v) floodplain (FP), including massive mudstones interbedded with siltstone and sandstone beds. Detailed facies analysis of the Bıçakçı succession reflects deposition on a floodplain which was traversed by a network of low-energy, well-defined channels separated by swamp and ponded areas in an anastomosed fluvial system. The Bıçakçı succession comprises a very rich micromammal fauna with a few large mammal remains, a rich variety of molluscs, plant macrofossils and pollen. This comprehensive record allows a multiproxy approach in reconstructing the early Pleistocene palaeoenvironment. The fauna and flora and stable isotope composition of the mollusc fauna of the Bıçakçı succession reflect vegetated quiet to slow moving freshwater shallow lakes and swamps under mostly cold and arid climatic conditions (stages 1 and 3) interrupted by a warm and subhumid interval (stage 2). The multiproxy record from Bıçakçı shows that early Pleistocene palaeoenvironments were predominantly open, steppe with some isolated shrubs and trees with forest at higher elevations. The very diverse landscape mosaics in the Çameli Basin during the early Pleistocene provided an excellent setting for refugia of Eurasian taxa. The biogeographic signature of mollusc and plant biota is predominantly modern Palaearctic with a minor amount of modern Palaearctic of the eastern Mediterranean, whereas mammal biota are dominated by extinct Palaearctic with a low proportion of the modern Palaearctic. During the early Pleistocene (2.25–2.1 Ma), the palaeoclimate and palaeoenvironmental conditions in Bıçakçı correspond to climatic deterioration after the onset of northern hemisphere glaciation (NHG, ~ 2.55 Ma) in the eastern Mediterranean. © 2016 Elsevier B.V.

The Cebre Rhyolite with an outcropping area up to 12 km(2) is one of the rare extrusions in the Variscan basement of the Sakarya Zone. The unit consists of high-K calc alkaline rhyolites (SiO2 = 74-82 wt.%). Abundant phenocrysts of quartz and K-feldspar are accompanied by subordinate cordierite phenocrysts, rare muscovite microphenocrysts and biotite microcrysts set in a fine-grained groundmass. Three types of rock fragments (xenoliths) have been recognized; (i) porphyritic, (ii) equigranular hypabyssal and (iii) hypocrystalline fragments. Zircon U-Pb dating indicates that the Cebre Rhyolite was extruded at 332.8 +/- 4.38 Ma, which post-dates the Variscan low temperature metamorphism and pre-dates the emplacement of I-type granitic intrusions (325-303 Ma).The samples are strongly peraluminous with A/CNK values ranging from 1.48 to 2.95 and A/NK from 1.49 to 2.99. They have very high K2O (3.72-7.42 wt.%) and Al2O3 (10.77-14.11 wt.%) contents, but very low CaO (0.02-0.21 wt.%), Na2O (0.05-0.78 wt.%) and MgO (0.3-0.21 wt.%) contents. The samples show geochemical affinity with the upper continental crust, e.g., enrichment of large ion lithophile elements (LILEs; K, Rb, U, Th, Pb), depletion of high field strength elements (HFSEs; Nb, Ta, Ti), Sr, P and Eu, but epsilon Nd-(t) values (- 3.06 to - 8.75) and isotope ratios of Sr-(t)((87) Sr/Sr-86 = 0.70499-0.70915) and Pb-(t) (Pb-206/Pb-204 = 16.41-17.570, Pb-207/Pb-204 = 15.54-15.59, Pb-208/Pb-204 = 36.20-37.22) are similar to those of the lower crust. Geochemical and isotope data indicate that the Cebre Rhyolite was generated by melting of metapelitic rocks with some addition of intermediate metaigneous derived magma. As a geodynamic model, we propose that the Variscan Orogeny in Turkey was occurred by collision of Gondwana with an arc/terrane separated from the southern margin of Laurussia. This collision was followed shortly after by splitting of oceanic lithosphere into two pieces and sinking down into asthenosphere. Rapid upwelling of asthenosphere to space emptied by previous oceanic lithosphere provided heat for high temperature metamorphism and anatexis of metasedimentary rocks in the crust. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Billi et al. (2017) proposed a new interpretation for the origin and internal structure of thermogene travertine deposits. On the basis of evidence from two quarries located in southern Tuscany (Italy), they interpreted some travertine beds as calcite veins and argued that undulating travertine beds formed by syn-diagenetic (i.e. non-tectonic) folding that was caused by laterally-confined volume expansion caused by incremental veining. They assumed that such a process causes changes to the rock properties, including porosity reduction, rock strengthening, and age rejuvenation. The interpretations by Billi et al. (2017) challenge and question the current understanding and interpretation of thermogene travertine deposits. This understanding, based on numerous studies since the 1980s, is that these deposits form from thermal water flowing downslope, and precipitating calcium carbonate. Here, we explain how the comparison with active depositional systems is essential for the understanding the origin of structures in older, inactive travertine deposits, such as those studied by Billi et al. (2017). We further argue that the three-dimensional setting of travertine deposits should be taken into account in order to discuss the possible development of secondary structures. Indeed travertine deposition on slopes typically leads to the formation of terraced morphologies with pools bordered by rounded rims and separated from each other by steep walls. The resulting three-dimensional structures can be misinterpreted as asymmetric folds in two-dimensional views (i.e., in saw-cut walls of quarry). In this paper we debate the interpretations offered by Billi et al. (2017) and their criteria to recognise syn-diagenetic, non-tectonic folds in travertine deposits, and explain why many of their ideas are questionable.

Resume Le site de Kocabas, est situe dans le Bassin de Denizli, en Anatolie occidentale, a 400 km au sud-ouest d’Ankara, a 360 km au sud d’Istanbul, a 200 km a l’est-sud-est d’Izmir et a 150 km au nord-ouest d’Antalya. La depression du Bassin de Denizli, a la jonction du Buyuk Menderes et du Gediz graben, dont la formation a debutee au debut du Miocene, a ete comblee a ses marges, au niveau des plans de failles, par d’importantes formations de travertins dont certains sont encore actifs actuellement. L’âge des travertins de Kocabas, d’ou provient la calotte crânienne d’Homo erectus de Kocabas, a ete evaluee par la methode de la thermoluminescence a 828 000 ans, par celle de la resonance electronique de Spin (ESR) a 1 110 000 ans et par la methode des nucleides cosmogeniques 26Al/10Be a un âge superieur a 1,22 Ma et plus jeune qu’environ 1,5 Ma, datation qui est confirmee par la magnetostratigraphie et la biochronologie.

The large mammals from travertine deposits in the Denizli basin include the following species: Archidiskodon meridionalis meridionalis, Equus cf. altidens s. l., E. cf. apolloniensis, Stephanorhinus cf. etruscus, Metacervoceros rhenanus, Cervalces (Libralces) ex gr. minor-gallicus, Palaeotragus sp.

In the extensional province of SW-Anatolia, the cross-cutting relationship between the NW- and NE-oriented Neogene and Quaternary basins is an ongoing debate in the understanding of the tectonic evolution of this area. In order to contribute to this issue, we carried out a structural and kinematic study along the seismogenic NW-trending Dinar Fault Zone (DFZ). This structure was initially controlled by the sedimentary and tectonic evolution of the NE-oriented Neogene Baklan, Acigöl and Burdur basins and, later, by the NW-oriented Quaternary Dinar Basin.On the basis of >. 1000 structural and kinematic data, in conjunction with basin stratigraphy, the DFZ can be divided into three almost parallel and continuous bands, that are: (a) the Hangingwall where Quaternary sediments are deformed by normal faults with mechanical striations; (b) the Inner Zone, corresponding to the present Dinar fault scarp, where NW-trending normal faults with mechanical striations are dominant, and (c) the Outer Zone, located in the footwall of the structure comprising the area between the fault scarp and undeformed bedrock, where faults exhibit variable orientation and kinematics, from strike-slip to normal dip-slip. These kinematics are mainly indicated by calcite shear veins and superimposed mechanical striations, respectively. This suggests that the DFZ changed kinematics over time, i.e., the DFZ initiated as dominant dextral strike-slip to oblique-slip fault system and continued with a dominant normal movement. Therefore, we hypothesize that the NW-trending DFZ was initially a transfer zone during the late Miocene-Pliocene, coeval to the sedimentary and structural evolution of the NE-trending Baklan, Acigöl and Burdur basins. During the Quaternary the DFZ, representing an already weakened crustal sector, played the role of a normal fault system providing the accommodation space for the Quaternary Dinar Basin. Hydrothermal circulation and volcanism at NE-/NW-trending faults intersection implies structurally-driven conduits channeling fluids from depth to surface. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

In this study, marine Pleistocene mollusc faunas from deposits along the southern shores of the Izmit Bay area (Marmara Sea, Turkey) are reviewed. Ten samples from five localities spanning middle and late Pleistocene intervals are assessed and compared to four samples of a Holocene age. For the Pleistocene fauna, a total of 59 mollusc species (33 bivalve and 26 gastropod species) are recorded, some of which are reported for the first time for this region. The middle Pleistocene fauna bears large resemblance to the late Pleistocene faunas, even though marine conditions were lacking during sea-level drops in the Marmara Sea Basin in intervening times. The middle Pleistocene mollusc fauna is dominated by species that typify the so-called Uzunlarian faunas while the late Pleistocene mollusc fauna is indistinguishable from Karangatian faunas of the Black Sea Basin.Several common species (including Bittium reticulatum, Rissoa spp. and Lucinella divaricata) show that the both Uzunlarian and Karangatian assemblages of Yalova fauna mainly represent seagrass palaeoenvironments. Palaeosalinities estimates for the Yalova area are uppermost mesohaline to polyhaline, typically around or above 20 psu, which is almost similar to the optimum salinity estimates for the middle Pleistocene Uzunlarian. However, it is slightly lower then the Upper Pleistocene Karangatian, representing the location of the Yalova area in an embayment with freshwater input at that time.The Yalova sections are located in the southern flank of the North Anatolian fault system responsible for a strong local uplift of the study area. The sections contain evidence for three marine high stands, separated by terrestrial intervals. When regional uplift rates (approximately 0.2 mm/y) and oceanic sea-levels are considered it is likely that the three highstand intervals correspond to relative sea level high stands of MIS7, MIS5e and possibly MIS5d but further study is required to confirm such a suggestion. © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA.

The Çameli Basin in southwestern Anatolia preserves a sequence of fossiliferous sediments that record the Pliocene and early Pleistocene faunal development in the area. Here, we present the fauna of Ericek, a locality near the bottom of the sequence. The locality is rich in fish remains, particularly pharyngeal teeth of the cyprinids Barbus, Carassius and Capoeta, but also includes rare tooth-bearing bones of a possible cobitid and gobiid. The abundant fish remains agree with the geological interpretation that the Ericek sediments were deposited in a palaeolake. That interpretation is further supported by the abundance of mollusc fossils. The gastropod fauna is dominated by Pseudamnicola, Valvata and other freshwater prosobranch taxa. The dominance of prosobranch taxa over freshwater pulmonate species indicates a well-oxygenated lake environment. A range of aquatic, swamp and terrestrial tetrapod taxa are also represented. The amphibian fauna, documented mainly by anuran skull and postcranial bones and by a single salamander jaw, is consistent with a lacustrine setting for Ericek. Notable among the amphibian fossils are two jaws that may document the second record of palaeobatrachid frogs from Anatolia. Reptiles are represented by a few, incomplete vertebrae of colubroid and indeterminate snakes. Micromammal molars suggest the presence of a forested environment surrounding the palaeolake. Muridae are represented by three species, of which Apodemus cf. dominans is the most abundant. The shrew Asoriculus is the second most abundant species, which argues for a humid palaeoenvironment. The co-occurrences of the vole Mimomys occitanus and of the murids Orientalomys cf. similis and Rhagapodemus cf. primaevus indicate a late MN 15 age for the fauna, at an estimated age of 3.4 Ma. © 2015, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

WOS: 000333998400002, Since its discovery within a travertine quarry, the fragmentary cranium of the only known Turkish Homo erectus, the Kocabas hominid, has led to conflicting biochronological estimations. First estimated to be similar to 500 lea old, the partial skull presents a combination of archaic and evolved features that puts it as an intermediate specimen between the Drnanisi fossils (Homo georgicus) and the Chinese Zhoukoudian skulls (Homo erectus) respectively dated to 1.8 to similar to 0.8 Ma. Here we present a multidisciplinary study combining sedimentological, paleontological and paleoanthropological observations together with cosmogenic nuclide concentration and paleomagnetic measurements to provide an absolute chronological framework for the Upper fossiliferous Travertine unit where the Kocabas hominid and fauna were discovered. The Al-26/(10) Be burial ages determined on pebbles from conglomeratic levels framing the Upper fossiliferous Travertine unit, which exhibits an inverse polarity, constrains its deposition to before the Cobb Mountain sub-chron, that is between 1.22 and similar to 1.5 Ma. The alternative match of the normal polarity recorded above the travertine with the Jaramillo subchron (lower limit 1.07 Ma) may also be marginally compatible with cosmogenic nuclides interpretation, thus the proposed minimum age of 1.1 Ma for the end of massive travertine deposition. The actual age of the fossils is likely to be in the 1.1-1.3 Ma range. This absolute date is in close agreement with the paleoanthropological conclusions based on morphometric comparisons implying that Kocabas hominid belongs to the Homo erectus s.l. group that includes Chinese and African fossils, and is different from Middle and Upper Pleistocene specimens. Furthermore, this date is confirmed by the large mammal assemblage, typical of the late Villafranchian. Because it attests to the antiquity of human occupation of the Anatolian Peninsula and one of the waves of settlements out of Africa, this work challenges the current knowledge of the Homo erectus dispersal over Eurasia. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/)., Scientific and Technical Research Council of TurkeyTurkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) [110Y335, 12-05-91372-ST_a]; French Scientific Research National Center (CNRS) [110Y335, 12-05-91372-ST_a]; Pernod-Ricard company; Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA-GEBIP)Turkish Academy of Sciences; Ege UniversityEge University [TTM/001/2010, TTM/002/2011], The study was supported by international bilateral cooperation project between the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey and the French Scientific Research National Center (CNRS) with research grant number of TUBITAK-CNRS 110Y335, and grant of RFBI 12-05-91372-ST_a. We are grateful to the Pernod-Ricard company which supports also this research program. M.C.A. thanks the grant of Outstanding Young Scientist Award from the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA-GEBIP). We particularly thank Koray Ates and the logistic support of Faber Marble Group. S.M. thanks the Ege University projects TTM/001/2010, TTM/002/2011. We are deeply grateful to T. Tanju Kaya (Ege Univ. Natural Hist. Museum), for providing us all the comparative material from the Museum catalogue. The AMS measurements were performed thanks to the ASTER Team (M. Arnold, G. Aumaitre, and K. Keddadouche) at the ASTER AMS national facility (CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence) that is supported by the INSU/CNRS, the French Ministry of Research and Higher Education, IRD and CEA. We also thank L. Leanni for her help during the chemical processing, Ph. Dussoulliez for artwork support, and N. Marriner for proof-reading the manuscript. The new reconstruction of the Kocabas skull was done with the help of Patricia Wils from the French National Museum of Natural History. We acknowledge the patience and effort of the editor B. Marty in the reviewing process, as well as reviewers for their challenging questions and suggestions.

The Cal Basin formed in the late Miocene as an orogen-top rift hosting terrestrial sedimentation. The initial array of alluvial fans in a half-graben basin was replaced by an axial meandering-river system during the late Tortonian. Palaeomammal taxa indicate a mid-Turolian age of the deposits and a grass-dominated steppe ecosystem. Isotopic data from pedogenic carbonates indicate a warm, semiarid to arid climate. Subhumid to humid climatic conditions prevailed in the Pliocene, with a palustrine environment and savannah-type open ecosystem, recording a regional response to the marine flooding that terminated the Messinian 'salinity crisis' in the Mediterranean. Pleistocene saw re-establishment of a fluvial system in the basin with the development of an open steppe ecosystem in warm, semiarid to arid climatic conditions. The sedimentary facies analysis of the basin-fill succession, combined with biostratigraphic data, render the basin a regional reference and help to refine the Neogene tectono-climatic history of SW Anatolia. (C) 2012 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.