GEOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE KAZDAG METAMORPHIC CORE COMPLEX AND THE KARAKAYA COMPLEX IN NORTHWEST TURKEY

The Kazdag core complex (KCC) in the northwestern Turkey is tectonic window in which rocks that are exposed in the footwall of a detachment fault (Okay&Satir 2000). Within the study area, the core rocks consist primarily of gneisses, amphibolites, migmatites and marbles, in which represent amphibolite facies with nearly migmatization. These rocks have been intruded by Evciler pluton comprising mainly granodiorite, monzonite and diorite.

The core rocks are in fault contact below the Upper Triassic Karakaya complex consisting of metamorphic series and tectonic mélange. Metamorphic series forming the base of the Karakaya complex comprises very low-grade and low-grade metamorphites such as, greenschists, mica schists, calc-schists, metasandstones, slates and metaserpentinite blocks. The serpentinite blocks, are mostly surrounded by greenschist and mica schist. The tectonic mélange contains metavolcanic (basalt, andesite) matrix and a wide variety of recrystallized limestone and radiolarite blocks with upper Triassic, displaying chaotic nature and complex structural style.

The unroofing of the KCC took place in Late Oligocene time on extensional shear zone similar to some core complexes in Aegean region. The extension event was accompanied by intrusion of he syn-tectonic Evciler pluton. The shear zone is characterized by varies mylonitic rocks and kinematic indicators. Sense-of-shear indicators, including asymmetric porphyroclasts, mica fish, S-C fabric suggest top to the NNE displacement.