TECTONICS AND TETHYAN EVOLUTION OF SE ANATOLIAN OROGEN

SE Anatolia orogen has evolved through various subduction, collision and post-collisional processes related to Neotethys ocean located between Afro-Arabian Plate in the south and Eurasia in the North. It is one of the unique areas along the Alp-Himlayan belt that different branches of Neotheys ocean bifurcate and evolved independently. However, there is no concensus about the number of oceans and continental blocks involved, subduction polarity, timing of collision and post-collisional evolution of the region. Over the last decade, voluminous information has been accumulated about the region that covers various branches of earth sciences ranging from the mantle depths to surface geological observations. In this regard it is important to note that the available high-resolution mantle tomographic images of the region do not support multiple subduction scenarios as the subducted slabs are either attached to the present oceanic crusts or are detached at the upper mantle and forms continues single slabs at depths of more than 1200 km. On the other hand fault kinematic studies based on paleostress inversion indicate at least five successive deformation phases in the region since the Late Cretaceous.

In this contribution, the feasibility of previously proposed evolutionary scenarios will be discussed in the light of tomographic images and and evolution of eastern Anatolia will be reconciled based on available literature information and our new field data.