VOLCANOLOGICAL MAP OF THE KARACADAĞ VOLCANIC COMPLEX, CENTRAL ANATOLIA, TURKEY

In this study we present the first detailed volcanological map of the Karacadağ Volcanic Complex (KVC), located in the Konya-Ereğli basin, South of Central Anatolia Volcanic Province (CAVP), Turkey. The KVC is composed of Pliocene to Quaternary eruptive products and covers an area of 880 km². It forms a SW-NW extending ridge-shaped morphology with a length of 37 km and width of 24 km. It is controlled by nearby fault zones (i.e. the Tuzgölü and Ecemiş faults) in Central Anatolia, formed during the Neotectonic episode. There are four craters aligning along the axis of this volcanic ridge, ranging in diameter from 1 to 3 km. Structural studies to date have shown that the central Anatolian crust has been deformed by a series of subparallel extensional and contractional zones related to these major fault zones, which also controlled the location and geometry of volcanic eruptions.

We produced a 1:25000 scaled map of the KVC on the basis of our field observations, results of petrographic and geochemical analyses, as well as compiled data from previous publications. We divided the KVC into five main volcanic series, each containing several lava and pyroclastic units (i.e. a total of 27 lavas, a rhyolitic dome and pyroclastic layers). The first three volcanic-series forming the main edifice of the volcano (i.e. the Oymalı, Yeşilyurt and Beyören volcanics) are characterized by porphyritic-textured intermediate lavas (i.e. basaltic-andesites, andesites, dacites and their pyroclastic equivalents). A 700 m-wide crater centered by a rhyolitic dome is located in the Yeşilyurt volcanic series. Some lavas of the Yeşilyurt volcanics contain micro-dioritic and micro-granodioritic enclaves. The final phase of the KVC, represented by the Kutören and Meke volcanics, is characterized by innumerable small monogenetic scoria cones, maars, basaltic lavas and pyroclastic layers.

SiO₂ contents of the KVC lavas vary between 46 and 65. All lavas display a clear subduction signature. Lavas of the first three volcanic series (Oymalı, Yeşilyurt and Beyören volcanics) are sub-alkaline, in contrast to the last two series (ie.. Meke and Kutören volcanics) which are alkaline in character. Therefore, there is a temporal change in magma composition across the KVC, which we relate to the temporal variations in crustal extension during the Late Miocene.