Türkiye Jeoloji Bülteni

Geological Evolution of the Kahramanmaraş Tertiary Peripheral Basin

Abstract: In this study, we have investigated the geological evolution of Tertiary sedimentary rocks between Bertiz-Süleymanlıand Kılavuzlu region in the north of Kahramanmaraş.The data wich are obtained from studies in north and south of the investigated area, indicate that a divergent regime exist betweenArabian and Taurus plates and which starts at Jurassic and continues in  the Lower Cretaceous time and point out a subduction regime thatbegins with the Valanginian age. It is clear that the continuity of this subduction of the Arabian plate moves toward the north untill theMaastrihtian. There are different opinions related with the geological evolution beginning with the Maastrichtian to the Miocene period.However, since the Miocene epoch a peripheral basin has been developed in the region. The sediments which have accumulated in thisperipheral basin that developed between Arabian plate and Taurus platform show different sequential arrangements in the northern andthe southern of the basin. The change of stratigraphic position and depositional environments in space and time point out at least sevencompression / thurust movements since the Upper Cretaceous epoch in the region.