Tracking the uplift of the Bolkar Mountains (south-central Turkey): evidence from apatite fission track thermochronology

Abstract

Apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronology is applied to the Horozköy granitoid, which outcrops within the BolkarMountains (south-central Turkey). The region comprises the Niğde Massif to the north, the Inner Tauride Suture Zone, and the CentralTaurides to the south. The Niğde Massif and the Central Taurides collided during the Eocene following north-dipping subduction of theInner Tauride Ocean beneath the Niğde Massif. The Ulukışla Basin formed above this suture zone. The AFT ages range between 23 and16 Ma, although there was no significant uplift or exhumation during this period. During the Oligo-Miocene, the region experienced aslow uplift and the collapse of the Tauride belt, in response to the mantle processes (roll-back, break-off, and/or slab tearing) related tothe African plate and linked oceanic slab beneath the Anatolide-Taurides. The Central Taurides reached maximum height during thelatest Miocene. The AFT modeling results indicate a fast exhumation in the late Miocene-Pleistocene, consistent with the biostratigraphicand field evidence.