Depositional Environments and Petrography of Denizli Travertines

Abstract

Quaternary to Recent travertines in the Denizli basin are distinguished in 9 lithofacies according to the field and microscopic features. These are: 1) Crystalline crust, 2) Shrub, 3) Pisolith, 4) Paper-thin raft, 5) Coated gas bubble, 6) Reed, 7) Lithoclast, 8) Pebbly travertines and 9) Palaeosols. Various combinations of the distinguished lithofacies are deposited on the slope, depression, mound, fissure ridge and channel depositional environments. In addition, these main depositional environments are divided into subenvironments. As to isotope analysis made of some travertine samples, d3C and d8O values show a wide distribution. The d13C values are between 0.35%o and 6.70%o; d18O values are -6.47%o to -15.10 %o. Consequently, an isotopic grouping has been brought up based on lithofacies variation and depositional environments.