5th International Symposium on Eastern Mediterranean Geology

Thessaloniki, Greece, 14-20 April 2004

At the edge of the extruding wedge: the Munzur

region, eastern Turkey
Neubauer F.1, Pöschl I.2, Genser W.2, Müllegger M.2, Kleberger J.2 & Simsek O.2
1
Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunnerstr. 34, A-5020,
Salzburg, Austria, franz.neubauer@sbg.ac.at
2
iC Consulenten Ziviltechniker, Zollamtsstr. 1, A-5101 Bergheim, Austria

Keywords: palaeostress, extrusion, surface uplift, extension, thrusting

Introduction
Major sectors of Turkey represent a westward extruding wedge (Anatolian Block), which is
considered to be driven by the indentation of the Arabian plate (Kiratzi, 1993; Bozkurt, 2001).
Respective movements were recently proven by measurements using global positioning sys-
tem (GPS) (Kahle et al., 1999; McClusky et al., 2003). The indentation created conjugate sys-
tems of strike-slip faults, including the dextral North Anatolian Fault (NAF), the sinistral East
Anatolian Fault (EAF) and the sinistral Ovacik Fault (OF). The currently active Karliova triple
point is located at the intersection between NAF and EAF and forms the easternmost tip of
the Anatolian Block (Fig. 1). Westaway and Arger (2001) assume that a previous triple point
was situated further to the West, at the NAF / OF intersection. The respective tectonic model
explains that the OF was kinematically replaced by the younger EAF as the triple point mi-
grated from the Ovacik Basin region to towards Karliova. In the larger triple point area, extru-
sion dispersed a Late Mesozoic to Early Tertiary orogene that was affected by Neogene plu-
tonism and volcanism related to northward subduction of Mediterranean oceanic lithosphere

Figure 1. Location of the Munzur region close to the intersection between the East-
and North Anatolian fault zones.

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Thessaloniki, Greece, 14-20 April 2004

(Robertson 2002 and references therein).

New data were recently collected along the Munzur Valley crossing the SE foothills of the
Munzur Mountains that are situated within the easternmost section of the Anatolian Block
(Fig. 1), bounded by the North Anatolian Fault (NAF), the Ovacik Fault (OF) and the East
Anatolian Fault (EAF). The results allow for the re-assessment of the regional tectonic history
and Neogene and Recent fault structures.
The working area comprises Pre-Cretaceous metamorphic units and Cretaceous and post-
Cretaceous sediments. The basal Keban Metamorphic Complex, which was formed by early
Late Cretaceous ductile thrusting, metamorphism and folding, collapsed during Late Creta-
ceous, resulting in the formation of the Keban Basin. The main stages of subsidence in the
Keban Basin during Maastrichtian and Eocene times led to the deposition of the terrestrial
Gözerek Conglomerates and the marine Lower Konaktepe Formation, the latter showing evi-
dence of syndepositional folding. The volcanic Upper Konaktepe Formation and the flysch-
type Torunoba Formation were deposited during early Tertiary and Neogene. Intrusion of
Neogene granitoids led to contact metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration.
From Neogene to Recent time the succession was subject to multi-phase deformation proc-
esses under varying stress regimes that developed in relation to the migrating triple point and
gave rise to a complex fault pattern.

Faults and other structural features

Selected Landsat 7 Thematic Mapper images (Elazig-Tunceli-Ovacik region) clearly show the
major fault zones, including the WNW-trending North Anatolian Fault (NAF) and Tunceli Fault,
the NE-trending East Anatolian (EAF) and Ovacik Fault (OF) and numerous secondary linea-
ments of (sub)parallel orientation. Among these, the NE-trending Pülümür Fault, situated be-
tween OF and EAF, is active as indicated by the recent Pülümür earthquake (M=6.2) and re-
lated aftershocks (refer to Earthquake Monitor by Gezdirici, 2000).
The lineaments of (sub)parallel orientation to these major structures relate to a young strike-
slip fault system that led to brittle deformation following the Cretaceous ductile deformation of
the Keban Metamorphic Complex.
Several faults not described in previous studies were identified within the working area. The
steeply dipping strike/oblique-slip faults are of considerable width and lead to large lateral
displacements within the Keban Metamorphic Complex and the sediments of the Gözerek,
Konaktepe and Torunoba Formation. The most prominent faults are: (1) the NW-trending
Munzur Fault that follows the NW-trending section of Munzur Gorge; (2) the E-W trending Da-
rica Fault that cuts across the N-S aligned section of Munzur River; (3) the WNW-trending
Yoguncan Fault; (4) the NE-SW trending Bedi Fault that separates the Gözerek Formation
from the Keban Metamorphic Complex; and (5) the NE-trending Torunoba Fault that is inter-
preted as SW extension of the active Pülümür Fault.
Good exposure and the availability of well-drilled drill cores allow to distinguish a number of
fault rocks and their classification according to schemes proposed by Wise et al. (1982),
Caine et al. (1996) and Hancock et al. (1999). Cataclastic fault rocks that consist of angular
components in a dark, massive, commonly calcitic matrix typically developed in phyllites and
calcitic schists/phyllites of the Keban Metamorphic Complex. Fibrous quartz is the dominating
cementation phase in cataclasites formed in schists, overprinted by contact metamorphic
processes. The Darica fault comprises abundant quartz as cementation phase as well as sul-
phides and hematite, suggesting subordinate ore mineralization. Solidified, travertine-like fault
rocks frequently mark core zones of major faults. All described fault rocks indicate hydrother-
mal activity and their formation is likely related to granitoid intrusions.

Slickenside and striae and palaeostress patterns

A significant number of slickensides and striae data were measured in 26 locations and sepa-
rated into palaeostress tensors indicating five different patterns. Overprint criteria found at
some outcrops allow the interpretation of a relative sequence of deformation events. Most
recent and currently ongoing deformation, that reflects N-S compression and shortening as

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Thessaloniki, Greece, 14-20 April 2004

indicated by GPS measurements and earthquake data, is not documented by the evaluated
palaeostress tensor groups A to E.
(1) Palaeostress tensor group A comprises sinistral ENE- and dextral NW-trending strike-slip
faults indicating approximately E-W maximum principal stress σ1 and approximately N-S
(or rare subvertical) minimum principal stress σ3.
(2) Palaeostress tensor group B: Conjugate sets of dextral E- and sinistral NNW-trending
strike-slip faults define a palaeostress stress tensor with NW-SE oriented σ1 and NNE-
SSW oriented σ3. The set correlates to approximately NW-trending granodioritic and
aplitic dykes as well as hydrothermal extensional veins and the intrusion of the granodio-
rites is suggested to have occurred during this deformation period.
(3) Palaeostress tensor group C: The most common group of faults are approximately NNW-
trending dextral and approximately NE-trending sinistral strike-slip faults related to N-S
shortening (σ1) and E-W extension (σ3). In some areas, these conjugate faults show N-
and ENE-trends, respectively, suggesting NE-SW shortening and NNW-SSE extension.
As the two different palaeostress tensor orientations spatially exclude each other, we as-
sume a common origin within a single deformation stage.
(4) Palaeostress tensor group D: Locally occurring N-/NNE and S-/SSW-dipping normal
faults indicate N-S extension. Lacking clear overprint relationships the relative age of de-
formation stages of palaeostress tensor group D within the sequence remains uncertain.
(5) Palaeostress tensor group E: Fault and striae of palaeostress tensor groups A-C are lo-
cally overprinted by sets of normal faults which indicate NW-SE extension (σ3) and sub-
vertical σ1.

Discussion
Subsequent to shortening and thrusting, the overthickened late Cretaceous orogene col-
lapsed during Maastrichtian and led to the late Cretaceous formation of the Keban Basin that
is interpreted as an extensional collapse basin. The NE-trending Bedi Fault that forms the
tectonic interface between the Keban Metamorphic Complex and the overlying basal con-
glomerates of the Gözerek Formation is interpreted as normal fault that developed under an
(W)NW-(E)SE directed extensional regime (which partly differs from palaeostress tensor
group A) and confined the southeastern margin of the Keban Basin. Similar collapse type ba-
sins were recently described along the Inner Tauride Suture to the west of the working area.
Based on regional relationships (e. g. Andrieux et al., 1995), compressive tectonism resumed
with (W)NW-(E)SE directed compression (palaeostress tensor group B) in Neogene time.
Neogene granitoid intrusions that presumably developed in relation to the associated NE-SW
extension caused limited contact metamorphism and hydrothermal alteration that was largely
observed in the Konaktepe Formation and the Keban Metamorphic Complex. The E-W trend-
ing Darica Fault, which appears to be strongly associated with hydrothermal activity, devel-
oped as primary dextral strike-slip fault in response to NW-SE compression. The NW-trending
Munzur Fault may have formed as normal fault in association to the corresponding NE-SW
extension.
Neogene to Recent N-S directed compression (palaeostress tensor group C and recent de-
formation) with related shortening and pop-up processes led to the development of conjugate
strike-slip faults such as the sinsitral NE-trending Torunoba Fault, reactivation of earlier faults
(e.g. dextral strike-slip reactivation of the Munzur Fault and probably sinistral strike-slip activa-
tion of the Bedi Fault) and to rapid surface uplift resulting in (over-)steep relief along sections
of the Munzur Valley.
The new data indicate that the tectonic evolution within the easternmost section of the west-
ward extruding Anatolian Block was dominated by a complex sequence of repetitively chang-
ing stress regimes. The presented preliminary tectonic model proposes that the eastwards
shift of the triple point from the Ovacik region towards Karliova caused a gradual change from
NW-SE compression (palaeostress tensor group B) to N-S compression (palaeostress tensor
group C) and eventually to NW-SE extension (palaeostress tensor group E). The initially tran-
spressive conditions along Munzur Gorge shifted to transtensive conditions as the area

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Thessaloniki, Greece, 14-20 April 2004

moved from immediate vicinity to a previous triple point towards a location inside of the Ana-
tolian block, increasingly distant from regions affected by maximum N-S compression at the
currently active Karliova triple point. The formation and recent activation of the NE-trending,
sinistral Pülümür Fault suggests that N-S compressional stress conditions re-established
close to the Ovacik Basin.

Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the indispensible support provided by our local field guides, Ah-
med Taşgin and Teslim Canoĝlu, who made inaccessible areas accessible and brown bear
encounters an appreciated adventure. We thank STRABAG AG for allowing the use of field
data.

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