Tectonic Deformation and Geomorphological Development of the Toros Mountains, Southern Turkey Viewed from Distribution of Large-Scale Low-Relief Surfaces

Abstract

In the Toros Mountains, low-relief surfaces occupy wide area over the high ridges of about 2, 000 m a.s.l. of the Miocene limestone. Tectonic deformation of the area was inferred by characteristic distribution of the large-scale low-relief surfaces. The surfaces are divided into two types ; D (doline) type and S (smooth) type. Most parts of the low-relief surfaces of D type were formed as abrasional surfaces at the nearsea level during the Middle Miocene, though in the northern region of the mountains, part of them are recognised as depositional surfaces of platform limestone composed of calcareous algae. On the other hand, S type surface was formed 100-300 m below the level where D type was originally formed, after the Middle Miocene as a corrosion plain.
The present altitude of the D type surfaces indicates amount of uplift accumulated since the Late Miocene. In the Toros Mountains, two tectonic regions are recognized ; the upwarping area in the eastern part and the northward tilting area in the western part. An uplift rate of the main riges since the Late Miocene is estimated as 0.2 to 0.8 mm/y from the altitude of these low-relief surfaces and their estimated ages.