MORPHOLOGICAL FEATURES, AGES AND NEOTECTONIC SIGNIFICANCE OF PAMUKKALE TRAVERTINES

Year 1996, Volume: 118 Issue: 118, 25 - 25, 01.11.1996

Erhan Altunel

Abstract

The Pamukkale travertines in the northern margin of the Denizli basin can be classified into five categories based
on their morphology. These are: (1) terraced-mound travertines, (2) fissure-ridge travertines, (3) range-front travertines, (4) selfbuilt
channel travertines, and (5) eroded-sheet travertines. Three of these classes, range-front travertines, self-built channel
travertines and fissure-ridge travertines are of special tectonic significance because they contain syndepositional and postdepositional
tectonic structures. Uranyum series dating method has been applied to the Pamukkale travertines and showed that
travertine deposition has continued for at least the last 400 000 in different localities. Extensional fissures, that supply water
to the travertines, have been dilating at average rates between 0.02 and 0.1 mm/yr, and propagating laterally at about 20
mm/yr. The time averaged rates of extension of the plateau as a whole having been between 0.23 and 0.6 mm/yr during the
last 200 000 years.

Keywords

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