Unravelling the Tectonostratigraphy and Kinematics of the Late Cretaceous-Eocene Deformations in the Eastern Central Taurides (Türkiye)

Abstract The Bozkır, Bolkardağı, and Aladağ units, exposed in the eastern part of the Central Taurides, in southern Türkiye, were formed through subduction, metamorphism, compression, and collision processes during the Late Cretaceous to Eocene periods. The Bozkır Unit is composed of ophiolites, a metamorphic sole, and mélanges. The Bolkardağı Unit comprises metamorphic rocks, while the Aladağ Unit predominantly consists of limestone and dolomite in the study area. Although several hypotheses have been proposed for the formation of these Tauride units, the structural evolution of the Taurides remains poorly understood due to a lack of analytical data. This study integrates the facies characteristics of the Tauride units with their kinematic data to draw conclusions about their structural evolution and evaluate the direction of palaeostresses causing deformation. In addition to conventional field studies, structural data, including planar and linear deformation structures, were measured from all individual units and analysed using stereographic projections. The emplacement of the tectonostratigraphic units and their subsequent post-emplacement deformations indicate that compressional deformation occurred in two distinct directions during the Late Cretaceous to Eocene period. We interpret the SE-directed emplacement of Tauride units during the Turonian to Late Maastrichtian as a result of thrust tectonics. In contrast, the NW-directed deformation from the Late Maastrichtian to the Eocene (Ypresian) is interpreted as backthrust tectonics.