Long-term faulting history of the Central Taurides based on U-Pb dating of syn-tectonic calcites

Abstract

The Central Taurides, located along the southern margin of the Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP), form a distinctive physiographic unit characterized by a steep mountain belt, high fault density, and diverse kinematic structures. It represents a key geological archive of subduction and the initial stages of collision in the Eastern Mediterranean. Although the geological evolution and origin of high-relief mountain development in this area remain extensively debated, the faulting history is poorly constrained due to a lack of direct isotopic age data. To comprehend the link between brittle deformation, uplift and plateau margin development, we investigate faulting history using kinematic and microstructural analyses combined with U-Pb dating of syn-tectonic calcites. U-Pb dating of forty-one syn-tectonic calcites indicate three faulting phases from the Late Cretaceous to the Quaternary. Thrust/reverse faulting occurred in the Late Cretaceous, followed by strike-slip faulting from the Early Eocene to the Early Miocene. Normal faulting became prevalent from the Early Miocene to the Quaternary. This study confirms compressional control on faulting during the Late Cretaceous in southern Türkiye. We also identify a previously unrecognized strike-slip faulting phase between the Early Eocene and the Early Miocene and demonstrate that extensional deformation in the Central Taurides began in the Early Miocene, rather than in the Middle/Late Miocene as suggested by earlier studies. Our results suggest that post-Oligocene structural patterns have been shaped by extensional processes. This study provides new constraints on multiple tectonic phases along the southern CAP margin, offering key insights into the geodynamic evolution of the Eastern Mediterranean.