The geology and Evaluation of Misis-Andırın Belt, Aroun Andırın (Kahramanmaraş)

Authors: Yücel YILMAZ, Ömer Feyzi GÜRER

Abstract: There is a NNE-SSW trending mountain range called the Misis-Andırın mountains lying in the iddle of the Adana plain, South Turkey, In this mountain range, rocks varying from the Upper Creataceous to Upper Miocene crop out. They orijinally belong to 3 different tectonic units: (1) an ophilitic melange basement and internally chaotic mixture lying on the melange as the sedimentary cover, (2) the Amanos tectonic unit, an ordered sedimentary sucsession represented mostly by the Mesozoic limestone sequence. They belong to the Arabian plate, and (3) a Mosezoic limestone succession as a nappe, which was derived from the Taurus System. In the Misis-Andırın tectonic belt two different melange units are distinguished. The dikenli melange is the Late Crateceous in age and a typical tectonically disrupted ophiolitic melange. The Çuhadarlı melange of the Late Paloecene-Early Eocene age includes relatively more ordered sedimentary rock slices. During the Late Eocene-Miocene period , internally chaotic sedimentary units were disposed in tectonically-controlled basins which were formed on the accreationary complex. Among these the flysch-like unit Upper Eocene-Oligocene age and the ordered flysch succession of the Lower Miocene age are known as the Bulgurkaya and the geben formation, respectively. There are some volcanic rocks interfingering with the sedimentary layers of the Bulgurkaya formation. This volcanic unit is known as the Güzelbeyli volcanics. The internally chaotic mixture of the sediments of the Upper eocene-Oligocene age gradually give way to the Lower Miocene ordered flysch succession. The flysch unit extend eastward towards the Amanos system, betwwen the Misis-Andırın and the Amanos. The flysch sucsession displays continuty where the proximal flysch succession and the distal flysch succession are differentiated and are called the Aslsntaş and Karataş formations, respectively. thelatter survived in a progressively shallowing environment during the Middle-Late Miocene, and ended up as a regressive succession. Yhe Amanos unit is situated to the SE of the region. It represents the arabian platform succession consisting of the Mesozoic limestone-dolomitic sequence known as Balk group, and an overlying Miocene conglomerate (the Kalecik conq.), reefal limestone (the Horu Ims.) and a flysch (the kızıldere fm.). The Miocene units were deposited in a peripheral foreland basin. The Misis-Andırın tectonic unit was thrust southwards onto the Amanos tectonic units were imbricated in thsi period, and thus they were tectonically shortened, thickened and were elevated above the sea. As a result of this development, the Misis-Andırın Mountain range began to form its present morphotectonical entity, and as an independent mountain range separated the Adana and İskenderun basins.

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