Tracking the uplift of the Bolkar Mountains (south-central Turkey): evidence from apatite fission track thermochronology

Apatite fission track (AFT) thermochronology is applied to the Horozkoy granitoid, which outcrops within the Bolkar Mountains (south-central Turkey). The region comprises the Nigde Massif to the north, the Inner Tauride Suture Zone, and the Central Taurides to the south. The Nigde Massif and the Central Taurides collided during the Eocene following north-dipping subduction of the Inner Tauride Ocean beneath the Nigde Massif. The Ulukisla Basin formed above this suture zone. The AFT ages range between 23 and 16 Ma, although there was no significant uplift or exhumation during this period. During the Oligo-Miocene, the region experienced a slow uplift and the collapse of the Tauride belt, in response to the mantle processes (roll-back, break-off, and/or slab tearing) related to the African plate and linked oceanic slab beneath the Anatolide-Taurides. The Central Taurides reached maximum height during the latest Miocene. The AFT modeling results indicate a fast exhumation in the late Miocene-Pleistocene, consistent with the biostratigraphic and field evidence.