Carboniferous

Following the pioneering studies of Blumenthal (1944) who reported the presence of Permocarboniferous successions in the eastern Taurides the Carboniferous in the autochthonous belt was named for the first time in an unpublished MTA report as the Ziyarettepe Limestone by Demirtafll› (1967). The type-locality is near the Gümüflali Village located between the towns of Tufanbeyli and Sar›z. This formation was later studied by Özgül et al. (1973) in the outcrops close to the Naltafl Village located to the SW of the Town of Tufanbeyli. These authors modified the name of the unit as the Ziyarettepe Formation due to the heterogenous nature of its lithology and defined the stratigraphic position of the formation as conformable over the Gümüflali Formation of Late Devonian age and unconformable with the overlying Y›¤›l›tepe Formation of Permian age. According to Özgül et al. (1973) the formation consists of three distinct lithologies from bottom to top. Overlying the sandstones of the Gümüflali Formation, the unit, measuring 340 m, starts with limestoneshale alternations at the base, continues with a distinct quartz sandstone in the middle and is capped by a limestone unit at the top. They assigned an Early Carboniferous age to the formation based on brachiopods and corals. Later, Özgül (1976) in his classification of the tectonic units of Taurides depicted the stratigraphy of the Tufanbeyli region including the Ziyarettepe Formation as one of the reference sections of his Geyik Da¤› Unit. Demirtafll› et al. (1978) studied the Carboniferous Ziyarettepe Formation from the Tufanbeyli-Sar›z region in the eastern Taurides. Along the road section from P›narbafl› to Sar›z, they divided the formation into three informal members. Overlying the carbonates and clastics of the uppermost Devonian (Etroeungtian ?) the lower member consisting of bituminous, platy and argillaceous limestones containing brachiopods were assigned to the Lower to Middle Tournaisian. The overlying member composed of shale, sandstone and sandy limestone intercalations was considered as Middle to Upper Tournaisian based again on brachiopods. The third member comprising mainly limestones was studied with corals, brachiopods and foraminifers and a Middle Tournaisian to Early Visean age was given to the unit. Following these studies the Ziyarettepe Formation of Carbonifeorus age was recognized and studied in several localities of the eastern Taurides, comprising Gürün-Sar›z-Tufanbeyli-Saimbeyli-Feke and Kozan areas both for stratigraphic and petroleum exploration purposes (Kurtman, 1978; Metin et al., 1983, 1986, 1990; Tutkun, 1984, Demirel & Kozlu, 1997; Demirel, 2004 and Özgül & Kozlu, 2002). Among these studies, Metin et al. (1986) made a considerable modification in the nomenclature of the formation. These authors named the lower part of the unit comprising gray coloured, thin- to medium-bedded carbonates and detritics as the Tuzludere Formation and the overlying sandstones as the Kuflkayas› Sandstone. They restricted the definition of the Ziyarettepe Formation to a limestone level occurring in the upper part of the unit and renamed it as the Ziyarettepe Limestone. In more recent years, Ero¤lu-Nalc›o¤lu (2003) carried out a study based on brachiopods in the lower part of the Ziyarettepe Formation named as the Naltafl Member by Plodowski & Salanc› (1990). According to Ero¤lu-Nalc›o¤lu (2003) this member is Late Famennian to Tournasian in age and the Devonian-Carbonifeorus boundary lies at the base of bituminous shales overlying the sandy or silty limestone-marl alternations of latest Famennian age. Göncüo¤lu et al. (2004), following Plodowski & Salanc› (1990), described the Ziyarettepe Formation in a fourfold subdivision. The lowermost sandy limestone with dark marly limestone intercalations was defined as the Naltafl Member of Plodowski & Salanc› (1990) who assigned a Strunian age (latest Devonian) to this unit based on brachiopods, trilobites and palynological data. Göncüo¤lu et al. (2004) also reported some conodont data of latest Devonian age from this unit. The rest of the succession comprising black shale; dark coloured, thin-bedded clayey limestone and sandstone; marly and sandy limestone, shale and cross-bedded sandstone and the uppermost limestone level was placed in the Carbonifeorus.