New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results from the Palaeozoic and

Early Mesozoic of the Middle Pontides (Northern Turkey)

in the Azdavay, Devrekani, Küre and Inebolu Areas:

Implications for the Carboniferous - Early Cretaceous Geodynamic Evolution

and Some Related Remarks to the Karakaya Oceanic Rift Basin

Heinz W. KOZUR 1, Mustafa AYDIN2, Osman DEMIR 2, Huseyin YAKAR 3,

M. Cemal GÖNCÜOĞ LU4 and Ferudun KURU 3

G EOL.  CR OAT. 53/2 209 - 268 3 Figs. 1 Tab. 15 Pls. ZAGREB 2000

Key words: Pelagic Upper Carboniferous and Permian, Middle Triassic oceanic crust, Upper Triassic to Middle

Jurassic accretionary complex, Hallstatt Limestone, T o r l e s s i a, Microfauna, Northern Turkey, Middle Pontides,

Paphlagonian Ocean, Küre Ocean and Karakaya oceanic rift basin.

1 Rézsü u. 83, Budapest, Hungary.

2 Türkiye Petrolleri A.O., Exploration Group, Mustafa Kemal Mahallesi, 2. Cadde No. 86, 06502 Esentepe-Ankara, Turkey.

3 Türkiye Petrolleri A.O., Research Center, Mustafa Kemal Mahallesi, 2. Cadde No. 86, 06502 Esentepe-Ankara, Turkey.

4 Department of Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Inönü Bulvari, 06531 Ankara, Turkey.

Abstract
The Küre Complex of the Middle Pontides, northern Turkey, is

not a remnant of the Palaeotethys but consists of three different units

with differing geological history, the Küre Ridge Unit, the Küre

Ocean Unit and the Çalça Unit. The Küre Ridge Unit consists of the

Serveçay Group, a pre-Permian, low-grade metamorphic Variscan

oceanic sequence, and the Sırçalık Group, a Lower and Middle Trias-

sic shallow-water sequence of North Alpine facies and event succes-

sion which disconformably overlies the Serveçay Group. Following a

hiatus, the Sırçalık Group is overlain by marginal parts of the Akgöl

Group with olistoliths of local origin which were derived mainly from

the Sırçalık Group. The Küre Ocean Unit consists mostly of the

Akgöl Group (siliciclastic turbidites and olistostromes of the Kara-

d ağtepe Formation, which is a middle Carnian to Middle Jurassic

accretionary complex from the southern, active margin of the Küre

Ocean, and mainly Middle Jurassic molasse type shallow-water sand-

stones, siltstones and shales of an unnamed formation) and of thick

oceanic basalts (I
.
psinler Basalt). Tectonic slices of Middle Triassic to

lower Carnian ophiolites and basalts are also present. The Kara-

d ağtepe Formation contains numerous Middle Triassic exotic olis-

toliths and blocks of shallow-water and predominantly slope and basi-

nal limestones, ocean-floor deep-sea sediments (shales and radiolar-

ites), basalts and small clasts of ophiolites or ophiolitic detritus. The

Çalça Unit consists of deposits from the northern, passive margin of

the Küre Ocean with many Pelsonian to upper Norian Hallstatt Lime-

stones and Rhaetian -Lower Jurassic (?Middle Jurassic) deep-water

shales and marls. All three units are overlain following a period of

non deposition by the Upper Jurassic Bürnük Formation (red con-

glomerate, sandstone) and I
.
naltı Formation (shallow-water platform

carbonates). 

The Küre Ridge Unit was split away from the Variscan Sakarya

Continent by the opening of the Karakaya oceanic rift basin during

latest Permian (Dorashamian) and became a continental splinter

between the Karakaya oceanic rift basin and the Küre Ocean (opened

during the late Scythian).

Southward subduction began in the Küre Ocean during the mid-

dle Carnian (beginning of the Karadağtepe siliciclastic turbidites),

whereas at the northern passive margin the deposition of Hallstatt

Limestones continued until the latest Norian. The deposition of silici-

clastic turbidites and olistostromes (Diskaya Unit) began in the entire

Karakaya oceanic rift basin during the middle Carnian, and ocean

basin deposits (radiolarites, pelagic limestones) and slope deposits

form the passive margin (e.g., Hallstatt Limestones) are no more pre-

sent in the Karakaya oceanic rift basin indicating that this basin was

very narrow (only a few hundreds of kilometres). During the late

Norian, the Karakaya oceanic rift basin closed, whereas subduction at

the southern (active margin) of the Küre Ocean continued. At the

northern margin of the (Upper Triassic?) Jurassic -Lower Cretaceous

B e y k oz-Ç ağlayan turbidite basin (north of the Küre Complex) the

accretionary complex of an older ocean, the Late Palaeozoic Paphlag-

onian Ocean, was exposed that yielded clasts in the Beykoz -Ç ağl a-

yan turbidite basin. Among these clasts Carboniferous to Middle Per-

mian (Capitanian) pelagic rocks (pelagic limestones, radiolarites)

could be dated. A Middle to Late Permian southward-directed sub-

duction is assumed for the Paphlagonian Ocean. Its closure occurred

either at the end of the Permian or during the Scythian.



210 Geologia Croatica 53/2

1. INTRODUCTION AND GENERAL GEOLOGI-

CAL SETTING OF THE MIDDLE PONTIDES

AND IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT AREAS

The Küre Complex of the Middle Pontides south of

Inebolu, northern Turkey (investigated area, Fig. 1)

plays an important role in the palaeogeographic recon-

structions of the Late Palaeozoic and Early Mesozoic of

Turkey and adjacent areas. Two conflicting palaeogeo-

graphic models were developed by the ŞE N G Ö R

school (e.g., ŞENGÖR & YILMAZ, 1981; ŞE N G Ö R ,

1984, 1985; ŞENGÖR et al., 1984; GENÇ & YILMAZ,

1995; YILMAZ et al., 1997) on one side, and OKAY

and co-authors (e.g., OKAY & MOSTLER, 1994;

OKAY et al., 1996) as well as ROBERTSON and co-

authors (e.g., PICKETT et al., 1995; USTAÖMER &

ROBERTSON, 1995, 1997, 1999; PICKETT & RO-

BERTSON, 1996) on the other. 

The first model regards the Küre Complex as a rem-

nant of the southwards subducting Late Palaeozoic -

Triassic Palaeotethys, and the Karakaya oceanic rift

basin as a latest Permian - Triassic back-arc basin that

was closed during the Upper Triassic by southward

subduction. 

The second model regards the Karakaya Basin as

the large, Devonian to Triassic Palaeotethyan Ocean

and the Küre Basin as a short-lasting, small, oceanic

basin which opened as a back-arc basin by the north-

ward subduction of the Karakaya oceanic lithosphere. 

Some authors considered the Karakaya oceanic rift

basin as a Triassic ocean or rift basin (as in the first

model) without regard to the age of the Küre Complex

(OKAY, 1991; ALTINER & KOÇYIGIT, 1993), whe-

reas YI
.
ĞI

.
T B AŞ et al. (1999) regarded the Küre Com-

plex as the remnants of a persistent Pa l a e o t e t h y a n

ocean (as in the first model) without regarding the

Karakaya Complex. These papers also support the first

model.

A third model regarding the relation of the Kara-

kaya oceanic rift basin and Küre Ocean was presented

by OKAY & TÜYSÜZ (1999) and OKAY (2000).

According to these authors both oceanic basins repre-

sent the same large Palaeotethyan ocean and the present

separation is a later feature. The HP/LT metamorphic

Nilüfer Unit of the Karakaya Complex was regarded as

an oceanic plateau despite the fact that the lower half

contains shallow-water (?algal) limestones with mafic

metatuffs and also in the upper half the water-depth was

(according to the fauna) probably not below 100-200 m.

The view of Robertson and co-authors of a Car-

boniferous-Triassic age of the Karakaya oceanic rift

basin is for the Palaeozoic (pre-Dorashamian) part

based only on an assumption which is in conflict with

the fact that in the post-Bashkirian pre-latest Dzhulfian

interval only shallow-water limestones are known and

dated (KOZUR & KAYA, 1994; LEVEN & OKAY,

1996; KOZUR, unpubl. data). These Permian shallow-

water rocks were regarded by Robertson and co-authors

as sea-mount deposits. However, in this case the sea-

mounts of this age interval must be more than 1,000 km

long and had filled the entire ocean because basinal and

even slope sediments are unknown in this time interval.

Moreover, these seamounts had to be persistent (throu-

ghout most of the Pennsylvanian, the entire Early and

Middle Permian and the lower part of the Late Permian)

and covered by a facially stable carbonate platform.

Contemporaneous mafic volcanics and volcaniclastics

are not known from the Moscovian to middle Dzhulfian

interval. All these features are in total contrast with

well-documented Permian seamounts in Panthalassa

studied by one of the authors (H.W. KOZUR) and also

different from Palaeotethyan seamounts (KOZUR &

ŞENEL, 1999). 

The assumption of a large Carboniferous - P e r m i a n

(and Triassic) Karakaya Ocean by Okay and co-authors

was based on the fact that the youngest olistoliths of the

largely broken Variscan basement are cherty limestones

of early Bashkirian age (OKAY & MOSTLER, 1994;

KOZUR, 1999), whereas red radiolarites of the Dora-

shamian to Middle Triassic Çal Unit (OKAY et al.,

1991) were erroneously dated as Sakmarian-Artinskian

in one locality (OKAY & MOSTLER, 1994). Re-exam-

ination of this locality SE of Çan in the Biga Peninsula,

northwestern Turkey (for precise locality data see

OKAY & MOSTLER, 1994) by KOZUR (1999) yield-

ed a rich late Dorashamian radiolarian fauna in all ex-

posed radiolarites confirming the former conodont-

based dating of the opening of the Karakaya oceanic rift

basin by KOZUR & KAYA (1994). The assumed Late

Permian mafic volcanics, mainly tuffs (OKAY & MO-

STLER, 1994), were dated as post-latest Scythian beca-

use they contain inclusions of conodont-bearing latest

Scythian limestones (KOZUR, 1999). 

The formerly assumed latest Permian opening of the

Karakaya oceanic rift basin (first model, see above)

during the Dorashamian Stage could be confirmed pal-

aeontologically by KOZUR & KAYA (1994), KOZUR

(1999) and KOZUR et al. (1999). Pelagic uppermost

Dzhulfian and Dorashamian limestone olistoliths from

the upper Diskaya Unit (KAYA et al., 1986; junior syn-

onym: Hodul Unit, OKAY et al., 1991) and late Dora-

shamian red radiolarites of the Çal Unit are the oldest

pelagic rocks of the Karakaya Complex. The oldest dat-

ed mafic volcanics have a Scythian age (Table 1). The

missing geochemical signals for subduction related

mafic rocks in the Nilüfer Unit of the Karakaya Com-

plex (within plate basalts, USTAÖMER & R O B E R T-

SON, 1999) is no evidence for a large Late Palaeozoic-

Triassic Palaeotethyan Karakaya Ocean, as assumed by

USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON (1995, 1997, 1999), PI-

CKETT et al. (1995), OKAY et al. (1996) and PICK-

ETT & ROBERTSON (1996), but indicates early rift-

ing in a shallow-water carbonate platform. The Karaka-

ya oceanic rift basin was not even a moderately wide

back-arc basin, such as the Küre Ocean, but a very nar-

row oceanic rift basin which probably never extended

beyond the width of the Red Sea. This is also indicated

by the fact that from the middle Carnian beginning of



the siliciclastic turbidite-olistostrome deposition (Dis-

kaya Unit) no turbidite-free pelagic sedimentation con-

tinued in the Karakaya oceanic rift basin (neither an

Upper Triassic passive margin sequence with Hallstatt

Limestones nor Upper Triassic ribbon cherts, shales

and pelagic limestones of an ocean floor sequence are

known). 

As mentioned above, the recent biostratigraphic

data have shown that the Karakaya oceanic rift basin

existed between the latest Permian (Dorashamian) and

Upper Triassic in agreement with the first model (view

of the ŞENGÖR school). The southward subduction of

the Küre Ocean and the time of the closure of this

ocean is also in agreement with the first model. Howev-

er, the Küre Ocean is not the persistent large Palaeo-

tethys, but a short-lasting latest Scythian to Middle

Jurassic back-arc basin as assumed in the second mod-

el. Therefore, both former models are partially incor-

rect. The latest Permian - Late Triassic Karakaya ocean-

ic rift basin is not the back-arc-basin of the Late Palaeo-

z o ic - Middle Jurassic Palaeotethyan Küre Basin, beca-

use the Küre Basin is a latest Scythian to Middle Juras-

sic back-arc basin. On the other hand, the Küre Basin is

not the back-arc basin of a Devonian - Triassic Palaeo-

tethyan Karakaya Ocean because the Karakaya oceanic

rift basin is also a very short lasting basin (Dorashami-

an to middle Norian). None of the two oceans corre-

spond to the Lower Devonian to Carnian (Upper Trias-

sic) Palaeotethys, the remnants of which (both oceanic

crust, MORB and OIB, and well-dated sediments) were

211Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

Fig. 1  Geological map of the investigated area. Modified after AYDIN et al. (1995). Legend: 1-6) Most important sampled localities. 1 - outcrop

in the middle to upper Carnian turbiditic-olistostromal part of the Akgöl Group at the Küre -Inebolu road. 2 - Outcrop in the Zerveçay creek

valley south of Gemiçiler (Evrenye) at the Gemiçiler - H a r a m i d ağ road. Serveçay Group overlain by tectonically reduced Scythian (basal

conglomerate - sandstone -Werfen marls and limestones) and Anisian “Gutenstein” Limestone. 3 - Outcrops along the road between the vil-

lages of Aha and Sırçalık. Scythian with well exposed Werfen beds (partly assigned to the Ladinian on the basis of “Daonella”, which is a

Scythian Eumorphotis) overlain by hypersaline beds with “rauhwacke”, “Gutenstein” Limestone and Steinalm Dolomite, both Anisian shal-

low-water platform carbonates of North Alpine character. Some outcrops of the Akgöl Group, partly stratigraphically overlying the Sırçalık

Formation, partly tectonic slices of the Karadağtepe Formation. 4 - Outcrop at Kircalla village E of Azdavay. Beykoz Formation with an

olistostrome that contains shallow-water and pelagic Permian limestones blocks; the largest one is an almost matrix-free Permian debris

flow. 5 - Roadcut at the Kastamonu-Inebolu road, about 3 km west of Devrekani, olistostrome with many olistoliths, consisting mainly of

Anisian pelagic, subordinately also shallow-water and slope limestones. About 300 m north of this outcrop, the blocks of Anisian, often

ammonoid-bearing pelagic limestones within Akgöl debris flows are several metres in diameter. 6 - Large outcrops of Hallstatt Limestones

in the Çalça Unit south of Çalça village.



212 Geologia Croatica 53/2

recently found in the composite Tavas nappes (Lycian

nappes, KOZUR & ŞENEL, 1999; GÖNCÜOĞLU et

al., 2000; KOZUR et al., in press c).

The third model (OKAY, 2000), which regarded the

Küre Basin and the Karakaya oceanic rift basin as parts

of a single ocean, the huge Carboniferous to Middle

Jurassic Palaeotethys, is also incorrect. It can be easily

proven that the assumed northward subduction of this

united Karakaya-Küre Ocean is a wrong assumption not

supported by any field data. The northern (Laurasian)

margin of the assumed unified Ka r a k a ya - Küre Ocean

was a passive margin with condensed middle Anisian to

late Norian Hallstatt Limestones without any terrige-

nous input, and Rhaetian - Liassic shales and marls.

Therefore, the deposition of Hallstatt Limestones con-

tinued at the northern margin of the assumed Karakaya-

Küre Ocean after the beginning of siliciclastic turbidites

and olistostromes at its active southern margin and even

after the closure of the Karakaya rift basin at the end of

the middle Norian or within the late Norian. Moreover,

uniting two Early Mesozoic oceanic basins do not cre-

ate a Carboniferous to Middle Jurassic ocean. 

The age of the Küre Complex was based on assum-

ptions in all previous models. Either the units (meta-

morphic and non-metamorphic), like the non-metamor-

phic Akgöl Group have not yielded stratigraphically

important fossils or their age was misinterpreted. Thus,

different or very imprecise ages were given even for the

non-metamorphic units. For instance, the age of the

Akgöl Group is said to be pre-Middle Jurassic (OKAY

2000), Early Triassic to Early-Middle Jurassic (U S T A-

ÖMER & ROBERTSON, 1997), Permian to Middle

Jurassic (YI
.
ĞI

.
T B AŞ et al., 1999), Carboniferous to

Liassic (YILMAZ & ŞENGÖR, 1985; AYDIN et al.,

1986; ÖNDER et al., 1987; YILMAZ et al., 1997) or

Upper Palaeozoic to Early Mesozoic (USTAÖMER &

Table 1  Units of the Kara-

kaya oceanic complex



213Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

ROBERTSON, 1999). According to USTAÖMER &

ROBERTSON (1999) “southward subduction of the

Küre oceanic lithosphere is inferred to have started in

Early Triassic time, the oldest well established age of

the Küre marginal basin”. Lower Triassic fossils are

unknown from the oceanic Akgöl Group and the sub-

duction began in the Middle Carnian (see below). As

shown in this paper, the oldest pelagic limestones

known from olistoliths in the Akgöl Group (and from

the entire Küre Complex), are of earliest Middle Trias-

sic age. Thus, the opening of the Küre Ocean began

either in the earliest Middle Triassic or during the latest

Scythian. Thus, the “well established age” of the begin-

ning subduction was even before the Küre Ocean

opened. The age of the metamorphic units of the Küre

Complex is much more uncertain than the above men-

tioned different age ranges for the fossiliferous oceanic

Akgöl Group.

It is obvious that exact stratigraphic dating of the

oceanic Akgöl Group and the continental units of the

Küre Complex is necessary before the former tectonic

models can be evaluated and a new model can be estab-

lished to explain the geological evolution of this com-

plex and the adjacent oceanic units where all previous

hypotheses have failed. Therefore, the main topic of the

present paper is the dating of the Küre Complex and

adjacent units. The basis of this work was the careful

mapping and detailed lithostratigraphic subdivision of

the units by AYDIN et al. (1995). In the terminology of

that paper, the Küre Complex consists of the Bekirli

Group (Serveçay Group of the present paper), the

Sırçalık “Formation” and the Akgöl “Formation” (the

formations are in reality groups subdivided below into

different formations and units).

Many important biostratigraphic results were obta-

ined both from the matrix and from olistoliths in differ-

ent turbidite-olistostrome units which allow to make

new palaeogeographic reconstructions. The upper age

limit of the metamorphic units within the Küre Com-

plex could be determined by the dating of transgres-

sively overlying units. These results did not confirm the

three afore-mentioned models of the geological evolu-

tion of the Küre Complex and adjacent oceanic and

continental units.

2. TECTONOSTRATIGRAPHIC UNITS OF

THE KÜRE COMPLEX, THEIR LITHOLOGIES

AND AGES

The Küre Complex includes three main tectonos-

tratigraphic units: the Küre Ridge Unit, the Küre Ocean

Unit and the Çalca Unit, and a tectonic inlayer, the

Devrekani Metamorphics. The names of the lithostrati-

graphic units, except for the Bekirli Group, are overtak-

en from AYDIN et al. (1995). Some modifications are

necessary in the assumed mutual relations and above all

in the assumed ages. The ages are partly also discussed

under biostratigraphic results.

2.1. DEVREKANI METAMORPHICS

The Devrekani Metamorphics (Ebrek Metamorphics

of YILMAZ, 1981) occur as a tectonic inlayer within

the Küre Complex, and consist of gneisses, amphibo-

lites, calc-schists and marbles. The rock-units are too

highly metamorphosed (amphibolite facies) for palae-

ontological or palynological investigations. Only rela-

tive age dating is possible. However, gneisses taken 6

km east of Devrekani village, were dated as 311 ± 6 . 2

my (AYDIN et al., 1995) indicating a Middle Carbonif-

erous age and giving an upper age limit for these meta-

morphics. We regard the Devrekani Metamorphics as

Variscan metamorphics. A Precambrian age of the Dev-

rekani Metamorphics assumed or tentatively assumed

by several authors (e.g. USTAÖMER & ROBERT-

SON, 1995) is not probable for facies reasons (mainly

pelagic platy limestones with shale intercalations and

olistoliths and blocks of shallow-water limestones). But

older Precambrian units within the Variscan Devrekani

Metamorphics may be present. This question can only

be solved by further radiometric dating.

2.2. KÜRE RIDGE UNIT

The metamorphosed Variscan basement of the

Serveçay Group and the overlying unmetamorphosed

but deformed Sırçalık Group (and the partly present

cover of marginal parts of the Akgöl Group) built up

the Küre Ridge Unit of the Küre Complex (Fig. 2). The

Küre Ridge Unit was during the Triassic the common

shelf of the Küre Ocean and the Karakaya oceanic rift

basin (southern shelf of the Küre Ocean and northern

shelf of the Karakaya oceanic rift basin). As direct bios-

tratigraphic dating is only possible for the Sırçalık

Group and the upper age limit of the Serveçay Group

metamorphics depends on exact age determination of

the Sırçalık Group and its structural position to the

Serveçay Group, the younger Sırçalık group is firstly

discussed.

2.2.1. Sırçalık Group

The Sırçalık Group (in the rank of Sırçalık Forma-

tion) was regarded as a sedimentary intercalation within

the upper part of the metamorphics of the Bekirli Group

(Serveçay Group in the present paper, see below) by

AYDIN et al. (1995). However, the intercalation of

Middle Triassic shallow-water platform carbonates

within the uppermost “Bekirli Metamorphics” (Serve-

çay Group) could not be confirmed in the Zerveçay

creek valley section south of Gemiçiler (Evrenye) at the

Gemiçiler - Haramidağ road (locality 2 in Fig. 1), where

this “intercalation” of the Sırçalık “Formation” within

the upper Serveçay Group with “gradual transition” to

the Serveçay Group was established. The deformed, but

unmetamorphosed shallow-water carbonates, without

any siliciclastic input are there tectonically sliced with

low-grade metamorphic siliciclastic sediments of the

Serveçay Group. Carbonate intercalations within the

Serveçay Group always occur as strongly recrystallized



214 Geologia Croatica 53/2

marbles, so strongly metamorphosed that no determina-

ble fossils are preserved. In the deformed but unmeta-

morphic carbonates of the Sırçalık Group not only

microfossils (foraminifers, S p i r o r b i s) but also determi-

nable macrofossils (bivalves) are present. 

The discovery of tectonically reduced Scythian

rocks beneath the Middle Triassic shallow-water lime-

stones in Zerveçay creek valley section was important

as they stratigraphically, but disconformably overlie the

Serveçay Group and begin with a quartz conglomerate

derived from the metamorphic rocks of the Serveçay

Group. This basal conglomerate also contains scarce

Fig. 2  Lithological successions in the three units of the Küre Complex.

z 

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215Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

pebbles of a beige, unmetamorphosed dolomite of pre-

Scythian/post-Variscan age, apparently indicating re-

working of Late Carboniferous or more probably Per-

mian shallow-water carbonates. This basal conglomer-

ate is overlain by continental or shallow-marine sand-

stones in the typical facies of the Alpine Buntsandstein

that are overlain by Werfen Beds (upper Scythian yel-

lowish-brown weathered marls, siltstones and lime-

stones). After a hypersaline horizon with “rauhwacke”

(yellowish-brown cellular dolomite and dolomitic marl,

which is also common close to the Olenekian-Anisian

boundary of the Alps and Western Carpathians) typical

Alpine shallow-water Anisian deposits are present

(Gutenstein Limestone and Steinalm Dolomite, see

below).

Such varied lithostratigraphic units as conglomer-

ates, sandstones, siltstones, marls and marly limestones

with the facies type of the Alpine Buntsandstein and

Werfen Beds, as well as shallow-water platform car-

bonates (Gutenstein Limestone and Steinalm Dolomite)

cannot be assigned to one formation, but only to several

formations. Therefore, the Sırçalık “Formation” is re-

garded as a group. Special formation names were not

proposed but the North Alpine terms, such as Werfen

Beds, Gutenstein Limestone and Steinalm Dolomite has

been preliminarily applied.

The Middle Triassic age dating of the shallow-water

carbonates (AYDIN et al., 1995) has been confirmed.

The shallow-water carbonates in the above mentioned

section and in adjacent areas (e.g. at the roadcut

between the villages of Aha and Sırçalık, locality 3 in

Fig. 1) consist mainly of Gutenstein Limestone and

Steinalm Dolomite that is lying partly with erosive con-

tact on the Gutenstein Limestone.

The shallow-water carbonates and underlying typi-

cal Werfen facies sediments (well exposed and not tec-

tonically reduced along the road between Aha and

Sırçalık) were previously dated as Middle Triassic on

the basis of M e a n d r o s p i r a pusilla (HO), M e a n d r o s p i r a

d i n a r i c a KOCHANSKY-DÉVIDÉ & PANTI∆ and

D a o n e l l a t a r a m e l l i MOJSISOVICS by AYDIN et al.

(1995). However, M . p u s i l l a is very characteristic for

the Upper Scythian and confirms the late Scythian (late

Olenekian, Spathian) age of the typical Werfen Beds in

this area. D a o n e l l a t a r a m e l l i from a slightly different

position in the same beds is an incorrect determination.

The densely ribbed bivalve that Dr. M. Aydin found

from these beds during a joint excursion of the authors,

is a Scythian E u m o r p h o t i s, and surely not a D a o n e l l a

that is, moreover, restricted to a totally different (pelag-

ic) facies, whereas these Werfen Beds are shallow-

water sediments. Moreover, D a o n e l l a is not present

during the Scythian.

As typical for Scythian shallow-water limestones,

the thin-sections of the “D a o n e l l a” limestones are very

poor in microfossils but contain S p i r o r b i s p h l y c t a e n a

BRÖNNIMANN & ZANINETTI as a typical microfos-

sil of Scythian shallow-water limestones and M e a n -

d r o s p i r a p u s i l l a as a characteristic Spathian foramini-

fer. Also by dissolving of the material no pelagic Ladi-

nian microfossils were found that are always very com-

mon in D a o n e l l a-bearing limestones. Instead, pyritised

microgastropods and some (non-D a o n e l l a ) small bival-

ves are common, as are also typical for the shallow-

water Werfen facies. The pyritised fossils were oxi-

dised into iron oxide.

On the other hand, the Anisian age for the shallow-

water carbonates indicated by M . d i n a r i c a has been

confirmed by the characteristic lithofacies of these

beds. They consist mostly of Gutenstein Limestone

(black micritic, partly dolomitic limestones, very poorly

fossiliferous, a restricted shallow basin facies), and

Steinalm Dolomite that overlies the former partly with

erosive contact. Exactly the same facies succession and

relations of these lower to middle Anisian rocks can be

found at the shelves of the Cimmerian Meliata - H a l l-

statt Ocean in the Western Carpathians and Eastern

Alps. This facies association was present there before

the opening of the Meliata- Hallstatt Ocean in the

uppermost lower Anisian to Pelsonian and, consequent-

ly, can be found in the lower part of the shelf sequences

on both sides of that ocean (KOZUR, 1991a, b).

The transition between the Werfen Beds and the

Anisian shallow-water carbonate platform is developed

in exactly the same manner as in the Northern Calcare-

ous Alps and Western Carpathians, the hypersaline

horizon at the Olenekian-Anisian boundary with inten-

sively yellowish brownish weathered dolomitic marls

and cellular dolomite (“rauhwacke”) is also present at

the road cut between the Aha and Sırçalık villages

(locality 3 in Fig. 1). 

This typical shallow-water development of the Scy-

thian to Middle Triassic Sırçalık Group is a characteris-

tic North Alpine facies shallow-water succession, wide-

ly distributed in the Eastern Alps and Western Carpa-

thians. 

2.2.2. Serveçay Group

The Serveçay Group consists of low-grade meta-

morphic phyllites, mafic metatuffs, calcituffites, meta-

diabases and crystalline limestones (marbles). Radiolar-

ites are absent but silicified metasediments are present.

The type locality is the Zerveçay creek valley section

south of Gemiçiler (Evrenye) at the Gemiçiler - Harami-

d ağ road (locality 2 in Fig. 1). At the type locality, the

oceanic, low grade metamorphic Zerveçay Group is

disconformably overlain by the Scythian part of the

deformed but unmetamorphosed Sırçalık Group begin-

ning with a basal conglomerate. This discovery is deci-

sive important for the upper age of the Serveçay Group

that must be of pre-Triassic age, probably a Variscan

metamorphic basement. As unmetamorphosed pre-Tri-

assic, probably Permian dolomite pebbles occur in the

Lower Triassic basal conglomerate, a pre-Permian age

for the Serveçay Group is indicated. Therefore, the

Middle Triassic upper age range for the “Pa l a e o t e-

thyan” metamorphics of the Küre Complex (AYDIN et

al., 1995) cannot be confirmed. 



216 Geologia Croatica 53/2

The Serveçay Group was assigned to the Bekirli

Group by AYDIN et al. (1995), but they also included

the unrelated and unmetamorphic Sırçalık Group in

their Bekirli Group, the type locality of which is at

Bekirli village in the Elekdağ Massif (YILMAZ &

TÜYSÜZ, 1988). The original Bekirli Unit was descri-

bed by YILMAZ & TÜYSÜZ (1988, p. 79) as “a tec-

tonic unit with basic lava-pelitic sediment alternation,

starts with garnet-glaucophane-bearing basic lavas

grading into basic lava-pelitic schist alternation.

Towards top, metamorphism decreases and sedimentary

rocks dominate over volcanic rocks. The uppermost

part is a typical flysch sequence.” Furthermore YIL-

MAZ & TÜYSÜZ (1988, p. 81) pointed out: “consider-

ing the stratigraphy and lithologies, it corresponds to

the epiophiolitic cover of the Palaeotethyan oceanic

crust”. Flysch sediments are not present in the Serveçay

Group of the Küre Complex. The metamorphic over-

print is also different; glaucophane is not present in the

Serveçay Metamorphics. The so-called “Palaeotethyan

oceanic crust” of the Middle Pontides is Middle Trias-

sic oceanic crust with back-arc geochemical character

and therefore not Palaeotethyan oceanic crust. If the

geological situation of the Bekirli Unit in its type area

is correctly interpreted, the type Bekirli Me t a m o r p h i c s

should be of Mesozoic age. Subsequently, TÜYSÜZ et

al. (1990) regarded the Berkirli Unit as a formation

which overlies the Elekdağ ophiolites (in the north),

and the Triassic Kunduz mélange and the Aktaş “ F o r-

mation” (sensu YILMAZ et al., 1997) or Aktaş “ m e t a-

morphic association” (YILMAZ et al., 1997, p. 198)

(assumed Upper Palaeozoic marbles and Lower Trias-

sic mélange) of the Karakaya Complex (in the south).

This also means that the type Bekirli Unit is an Early

Mesozoic unit. According to YILMAZ et al. (1997)

there is a stratigraphic succession of metamorphic rocks

which starts with the Aktaş Formation that contains

Upper Carboniferous and Permian fossils at its base. It

is overlain by the Gümüşo l uğu Formation which con-

sists of metapelites and metavolcancis with some mar-

bles and ophiolite and marble blocks at the top. This

formation is gradually overlain by the Bekirli Metamor-

phics which consists of metashales and metaflysch.

According to YILMAZ et al. (1997) the Aktaş- B e k i r l i

succession indicates a transgressive Triassic sequence

above continental basement. “This sequence represents

continental rifting and rupture of a Pe r m o - C a r b o n i f e r-

ous continental platform, and then the rift evolved into

a deep basin” (YILMAZ et al., 1997, p. 199). Accord-

ing to this view, the Bekirli Metamorphics in the sense

of YILMAZ et al. (1997) are also Mesozoic in age.

However, what is interpreted as a stratigraphic succes-

sion may also be a structural succession and in this case

the age of the Bekirli Metamorphics is unknown. How-

ever, the consensus from all papers on the Bekirli Meta-

morphics in its type area is that it seems to be an Early

Mesozoic Unit and, therefore, this name cannot be

applied to the metamorphics of the Küre Complex

which are clearly pre-Permian in age.

In silicified metasediments radiolarians are common

in few thin-sections, but because of their bad preserva-

tion they cannot be determined. Nevertheless, Nassel-

laria are totally missing indicating a Palaeozoic age. We

regard the Serveçay Group as a Variscan basement.

As discussed above, the assumed upper age of the

Serveçay Group as Middle-Upper Triassic (AYDIN et

al., 1995) could not be confirmed. This age was not

assumed on the base of palaeontological /p a l y n o l o g i c a l

or radiometric data, but on the erroneous assumption

that the Sırçalık “Formation” is a sedimentary intercala-

tion within the upper “Bekirli” Metamorphics (see

under Sırçalık Group). The only date of the metamor-

phics of the Serveçay Group (311±6.2 Ma) presented

by AYDIN et al. (1995) indicates a Carboniferous age

in agreement with our assumption that the Serveçay

Group represent a Variscan basement. This is con-

firmed by Variscan granitoids which intrude the meta-

morphic rocks of the Serveçay Group. They were dated

by TERZIOĞLU & SATIR (1997) as 308 Ma by single

zircon evaporation technique.

2.3. KÜRE OCEAN UNIT

This unit includes the Akgöl Group (largest part of

the former Akgöl Formation sensu lato of KETI
.
N ,

1962, which had been revised several times - e.g.

AYDIN et al., 1995; KOZUR et al., 1997, 1999) as well

as ophiolites and related oceanic assemblages (I
.
p s i n l e r

Basalt and ophiolites) which were previously also

assigned to the Akgöl Formation s. l.

2.3.1. I
.
psinler Basalt and ophiolites

The I
.
psinler Basalt mainly consists of pillow lavas,

without essential sedimentary intercalations. It is part of

a dismembered ophiolite that comprises serpentinised

peridotite, layered cumulate gabbros, isotropic micro-

gabbros, a sheeted dyke complex and pillow lava (GÜ-

NER, 1980; USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON, 1995).

The ultramafics consist of serpentinised harzburgite of

tectonite origin and and lerzolites which form small

intrusive bodies in gabbros and basalt. Trondhjemite-

granophyres and altered plagiogranites are also present

( T E R Z I OĞLU et al., 2000). If the basalts are not olis-

toliths, the observed lower contact of the ophiolites is

tectonic, as pointed out by USTAÖMER & ROBERT-

SON (1995). The upper contact may also be tectonic

(e.g., slices of pillow lava within the Akgöl Group), but

according to USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON (1995),

the upper contacts are commonly undeformed sedimen-

tary contacts.

According to USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON

(1995), the basalts belong to an ophiolitic sequence

with supra-subduction chemical composition. They

interpreted them as supra-subduction ophiolites of the

northwards subducting Karakaya Ocean. However, this

interpretation cannot be confirmed because there is no

Middle Triassic - lower Carnian or older accretionary

complex in the Karakaya oceanic rift basin. The mafic



217Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

volcanics and rarely also the ultramafics of the Küre

Complex are already present as olistoliths in the middle

Carnian part of the Karadağtepe turbidites. Thus, these

volcanics are pre-middle Carnian and, therefore, cannot

be related to the subduction of this very narrow oceanic

basin. We regard them either as related to the north-

ward subduction of Palaeotethys which was situated

south of the later Izmir -Ankara Belt or the subduction

signal is inherited from former southward subduction of

the Paphlagonian Ocean.

A similar situation is known from Triassic rift-relat-

ed basalts at the southern margin of Tethys despite the

fact that there is no southward (Gondwana-) directed

subduction at that time (DIXON & ROBERTSON,

1999). According to these authors, the arc-type geo-

chemical signature is generally believed to have been

inherited from an earlier subduction-induced metaso-

matism and to reside in the lithospheric mantle. This

explanation of a relatively recent inherited arc signature

can be well applied for the I
.
psinler basalts because the

Küre Ocean opened during the Triassic on Variscan

basement and, moreover, the northward adjacent Pa-

phlagonian Ocean was subducted southward during the

Middle - Late Permian.

The age of the I
.
psinler Basalt is difficult to estab-

lish. Sedimentary intercalations (dark shales), reported

by USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON (1995) have not

yielded fossils. All such sedimentary intercalations that

we have seen are unfossiliferous tectonic slices of black

shales. Their age would not necessarily give the age of

the volcanics. Olistoliths of red radiolarites (found by

M. Aydin in the Küre area), that could belong to prima-

ry sedimentary intercalations, are not exposed at pre-

sent. 

K-Ar dating yielded a Dogger (Bajocian) age for the

basalts (170±6 Ma, AYDIN et al., 1995, and 168±5

Ma, TERZIOĞLU et al., 2000) or an age close to the

B e r r i a s i an /Valanginian boundary (137±3 Ma, 136±6

Ma, TERZIOĞLU et al., 2000). The Bajocian age is not

reliable because olistoliths of these basalts and of ultra-

mafics are present in the middle to upper Carnian part

of the siliciclastic turbidites of the Karadağtepe Forma-

tion. Thus, they must be older than middle Carnian.

Also USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON (1997) did not

consider the 170±6 Ma date (AYDIN et al., 1995) as

reliable in view of the low potassium content and hyd-

rothermally altered nature of the basalts. The younger

set was put into the upper Tithonian by TERZIOĞLU et

al. (2000), but in recent papers, the Tithonian -B e r r i-

asian boundary was placed at 144.2±2.6 Ma (e.g.

GRADSTEIN et al., 1994; MENNING, 1997) and the

B e r r i a s i an -Valanginian boundary at 137.0± 2.2 Ma

(e.g. GRADSTEIN et al., 1994) or around 136 Ma

(MENNING, 1997). They are therefore much younger

than any rock of the Küre Complex, which is uncon-

formably overlain by the Upper Jurassic Bürnük For-

mation and I
.
naltı Formation and, consequently, must be

older than these formations. Therefore, these basalts

cannot belong to the Küre Complex. However, they

may belong to the Kadi Member, basalts within the

uppermost Beykoz Formation.

The oldest pelagic sediments from olistoliths which

accompany the olistoliths of mafic and ultramafic rocks

within the Karadağtepe Formation of the Akgöl Group

are earliest Anisian in age. Very rare olistoliths of

Scythian sediments are pre-rift shallow-water sedi-

ments. Thus, the age of the ophiolite and basalt olis-

toliths in the middle-late Carnian part of the Karadağ-

tepe Formation is Middle Triassic, probably Ladinian

(Ladinian sediments are not dated among the olistoliths

of the Karadağtepe Formation and may be represented

by the above mentioned red radiolarites and shales). 

A Middle Triassic age is also assumed for those

ophiolites or pillow lava that have a tectonic lower and

sedimentary upper contact within the Karadağtepe For-

mation (as shown by USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON,

1995). These ophiolites and pillow lavas are regarded

as synsedimentary (during the Upper Triassic subduc-

tion) obducted parts of the ocean floor within the accre-

tionary complex. 

Kimmeridgean basalts (AYDIN et al., 1995) may

indicate an extensional regime in the Jurassic - E a r l y

Cretaceous turbidite basin (Beykoz -Ç ağlayan Basin).

These basalts are unrelated to the previously discussed

basalts (and ophiolites).

After completion of these investigations, ophiolite

slices were found in black deep-water shales west of

Esentepe (east of locality 6 outside of the mapped area

in Fig. 1). They are accompanied by slices of pelagic

limestones that yielded some foraminifers (under stu-

dy). The immediately eastwards adjacent rocks of the

K a r a d ağtepe Formation yielded Upper Triassic T o r -

lessia.

2.3.2. Akgöl Group

Previously, four different entities were placed into

the Akgöl “Formation”, three of which (the I
.
psinler Ba-

salt and ophiolites, Karadağ tepe Formation and an

overlying unnamed formation) belong to the Küre

Ocean Unit of the Küre Complex, whereas the newly

established Çalça Unit, which was also included into

the Akgöl “Formation”, is an independent passive mar-

gin unit of the Küre Complex (Fig. 2). Only the Kara-

d ağtepe Formation and the overlying unnamed forma-

tion belong to the Akgöl (Fig. 2) which has to be ele-

vated to group rank.

2.3.2.1. Karadağtepe Formation

This formation consists of dark siliciclastic tur-

bidites with olistostromes. Very few fossils (some bad-

ly preserved sporomorphs of Triassic age) were previ-

ously reported until now from the matrix of this forma-

tion (ALIŞAN et al., 1992; AYDIN et al., 1995) but

sporomorphs from the turbidites are mostly reworked.

Moreover, except the long-ranging V i t r e i s p o r i t e s p a l -

l i d u s (REISSINGER) NILSSON, all other forms are

only determined to genus level or the species determi-

nation was indefinite (cf.). 



218 Geologia Croatica 53/2

Rich associations of the enigmatic fossil T o r l e s s i a

and trace fossils (Pl. 15) were discovered in the matrix.

Two different species of T o r l e s s i a are present in the

K a r a d ağtepe Formation. Both species also occur in

New Zealand (KOZUR, unpubl.), where they can be

dated by radiolarians. T o r l e s s i a n. sp. (Pl. 15, Fig. 1)

has a middle to late Carnian age (KOZUR et al., in

press b) and T. m a c k a y i BATHER (Pl. 15, Fig. 2) is of

lower to middle Norian age. This age of T. m a c k a y i i s

also confirmed by an early to middle Norian age of

T o r l e s s i a m a c k a y i in the Antalya nappes, where this

species is very common in beds which could be dated

by conodonts (KOZUR, 1998).

Both species can be partly found in stratigraphic

superposition in the Karadağtepe Formation, T o r l e s s i a

n. sp. in the lower part and T. mackayi in the middle

part of the Karadağtepe Formation. Therefore, for the

first time, exact dating of the lower and middle Kara-

d ağtepe Formation is possible. A middle Carnian to

middle Norian age for this part of the Karadağtepe For-

mation is indicated. 

The upper Karadağtepe Formation and the overly-

ing molasse type shallow-water part of the Akgöl Gro-

up are not yet dated. This interval is younger than mid-

dle Norian and older than the overlying Upper Jurassic

rocks. 

The rich trace fossil associations of the Karadağtepe

Formation (e.g., C h o n d r i t e s , few H e l m i n t h o i d a, P s y -

c o s i p h o n, several new ichnotaxa, but no P a l e o d i c t y o n)

indicate deep-water, but probably a water depth above

the CCD, probably around 1,000 to maximum 2,000 m.

The olistoliths of the Karadağtepe Formation are

exotic pebbles, consisting of small clasts of Middle Tri-

assic basalts (see above) and a few ultramafics, mainly

small clasts of marginal ocean-floor sediments (black

radiolarites, partly with sporomorphs of early Anisian

age, Pl. 1, Figs. 7-10; few red radiolarites), and above

all of partly large blocks of a fossil-rich Middle Triassic

oceanic slope sequence consisting of shallow-water,

and mainly slope and basinal limestone (Pl. 3, Figs. 1-3,

5, 6; Pl. 4; Pl. 5, Figs. 1-11; Pls. 6-10; Pl. 11, Figs. 1-9;

Pls. 11-13; Pl. 14, Figs. 1-10). The oldest pelagic rocks

contain conodonts and other microfossils of the Chiose -

lla timorensis Zone of the basal Anisian (Pl. 7, Figs. 12-

15; Pls. 8, 9; Pl. 10, Figs. 1-3). Palaeopsychrosphaeric

ostracods of the cold oceanic bottom water are present

from the upper Aegean (lower Anisian) N e o g o n d o l e l l a

? regalis Zone onwards (Pl. 12, Figs. 6-10; Pl. 13; Figs.

1-9). Olistoliths of the Sırçalık Group and Serveçay

Group are generally not present in the Karadağtepe For-

mation, except for small olistoliths of metamorphics

from the Serveçay Group and a single olistolith of a red

continental, probably Lower Triassic sandstone from

locality 5 west of Devrekani (Fig. 1). Thus, the olis-

toliths in the Karadağtepe Formation were mainly

derived from an ocean slope north of the Sırçalık shal-

low-water platform (with its Serveçay Metamorphics

Variscan basement). Clasts of obducted ocean floor are

also present. This is typical for an active margin setting. 

2.3.2.2. Unnamed lithostratigraphic unit

It consists of mainly thick sandstones with siltstone

and shale intercalations, some thin coaly layers and also

some conglomeratic layers. Land plant remains are pre-

sent. These beds have a molasse character and are dis-

tributed beyond the Karadağtepe Formation. These

shallow-water sediments overlie the Sırçalık Group or

the Serveçay Group and contain a lot of reworked local

material. Similar rocks of the Akgöl Group also overlay

the Karadağtepe Formation, but a gradual contact has

not been observed anywhere. They may overlie the

K a r a d ağtepe Formation either discordantly or tectoni-

cally. A formal formation name has not yet been estab-

lished for these shallow-water deposits of the Akgöl

Group but these rocks are genetically very different (no

turbidites of an accretionary complex, but shallow-

water clastics on a carbonate platform or metamorphic

basement and partly also covering the accretionary

complex) from the Karadağtepe Formation (siliciclastic

turbidites and olistostromes of an active margin). 

2.4. ÇALÇA UNIT

This unit is the passive margin sequence of the Küre

Ocean and consists of Pelsonian to Upper Norian or

lowermost Rhaetian Hallstatt Limestones, overlain by

grey to dark-grey marly siltstones and shales of Rhaet-

ian to at least Early Jurassic age with large slided

blocks of Hallstatt Limestones of North Alpine type.

These rocks, well exposed around the Çalça village are

not only sedimentologically, but also different in the

age from the Akgöl Group. The Akgöl Group consists

of middle Carnian to Middle Jurassic, carbonate-free

siliciclastic rocks without a shelly macrofauna. In its

largest part (Karadağtepe Formation) it consists of tur-

bidites and olistostromes. The Çalça Unit also consists

of deep-water deposits (but well above the CCD), but

turbidites are not present. However, the Çalça Unit

begins at least during the middle Pelsonian (until now

oldest dated Hallstatt Limestone), whereas the upper

age range is seemingly the same as for the Akgöl Fo r-

mation. During deposition of the siliciclastic turbidites

of the Karadağtepe Formation at the active southern

margin of the Küre Ocean, the deposition of condensed

Hallstatt Limestones without any clastic input contin-

ued throughout the pre-Rhaetian Upper Triassic at the

passive, opposite (northern) margin of the ocean. Only

during the Rhaetian and Lower Jurassic did the sedi-

mentation of marls with shelly macrofaunas begin, and

shortly before the closure of the ocean during the Mid-

dle Jurassic, as the active southern margin was close to

the passive northern margin, deepening and tectonic

unrest caused the sliding of blocks from the northern

outer shelf and slope into the basin. They contain large

masses of Hallstatt Limestones that are unknown from

the Akgöl Group. The lithological differences between

the Akgöl Group and the formations of the Çalça Un i t

exclude the Çalça Unit from the Akgöl Group (or even

formation, as in AYDIN et al., 1995). The obviously



219Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

different depositional environments at the opposite

margins of the ocean does not allow the placing of both

units into one tectonostratigraphic unit. Lithology,

depositionary history and age are different.

The Çalça Unit and the blocks of Pelsonian to Nori-

an Hallstatt Limestones in it will be discussed in an

independent paper by KOZUR et al. (in prep.). 

2.5. UPPER JURASSIC - LOWER CRETACEOUS

COVER UNITS

The post-orogenic cover units (with respect to the

Cimmerian orogeny) of the Küre Complex and adjacent

units area are represented by the Bürnük, I
.
naltı, Beykoz

and Çağlayan formations.

2.5.1. Bürnük and I
.
naltı formations

The Bürnük Formation consists of mainly red

coloured conglomerates and sandstones of a transgres-

sive series. It is overlain by the I
.
naltı Formation con-

sisting of Upper Jurassic platform carbonates that are

thin-bedded in the lower part and thick-bedded in the

upper part. 

The Bürnük Formation overlies with angular uncon-

formity the accretionary complex of the Akgöl Group,

and also rocks of the Zonguldak Terrane that was origi-

nally far north of the depositional area of the Akgöl

Group. The Bürnük and I
.
naltı formations belong there-

fore to a typical post-orogenic (with respect to the Cim-

merian orogeny) cover unit. The Late Jurassic age of

the I
.
naltı Formation is well documented by fossils

(AYDIN et al., 1995). In the entire investigated area,

the Bürnük-I
.
naltı cover unit is only missing in the

A z d a v ay -Ağlı -D i k m e n d ağ area, where an extensional

turbidite basin (Beykoz- Ç ağlayan turbidite basin) ope-

ned above marginal parts of the Küre Complex or north

of it. According to AYDIN et al. (1995) the Beykoz

Formation, deposited within Beykoz - Ç ağ layan tur-

bidite basin, interfingers with the I
.
naltı Formation both

in the north and in the south. 

2.5.2. Beykoz Unit

In this study the Beykoz Formation and the overly-

ing Çağlayan Formation are united to the Beykoz Unit.

The relation of the Beykoz Unit to the Küre Complex

was not investigated. However, the original position of

the Beykoz Unit was north of the Küre Complex or /and

it overlies its northern margin.

2.5.2.1. Beykoz Formation

Deep-water black shales and turbidites of a previ-

ously assumed Upper Triassic to Malm age in the

Azdavay-Ağlı -Dikmendağ area has been discriminated

by DEMIR & ÖZÇELIK (1987) and AYDIN et al.

(1995) as the Beykoz Formation. They were deposited

in an extensional basin above marginal parts of the

Küre Complex or north of it, rather than in a compres-

sional remnant basin of the Küre Ocean. The Beykoz

Formation is overlain by Lower Cretaceous turbidites

of the Çağlayan Formation. A new impulse of extensi-

onal tectonics is indicated in the uppermost Beykoz

Formation by mafic volcanics (Kadi Member) and by

an olistostromal conglomerate in the lower part of the

overlying Çağlayan Formation. 

The age range of the Beykoz Formation is difficult

to establish and is not the topic of the present paper.

DEMIR & ÖZÇELIK (1987) and AYDIN et al. (1995)

assumed a Late Triassic to Malm age. However, we did

not find any evidence for Late Triassic age. The H e l -

m i n t h o i d a dominated trace fossil association does not

contain any of the characteristic new Upper Triassic

ichnotaxa (KOZUR & YAKAR, in prep.; AYDIN &

DEMIR, in prep.) which are common in all Upper Tri-

assic deep-water turbidites of the Akgöl Group. The

ichnofauna of the “Helminthoida flysch” in the Beykoz

Unit is rather characteristic for Jurassic and younger

turbidites. The Upper Triassic T o r l e s s i a, which is very

common in the Karadağ tepe Formation of the Akgöl

Group, is missing even in the oldest beds of the Beykoz

Formation. The youngest age of conglomerates and

olistoliths in the Beykoz Formation is Late Jurassic.

This is in agreement with the late Malm age of the Kadi

Basalt Member and accompanying red marls in the

upper Beykoz Formation (AYDIN et al., 1995). In

those successions, in which the Çağlayan Formation

begins during the Valanginian or Barremian, the Bey-

koz Formation may range into the lowermost Cretace-

ous.

As there are no fossil data for the lower Beykoz

Formation that indicate a Late Triassic age, the Beykoz

Formation is restricted to the extensional basin deposits

of Jurassic-earliest Cretaceous age at present.

The source area for the olistoliths and clasts of the

conglomerates within the Beykoz Formation was quite

different (north) from that of the Akgöl Group. There

are clasts from the Zonguldak Terrane that is according

to GÖNCÜOĞLU & KOZUR (1998) and KOZUR &

G Ö N C Ü OĞLU (1999, 2000) the northernmost terrane

of Turkey which was after the closure of an Ordovi-

cian-Silurian deep-water trough a marginal part of the

East European Platform. Thus, the Jurassic-Early Cre-

taceous Beykoz -Ç ağlayan turbidite basin was south of

stable Europe adjacent to the Zonguldak Unit. In this

position no remnants of the southern active margin of

the Cimmerian Küre Ocean should be present strati-

graphically below the deposits of the Jurassic - L o w e r

Cretaceous extensional Beykoz -Ç ağlayan turbidite

basin. This excludes the presence of Late Triassic fly-

sch in the Beykoz Formation that was reported by

AYDIN et al. (1995) independent from the fact that the

presence of flysch would be in contrast to the correct

statement by AYDIN et al. (1995) that the Beykoz For-

mation was deposited in an extensional basin. However,

it is possible that the Beykoz Unit (Beykoz Fo r m a t i o n

and Çağlayan Formation) is partly thrust from the north

over the Akgöl Group of the Küre Complex. As the Ak-

göl Group and the Beykoz Formation are lithologically

similar and often not well exposed, such a thrust may

be difficult to recognise.



220 Geologia Croatica 53/2

Olistoliths of Middle Triassic grey pelagic deep-

water limestones and cherts which are common in the

Akgöl Group, are not present in the Beykoz Formation.

Especially important is the presence of deep-water

pelagic rocks (black radiolarites, pelagic limestones) of

Carboniferous, Early and Middle Permian age. In one

locality east of Azdavay (locality 4 in Fig. 1) a larger

block is present that contains clasts of different sizes of

Upper Carboniferous, Lower and especially Middle

Permian shallow-water, slope and basinal carbonates.

Moreover, clasts of Permian debris flows are present

that themselves contain clasts of Carboniferous to Mid-

dle Permian pelagic and shallow-water rocks. Obvious-

ly, in the source area of the Beykoz clasts, a suture zone

of a Late Palaeozoic ocean (the Paphlagonian Ocean),

was exposed. The name Paphlagonian Ocean is derived

from the ancient name of the area, in which these Late

Palaeozoic deep-water sediments were found.

2.5.2.2. Çağlayan Formation

This formation consists of shales, marls, silty marls,

calciturbidites, turbiditic sandstones and olistostromes.

It unconformably overlies with a thick conglomerate

( K a y a b oğazi Member) the carbonate platform of the

I
.
naltı Formation. Towards the Beykoz - Ç ağlayan tur-

bidite basin this conglomerate changes character, beco-

ming a much thinner olistostromal conglomerate which

overlies the Beykoz Formation without hiatus (AYDIN

et al., 1995). Often the Çağlayan Formation begins with

andesitic volcanics (Dikmendağ Member).

The age of the Kayaboğazi Member is not definitely

known. Sporomorphs from a marly intercalation within

the conglomerates indicate a Late Jurassic age, but they

may be reworked. Overlying turbidites have an Early

Cretaceous (Valanginian to Aptian) age (AYDIN et al.,

1995).

Andesitic volcanics (Dikmendağ volcanics) of the

Ç ağlayan Formation have a K-Ar age of 121± 3 my

(AYDIN et al., 1995), indicating a latest Barremian -

earliest Aptian age. According to AYDIN et al. (1995),

these volcanics erupted from extensional fractures and

faults. This view seems to be correct because the Çağla-

yan Formation does not only overlie the basinal Beykoz

Formation in the Beykoz-Ç ağlayan turbidite basin, but

also overlies transgressively and unconformably the

Upper Jurassic I
.
naltı carbonate platform north and

south of the Beykoz -Ç ağ layan turbidite basin after

breaking up and subsidence of the I
.
naltı shallow-water

carbonate platform. 

The base of the Çağlayan Formation is diachronous,

oldest in the central part of the basin and younger

toward the marginal parts. With the exception of the

Upper Jurassic sporomorphs of the Kayaboğazi Mem-

ber that may be reworked, all other data give an Early

Cretaceous age with Valanginian or Barremian for the

lowermost sediments or volcanics of the Çağlayan For-

mation. 

3. BIOSTRATIGRAPHIC RESULTS

3.1. AGE OF THE MATRIX OF THE KARADAĞ-

TEPE FORMATION (AKGÖL GROUP)

The more than 1500 m thick siliciclastic turbidite

and olistostrome succession of the Karadağtepe Forma-

tion previously has not been precisely dated. The only

reported fossils are very rare, badly preserved and ten-

tatively determined sporomorphs (ALIŞAN et al., 1992;

AYDIN et al., 1995) that indicate roughly a Middle -

Upper Triassic age. However, in such turbidites the

badly preserved sporomorphs are mostly reworked such

as the Permian sporomorphs in Upper Jurassic tur-

bidites of the Beykoz Formation. The very thick, but

lithologically monotonous Karadağtepe Formation can-

not be subdivided by lithostratigraphic characteristics. 

Ammonoids. conodonts, foraminifers, ostracods and

radiolarians are absent from the matrix of the Karadağ-

tepe Formation, and also pelagic bivalves (halobiids)

which are often present in such facies, do not occur.

However, we found a rich fossil association in the

K a r a d ağtepe Formation which allows both facies inter-

pretation and stratigraphic dating and subdivision of the

K a r a d ağ tepe Formation. Trace fossils are most com-

mon (Pl. 15, Figs. 3-6). Chondrites is dominating, whe-

reas Helminthoida and Psycosiphon are rare. Several

new and very characteristic ichnotaxa are present (KO-

ZUR & YAKAR, in prep.; AYDIN & DEMIR, in

prep.) and some of these forms occur outside the Mid-

dle Pontides in the Antalya nappes, where they are

restricted to Upper Triassic turbidites. The absence of

Paleodictyon in the deep-water ichnofacies of the Kara-

d ağtepe Formation indicates either poor water circula-

tion or a depositional depth at the oxygen minimum zo-

ne (around 2,000 m water depth). It rather excludes

abyssal water depth.

The enigmatic fossil T o r l e s s i a, white or beige slen-

der hollow cones with a fine-grained, siliceous, rather

thick shell (see KOZUR et al., in press b) is very com-

mon. Two different associations of T o r l e s s i a w e r e

found. The lower association contains strongly curved

forms (Pl. 15, Fig. 1), whereas the upper association

consists of the straight or only slightly curved Torlessia

m a c k a y i BATHER (Pl. 15, Fig 2). T o r l e s s i a was for a

long time only known from New Zealand (e.g., BA-

THER, 1906; WEBBY, 1967; HANNAH & COLLEN,

1995; HANNAH & CAMPBELL, 1996). MONOD

(1977, Pl. 10) illustrated Torlessia for the first time out-

side New Zealand from the Antalya nappes of southern

Turkey, but he did not recognise that it was T o r l e s s i a

and regarded it as a fossil inc. sedis. Subsequently,

Prof. Dr. John Douglas Campbell, Lower Hutt, recog-

nised T o r l e s s i a m a c k a y i in the Antalya Nappe. Using

his determination, ŞENEL et al. (1996) reported the

presence of Torlessia in the Antalya Nappe for the first

time. In 1997, Kozur studied with the help of Dr. J.E.

Simes, Lower Hutt, the Red Rock locality (Sinclair

Head) at Wellington, New Zealand, where both Torles -



221Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

s i a m a c k a y i and radiolarians were formerly reported

(e.g., HANNAH & CAMPBELL, 1996; GRAPES et

al., 1990). The well illustrated radiolarians (GRAPES et

al., 1990) occur in a horizon with phosphorite nodules.

They are late Carnian in age. Kozur recognised two

horizons with T o r l e s s i a at Sinclair Head, the lower one

stratigraphically below the radiolarian horizon contains

strongly curved forms as in the lower Torlessia horizon

of the Karadağtepe Formation. These forms were fig-

ured by HANNAH & COLLEN (1995) and HANNAH

& CAMPBELL (1996) under T o r l e s s i a m a c k a y i b u t

belong to a new species (KOZUR et al., in prep.). In a

newly discovered horizon with T o r l e s s i a s t r a t i g r a p h i-

cally above the radiolarian horizon at the Red Rock

locality the straight or very slightly curved T. mackayi

and a further new species (CAMPBELL & KOZUR, in

prep.) are present. From this stratigraphic position in

the section and the fact that T. m a c k a y i occurs only

below the Upper Norian Monotis-bearing beds, an early

to middle Norian age for T. m a c k a y i s. s . in New Zea-

land can be concluded.

Despite the fact that MONOD (1977) did not recog-

nise that this fossil inc. sedis is T. m a c k a y i he discov-

ered that this fossil is restricted to the Norian of the

Antalya nappes. KOZUR (1998) found numerous well

preserved T. m a c k a y i in the Antalya nappe exclusively

in beds that can be dated by conodonts as lower and

middle Norian. Thus, T. m a c k a y i is from New Zealand

to Turkey a lower to middle Norian indicator, whereas

T o r l e s s i a n. sp. seems to be a middle to upper Carnian

indicator. Unfortunately, its lower range is unknown.

However, in upper Ladinian siliciclastic beds with Dao -

n e l l a l o m m e l i (WISSMANN) of Burma, T i t a h i a b i r m i -

nica THEIN is common which seems to be a Torlessia.

This species is distinctly different from the Upper Tri-

assic T o r l e s s i a of New Zealand and Turkey. Thus,

obviously, T o r l e s s i a n. sp. does not yet occur in the

Late Ladinian. Consequently, it begins either in the

lower or in the middle Carnian. 

Therefore, the lower and middle Karadağtepe For-

mation can be assigned to the middle Carnian -m i d d l e

Norian interval and already in the field, the middle- late

Carnian and the early-middle Norian part of the Kara-

d ağtepe Formation can be easily distinguished. In the

upper Karadağtepe Formation no T o r l e s s i a is present.

This part is late Norian and younger.

3.2. AGE OF THE OLISTOLITHS IN

THE AKGÖL GROUP

The lithologic character, facies and age of the olis-

toliths in the olistostromes within the Karadağtepe For-

mation are very important for the reconstruction of the

geological evolution at the southern margin of the Küre

Ocean in the Middle Pontides. Moreover, these data are

important for establishment of the lower boundary of

the Karadağ tepe Formation. We have investigated

numerous limestone olistoliths and one lydite olistolith

from the Karadağ tepe Formation turbidites (with

middle-upper Carnian Torlessia n.sp. and Upper Trias-

sic trace fossils in the matrix) at the Küre-Inebolu road

(locality 1 in Fig. 1) and from a roadcut at the Kasta-

m o nu - Inebolu road 3 km west of Devrekani (and an

outcrop 300 m north of it; both outcrops are locality 5

in Fig. 1).

At locality 1, the olistoliths consist of pelagic and

shallow-water limestones (Pl, 3, Figs. 1-3, 5, 6; Pl. 4),

black radiolarites, basalts and small clasts (mainly det-

ritus) of ultramafics. The grey limestone olistoliths can

be subdivided into two groups, shallow-water carbonate

platform limestones and pelagic limestones (slope lime-

stones, partly with reef or other shallow-water debris,

and basinal, marly limestones). Both the shallow-water

platform carbonates and the pelagic limestones are of

Anisian age. The shallow-water limestones are partly

sediments of a shallow-water platform (in the lower

Anisian) with a very restricted fauna, and partly back-

reef deposits with a richer and more diversified fauna

and flora (foraminifers, ostracods, algae).

The pelagic limestone olistoliths include limestones

from the upper slope with a strong input of shallow-

water bioclasts (especially in the lowermost Anisian),

and basinal deposits (mainly toe of slope), in which

bioclasts and sedimentary clasts from the slope and

shelf are rare or missing (this facies is very common in

olistoliths from the upper part of lower Anisian through

Pelsonian and Illyrian). The youngest pebbles (exclu-

sively pelagic limestones) are of late Illyrian (latest

Anisian) age. No younger pre-Akgöl sediments have

been found in these pebbles despite the fact that every

microfacies has been sampled and investigated. The age

of the pelagic and slope facies olistoliths was mainly

determined by conodonts and holothurian sclerites, the

age of the shallow-water limestones by foraminifers,

mainly according the data by BAROZ et al. (1990), RE-

TTORI (1994, 1995), RETTORI et al. (1994), URO©E-

VI∆ (1988) and ZANINETTI et al. (1987, 1994). 

As there is no evidence for a Ladinian part of the

Akgöl Group, Ladinian clasts of the shelf margin and

slope did not reach the marginal part of the ocean that

was probably covered by shales, a few red cherts and

mafic volcanics; the latter are common in the clasts.

Black shale and turbidite clasts could not be dated but

they are facially very similar to the Karadağtepe For-

mation of the Akgöl Group and probably represent

reworked lowermost Karadağtepe Formation.

The rich microfauna of the Anisian pelagic lime-

stones consists of conodonts, holothurian sclerites, fora-

minifers, silicified ostracods (Pls. 8, 9; Pl. 10, Figs. 1-9;

Pls. 11-13; Pl. 14, Figs. 1-10) and radiolarians (the lat-

ter could not be dissolved from the rocks because they

are calcified). The rich occurrence of conodonts allows

an exact dating of all pelagic limestone samples, where-

as the ostracods yield important biofacial data. Palaeo-

psychrosphaeric deep-water ostracods (Pl. 12, Figs. 8-

10; Pl. 13, Figs. 1-9) begin in the second conodont zone

of the Anisian (N e o g o n d o l e l l a ? r e g a l i s Zone). They

indicate that cold oceanic bottom-water currents rea-



222 Geologia Croatica 53/2

ched this area during that time. 

The only investigated small lydite pebble was very

rich in radiolarians which could not be extracted from

the chert by dissolving with HF. However, the lydite

only contains a monotonous Spumellaria and Entacti-

naria fauna with very few species indicating that it is

probably not younger than early Anisian. This black

radiolarite contains sporomorphs (Pl. 1, Figs. 7-10), an

exceptional facies that is also known from upper lower

Anisian black radiolarites of the South-Rudabányaicum

(southern slope of the Meliata-Hallstatt Ocean) in Hun-

gary. According to Dr. C. ALIŞAN, Ankara, the sporo-

morphs indicate a Late Carboniferous to Early Permian

age (investigation in the TPAO). According to the

determinations by Kozur, the sporomorph association

with Platysaccus leschiki HART, Striatoabieites balmei

KLAUS, Triadispora epigona KLAUS a n d T r i a d i s p o r a

sp. indicates a Middle Triassic, most probably early

Anisian age. 

Locality 5, about 3 km west of Devrekani (Fig. 1)

has no Torlessia in the matrix, and Upper Triassic trace

fossils are also absent. Thus, the matrix of the Akgöl

Group is in this area younger than middle Norian. 

The debris-flow is almost free of matrix and several

metres thick in places. The olistoliths contain no mafic

volcanics, ultramafics and radiolarites. Therefore, in

contrast to locality 1, no remnants of obducted ocean

floor are present among the olistoliths. The olistoliths

consist mostly of grey limestones, relatively few shal-

low-water platform carbonates, mainly slope, toe of

slope and basinal marly, nodular filamentous limesto-

nes that are sometimes very rich in ammonoids, bival-

ves and crinoids, and also contain a few brachiopods. A

single olistolith of a red (Permo-)Scythian sandstone

and few very small metamorphic olistoliths of the Ser-

veçay Group as well as black shale and turbidite olisto-

liths of the lower Karadağtepe Formation are also pre-

sent.

From these olistoliths it can be concluded that the

source area of the debris flow was mainly a carbonate-

rich slope deposit with a rich macrofauna (ammonoids,

bivalves, brachiopods, crinoids), partly already covered

by sediments of the lower Karadağ tepe Formation.

Additional clasts were transported from a metamorphic

source area and its (Permo-) Scythian cover, indicated

by abundant clastic mica in the matrix, small metamor-

phic clasts and a continental red sandstone olistolith. 

As in locality 1, all limestone olistoliths have an

Anisian age, but the lowermost two conodont zones of

the Anisian (C h i o s e l l a t i m o r e n s i s Zone and N e o g o n d o -

l e l l a ? r e g a l i s Zone) are either not represented by pela-

gic limestones or olistoliths of this age were not pro-

cessed. 

The analyses of the pebbles from the Karadağt e p e

Formation led to the following interpretation: the Küre

Ocean opened by the breaking up of a pre-existing car-

bonate platform on a low-grade metamorphic Hercyn-

ian basement. This platform yielded shallow-water

material into the basin until the middle or even upper

Anisian. The oldest pelagic rocks are from the lower-

most conodont Zone of the Anisian, the Chiosella timo -

r e n s i s zone. The representatives of C h i o s e l l a in this

sample are still very primitive indicating an age at the

Scythian-Anisian boundary. The limestone is a shallow

pelagic sediment with a very rich fauna. It indicates an

early stage of the breaking up of the carbonate platform

that began in the uppermost Scythian. Rapid deepening

is indicated for the following lower Anisian zones

(N e o g o n d o l e l l a ? r e g a l i s to N . b u l g a r i c a zones in

ascending order), where the input of bioclasts from the

shelf and slope drastically decreased and in the N e o -

g o n d o l e l l a ? r e g a l i s Zone (upper Aegean, lower Ani-

sian) palaeopsychrosphaeric ostracods appeared for the

first time, which indicate a broad connection to the

world ocean (cold oceanic bottom water currents rea-

ched the depositional area). Therefore, the Küre Basin

was since the early Anisian no longer a narrow rift ba-

sin, but already an oceanic basin. In the upper Anisian

calciturbidites are also present. 

3.4. AGE OF THE OLISTOLITHS OR PEBBLES IN

THE BEYKOZ FORMATION

Olistostromes and conglomerates of the Beykoz

Formation contain three groups of olistoliths and peb-

bles: (1) rocks from the originally adjacent Zonguldak

Terrane, (2) Upper Jurassic shallow-water limestones of

the I
.
naltı Formation, (3) exotic rocks. Only the latter

rocks were investigated. However, the other olistoliths

and pebbles are also important for palaeogeographic

interpretation and for the age of the matrix, in which the

exotic olistoliths or pebbles are present. Taking into

consideration that the overlying Çağlayan Formation is

well dated as Early Cretaceous (Valanginian to Aptian),

the presence of Upper Jurassic olistoliths or pebbles

indicate that the matrix of the Beykoz Formation in the

investigated area is latest Jurassic to earliest Cretaceous

(Berriasian) in age. However, in those outcrops, where

we found the exotic deep-water Carboniferous and Per-

mian rocks, we could not date the matrix of the Beykoz

Formation. All Triassic biostratigraphic indicators of

the Akgöl Group are missing and therefore, we conclu-

de that the matrix of the Beykoz Formation in these

localities is Jurassic. However, Late Jurassic shallow-

water limestone olistoliths are also missing. At locality

4 (see below), beside dominant olistoliths of exotic

pelagic and shallow-water Late Palaeozoic a few olis-

toliths of Permo-Triassic red sandstones from the Zon-

guldak Unit are present. This indicates that during the

deposition of the Beykoz Formation in this locality the

continental Permo-Triassic rocks of the Zonguldak Unit

were not yet covered by the Upper Jurassic carbonate

platform. This probably indicates a Liassic to Dogger

age for the matrix of the Beykoz Formation at this

locality. A little north of locality 4, N and NE of the

B i l â l b ağiköy village, where we found Carboniferous

black radiolarite, blocks of shallow-water limestones

are also present that previously were regarded as Upper



223Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

Jurassic in age. However, the investigated 5 samples

from these blocks yielded Permian shallow-water fos-

sils. Thus, the age of the matrix of the Beykoz Forma-

tion in that locality is also unclear. When really no

Upper Jurassic shallow-water limestone blocks are pre-

sent, then a Lower and Middle Jurassic age of the mat-

rix of the Beykoz Formation is most probable also at

that locality. 

Our investigations have concentrated on an outcrop

north of Dağ Mahallesi east of Azdavay (locality 4 in

Fig. 1). In this section a 5 x 1.5 m large block is expo-

sed that consists of a nearly matrix-free debris flow that

contains bioclastic shallow-water limestones with nu-

merous Permian algae, foraminifers and partly also

small ammonoids, dark-grey, pelagic, marly limestones,

and rarely grey bioclastic limestones with crinoids and

brachiopods. Additionally, smaller pelagic limestone

olistoliths and a few olistoliths of red continental Per-

motriassic sandstones are present in this locality. 

The limy matrix of the debris flow block is not yet

dated because it consists only of millimetre-thin lime-

stone between the clasts. However, it is not identical to

the surrounding siliciclastic matrix of the Beykoz For-

mation. Thus, it is a lithified pre-Beykoz debris flow.

Its age is as young as or younger than the youngest dat-

ed clast of Capitanian age; a Late Permian age is most

probable. Some of the clasts themselves are lithified

debris flows with clasts of pelagic and shallow-water

rocks.

Most of the olistoliths have a Guadalupian (Roadian

to Capitanian) age; the pelagic deep-water rocks have

mostly unspecific faunas of Carboniferous to Permian

age (Pl. 1, Figs. 1-6; Pl. 2). Conodonts are very rare and

with one exception only ramiform elements of gondo-

lellids were found. They are more advanced than Car-

boniferous forms but a Triassic age can be excluded

according to the foraminiferal fauna. Therefore, most of

the pelagic rocks have a Permian age. This age is also

supported by the pelagic ostracods mostly comprised of

cypridinids which are more advanced than Middle Car-

boniferous ones and more primitive than Lower Trias-

sic cypridinids (mostly P e r m o c y p r i d i n a m o c k i n. g e n .

n.sp., Pl. 10, Fig. 10), indicating a Late Carboniferous

to Permian age.

One investigated olistolith (sample 1966/148) of

Wordian age is a clast of a lithified debris flow with

clasts of shallow-water and pelagic limestones. It is a

rudstone with micritic matrix and components of wac-

kestone and mudstone. Fossils from the insoluble resi-

dues and from thin sections include: Tubiphytes obscu -

r u s MASLOV (algae), bryozoans, reworked juvenile

S t r e p t o g n a t h o d u s sp. ex gr. S. r u z h e n c e v i K O Z U R ,

echinoderm remains, small foraminifers D i p l o s p h a e r i -

n a sp., G l o b i v a l v u l i n a sp., L u n u c a m m i n a s p . , P a c h y -

phloia sp., Tolypammina sp., fusulinids (a Neoschwage -

r i n a fragment), gastropods and ostracods (partly pelag-

ic). The depositional environment of this clast is the

proximal slope (pelagic with transported contemporane-

ous, mostly broken, shallow-water fossils and reworked

older material, Pl. 1, Fig. 4; Pl. 14, Fig. 11). This sam-

ple is very interesting for the interpretation of the facies

of the source area. It indicates that pelagic deposition in

the source area of the block was present at least from

the Late Carboniferous (Streptognathodus ex gr. S. ruz -

hencevi is a Gzhelian conodont) up to the Capitanian or

rather post-Capitanian time. Debris flows on the steep

margin of the basin were present at least from the Wor-

dian to Capitanian / post-Capitanian time. 

A further very interesting facies is represented by

the olistolith of sample 1996/140. It is a well-washed

bioclastic grainstone with a little pelmicritic matrix,

mostly sparitic cement and partly incrusted bioclasts.

The insoluble residues yielded only indeterminable

shallow-water fossils, mainly algae and bryozoans. The

following fossils were determined in thin-sections:

A l g a e : T u b i p h y t e s c a r i n t h i a c u s ( F L Ü G E L ), Archaeo -

lithoporella sp., Mizzia sp., ammonoids (Pl. 1, fig. 3; Pl.

3, Fig. 4), brachiopods, bryozoans, small foraminifers:

G l o b i v a l v u l i n a v o n d e r s c h m i t t i REICHEL, Palaeotextu-

lariidae indet., Geinitzinidae, Diplosphaerina sp., lower

Guadalupian types of fusulinids (P a r a f u s u l i n a ? sp.),

gastropods and ostracods. This limestone was deposited

at the shelf edge. It is a shallow-water limestone, but

contains drifted small ammonoid shells.

600 m NE and 400 m N of the Bilâlbağiköy village,

a little north of locality 4, olistoliths or pebbles occur in

the badly exposed Beykoz Formation which comprise

Permian shallow-water limestones, Permian pelagic

limestones and black radiolarites of Carboniferous age.

Unfortunately, the radiolarian fauna of the radiolarites

is badly preserved and it consists exclusively of Enta-

ctinaria of Carboniferous character which do not allow

a more specific age determination, but it is older than

Late Pennsylvanian. These samples have not been inve-

stigated and, therefore, the localities are not indicated in

Fig. 1. 

As a whole, the olistoliths and pebbles of exotic

rocks in the Beykoz Formation indicate the following:

most of the shallow-water Permian clasts are from the

shelf edge or from the upper reef slope; coral debris is

often present. In addition pelagic micritic limestones

with bathypelagic deep water ostracods are common.

All transitions between the shallow-water and basinal

facies were found that are represented by different slo-

pe facies, from pelagic toe of slope facies with only a

few transported shallow-water clasts to upper slope sed-

iments with large shallow-water clasts.

The age of the shallow-water and slope limestone

could be determined from foraminifers including fusuli-

nids as Guadalupian (all 3 stages, Roadian, Wordian

and Capitanian are present, but Roadian and Wordian

rocks are most common). The pelagic deep water sedi-

ments yielded only new species (and mainly new gen-

era) of bathypelagic Cypridinidae and rather unspecific

foraminiferal faunas of Late Carboniferous to Permian

age. Most probably, these fully pelagic beds are also

mainly of Guadalupian age as are most of the slope

deposits, but some are older. Part of the slope deposits



224 Geologia Croatica 53/2

are themselves debris flows. They contain clasts of

shallow-water and pelagic limestones. The latter are as

old as Gzhelian (Upper Carboniferous) as indicated by

the conodont Streptognathodus sp. ex gr. S. ruzhencevi.

This indicates both persistent pelagic conditions (Car-

boniferous to at least Capitanian) and repeated debris

flows over a long time interval (at least from the Wor-

dian to the Capitanian or rather post-Capitanian time).

These facts and the common occurrence of bathypelag-

ic cypridinid ostracods indicate a persistent Late Pala-

eozoic basin environment.

However, the scarcity or absence of conodonts even

in favourable slope facies is striking. This was also

observed in blocks from the Eskiorda tectonic complex

of SE Crimea, in which no conodonts were discovered

despite analysing several kg of ammonoid-bearing

limestones. In contrast, the facially similar Permian

limestones from Palaeotethys in the Crete Islands and

Sicily yielded very rich conodont faunas. In the Middle

and Upper Permian of Neotethys (Oman, Iran and Sici-

ly) conodonts are very common, sometimes >1 , 0 0 0

specimens per kg sample. Thus, obviously, this north-

ernmost Permian ocean at the SE-margin of the East

European Platform had no direct N-S deep-water con-

nection to other Permian oceans of western Tethys and

may be in the Permian already a rather restricted basin.

4. COMPARISON OF SOME UNITS OF

THE MIDDLE PONTIDES WITH ASSUMED

EQUIVALENTS IN SE CRIMEA,

AND THE PALAEOTETHYS PROBLEM

The correlation of the Middle Pontide units with the

SE Crimea units is difficult because the latter are nei-

ther stratigraphically nor structurally well investigated.

MARCOUX et al. (1993), MARCOUX & BAUD

(1996), ROBINSON & KERUSOV (1997) and KOTL-

YAR et al. (1999) correlated the Akgöl “Formation”

with the Taurida flysch s. l . (Tauric flysch, Tavric fly-

sch, Tauridian flysch: different spelling by different

authors; as Taurida is the old name of Crimea, we pre-

fer the term Taurida flysch as used by KOTLYAR et

al., 1999). However, as pointed out by KOTLYAR et

al. (1999), the Akgöl Group contains only Triassic olis-

toliths, but no Late Palaeozoic blocks (olistoliths). Our

new results have solved this contradiction. Our discov-

ery of olistoliths of Carboniferous and Permian pelagic

rocks in the Beykoz Unit, has proven for the first time

the existence of these olistoliths of exotic Late Palaeo-

zoic also in the Middle Pontides. In the Permian, main-

ly Guadalupian of SE Crimea shallow-water and pelag-

ic, ammonoid-bearing limestone olistoliths and Bashki-

rian and younger Carboniferous shallow-water olisto-

liths are present (TUMANSKAYA, 1916, 1931, 1937,

1941; MIKLUCHO-MAKLAY & MIKLUCHO-MAK-

LAY, 1966; POPADYUK & SMIRNOV, 1996; KOTL-

YAR et al., 1999). Olistoliths of this age and facies are

also common in the Beykoz Unit of the Middle Pon-

tides. Additionally, Gzhelian (Late Pennsylvanian) pe-

lagic limestones with conodonts and Carboniferous

radiolarites have been found in the Middle Pontides, but

radiolarite olistoliths were probably not investigated in

SE Crimea and may also be present there. In the SE

Crimea Dzhulfian and Dorashamian olistoliths were

directly dated by small foraminifers. Olistoliths of this

age were not yet proven in the Middle Pontides, but

post-Capitanian Late Permian olistoliths may also be

present in the Middle Pontides, e.g. the undated matrix

of an olistolith, which consists of a debris flow with

pelagic and shallow-water Upper Carboniferous to Cap-

itanian clasts.

The occurrence of an exceptional Permian facies of

shallow-water limestones with small ammonoids (see

above) that were obviously post-mortally drifted shells

is especially interesting. Such olistoliths occur both in

the SE Crimea and in the Middle Pontides.

Olistoliths of exotic pelagic Late Palaeozoic rocks

do not occur in the Akgöl Group. Despite the fact that

they were reported from the Taurida flysch in SE

Crimea, they obviously do not occur in the Taurida fly-

sch s. s . They are only present in the Eskiorda tectonic

complex (Eski-Odra Formation sensu POPADYUK &

SMIRNOV, 1996, a misspelling for the second part of

the word, and Eskiorda Unit sensu KOTLYAR et al.,

1999; the spellings Eski-Orda or Eskiorda are correct)

in SE Crimea. 

Generally, the Eskiorda tectonic complex is regard-

ed as part of the Taurida flysch and dated as Middle

Triassic to Middle Jurassic. However, according to

KOTLYAR et al. (1999), the north dipping Eskiorda

Unit, a composite and dismembered tectonic complex,

lies north of the Taurida flysch s. s ., but also occurs in

two places (Bodrak and Marta River valleys) overthrust

southward on the Taurida flysch. They assigned the

Eskiorda tectonic complex to the Ladinian- B a t h o n i a n

interval. According to POPADYUK & SMIRNOV

(1996) the “Eski-Odra Formation” is part of the Taurida

flysch (Taurian Group according to POPADYUK &

SMIRNOV, 1996). They regarded the “Eski-Odra For-

mation” and with it their Taurian Group as Early Creta-

ceous on the base of an earlier discovery of Hauteriv-

ian-Aptian ammonoids in the “Eski-Odra Formation”.

Formerly reported pre-Cretaceous fossils were assumed

to be derived from olistoliths.

The Taurida flysch s. s. (without the northward adja-

cent and partly overthrust Eskiorda tectonic complex) is

unconformably overlain either by Upper Jurassic rocks,

very similar to the Bürnük and I
.
naltı formations of the

Middle Pontides (south and east of the Kacha uplift) or

by Lower Cretaceous deposits in the north and west.

Thus, at least that Taurida flysch s. s . which is overlain

by Upper Jurassic rocks is surely older than Late Juras-

sic. Its facial development and known fossils indicate a

Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic age, but mostly it is

unclear whether the fossils are from the matrix or from

olistoliths. Nevertheless, the Taurida flysch s. s . and its

Upper Jurassic cover are very similar to the Akgöl

Group of the Middle Pontides and its Upper Ju r a s s i c



225Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

cover. Both units can be well compared in agreement

with former correlations by MARCOUX et al. (1993),

MARCOUX & BAUD (1996), ROBINSON & KERU-

SOV (1997) and KOTLYAR et al. (1999). Carbonifer-

ous and Permian exotic olistoliths are not present in this

part of the Taurida flysch s. s., as they are not present in

the Akgöl Group.

The Eskiorda tectonic complex, which contains the

exotic Carboniferous and Permian blocks, obviously

corresponds to the Beykoz Unit. It is situated north of

the Taurida flysch s. s . (and partly overthrust on it) as

the Beykoz Unit is situated north of the Küre Complex.

Regarding this structural setting, the age of the Eskior-

da tectonic complex cannot be transferred to the Tauri-

da flysch s. s . and, therefore, the Early Cretaceous age

assigned to the Taurida flysch on the base of the

assumed Early Cretaceous age of the Eskiorda tectonic

complex by POPADYUK & SMIRNOV (1996) cannot

be accepted, independently from the question, whether

the Eskiorda tectonic complex is regarded as a part of

the Taurida flysch (upper Taurida flysch) s. l . or as an

independent unit as in KOTLYAR et al. (1999). We

prefer the latter solution. The age of the Eskiorda Unit

is not clear. Generally, a Liassic (Sinemurian to Toar-

cian) age has been assumed, and late Sinemurian to

Pliensbachian fossils were reported, but they may be at

least partly reworked. POPADYUK & SMIRNOV

(1996) reported Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian to Apt-

ian) ammonoids from the Eskiorda tectonic complex

which would indicate an Aptian upper age range of this

unit (as for the Çağlayan Formation of the Beykoz Unit

in the Middle Pontides). According to Dr. A.M. Nik-

ishin, Moscow (pers. comm.), these ammonoids do not

occur inside the Eskiorda tectonic complex, but in a

mélange-like zone at its margin. This left the age of the

Eskiorda tectonic complex open.

We do not correlate the Eskiorda tectonic complex

with the Akgöl Group as has been done previously (as a

part of the Taurida flysch or also as an independent unit

by KOTLYAR et al., 1999), but with the Beykoz Unit.

Both units are shallower than the Akgöl turbidites

( K a r a d ağtepe Formation) and Taurida flysch turbidites,

and contain exotic, partly deep-water Carboniferous

and Permian blocks. Both are situated north of Upper

T r i a s s ic - L o w er /Middle Jurassic siliciclastic deep sea

flysch of the Akgöl Group and Taurida flysch s. s .

respectively which contain only olistoliths of Triassic

exotic rocks.

The mirroring of some tectonic units in the Middle

Pontides and SE Crimea (Akgöl Group - Taurida flysch

s. s., Beykoz Unit - Eskiorda tectonic complex) indicates

that these units were subsequently separated by the

Black Sea that opened a little obliquely to the strike of

the Beykoz-Eskiorda tectonic complex and Akgöl

G r o up - Taurida flysch s. s ., leaving part of it in the SE

Crimea (Taurida flysch s. s. and Eskiorda tectonic com-

plex) and the other part at the opposite side of the Black

Sea, in the Middle Pontides (Akgöl Group and Beykoz

Unit) - Fig. 3.

The olistoliths of pelagic Upper Carboniferous to

Permian rocks in the Jurassic Beykoz Formation of the

Middle Pontides and in the Eskiorda tectonic complex

of SE Crimea are good evidence for the existence of a

Late Palaeozoic northern “Palaeotethys” in the sense of

the ŞENGÖR school (e.g., ŞENGÖR & YILMAZ,

1981; ŞENGÖR, 1984, 1985; ŞENGÖR et al., 1984;

GENÇ & YILMAZ, 1995; YILMAZ et al., 1997). The

accretionary complex of this ocean was obviously one

of the source areas of the clasts in the Beykoz Forma-

tion of the Middle Pontides and in the Eskiorda tectonic

complex of SE Crimea. An other source area of the

clasts in the Beykoz Formation was the Zonguldak Ter-

rane (Fig. 3) which was a marginal part of the East

European Platform (stable Europe) since the Devonian

according to GÖNCÜOĞLU & KOZUR (1998), KO-

ZUR & GÖNCÜOĞLU (1999, 2000) and KOZUR &

STAMPFLI (2000). Consequently, the “Palaeotethys”

in the sense of the ŞENGÖR school was situated at the

southern margin of stable Europe (Zonguldak Terrane),

north of the Variscan chain.

KAHLER (1939) established the Palaeotethys as an

ocean and its shelves north of the later Tethys. The axis

(suture zone) of the Tethys sensu KAHLER (1939) was

shown along the Zagros Zone and from there toward

the east to an area roughly between the Indian craton

and Tibet. It corresponds to Neotethys s. s . ( S T Ö C K-

LIN, 1974, 1977; STAMPFLI, 1978; KOZUR, 1999), a

term which was established by STILLE (1944a, b) in

his geosynclinal concept (Lower Pennsylvanian to Ter-

tiary geosyncline, not an ocean) which cannot be

applied in any mobilistic reconstruction. Therefore we

use the plate tectonic Neotethys concept by STÖCK-

LIN (1974, 1977) and STAMPFLI (1978) because it

has priority among the plate tectonic concepts of Neo-

tethys. 

The Palaeotethys concept of KAHLER (1939) was

too wide. Whereas the southern margin of his Palaeo-

tethys was well defined (immediately north of Gond-

wana and after the Middle Permian opening of Neo-

tethys, north of the Cimmerian continent as a splinter of

Gondwana), the northern margin of his Palaeotethyan

shelf was drawn with the northern occurrence of Permi-

an shallow-marine deposits. Therefore, both STÖCK-

LIN (1974, 1977) and STAMPFLI (1978) on one side,

and ŞENGÖR (1979) on the other side presented a

restricted scope of Palaeotethys within the original Pal-

aeotethys of KAHLER (1939). The revised Palaeo-

tethys sensu STÖCKLIN (1974, 1977) and STAMPFLI

(1978) has priority and represents an ocean and not a

geosyncline as in concept by STILLE (1944a, b). Con-

sequently, it is used here. 

The Palaeotethys sensu ŞENGÖR (1979) consists in

western Tethys of two different oceanic units adjacent

to the southern margin of Laurussia and within the

northern part of the Variscan chain respectively: a (De-

vonian) Carboniferous to Permian ocean adjacent to the

southern margin of Laurussia, which we named the Pa-

phlagonian Ocean, and the Middle Triassic to Middle



226 Geologia Croatica 53/2

A

B

C

Fig. 3  Schematic N-S cross section through the Middle Pontides. Legend: A) Upper Triassic: southward subduction of the Küre Ocean below

the Küre Ridge. This caused the beginning of the rifting in the later Vardar Ocean in the Izmir-Ankara Zone (not shown). Deposition of the

turbiditic-olistostromal Karadağtepe Formation of the Akgöl Group over the down-thrust northern margin of the Küre Ridge and the adja-

cent marginal oceanic part of the Küre Basin. KORB - Karakaya oceanic rift basin. B) Lower Dogger: the southwards subduction of the

remnant Küre Ocean continued. Some synsedimentary obducted slices of the basalts and ophiolites in the Karadağtepe Formation are over -

lain by the upper Karadağtepe Formation. The subduction also caused granitic intrusions. The molasse type Upper Akgöl Group covers not

only the Karadağtepe Formation, but also the largest part of the Küre Ridge and lies transgressively over the Sırçalık and Serveçay groups.

The Karakaya oceanic rift basin closed during the late Norian, and the turbidite-olistostrome complex is transgressively overlain by the

Sazak Group. In the south, oceanic crust is created in the Vardar Ocean of the Izmir -Ankara Belt. C) Upper Jurassic: the Küre Ocean is

totally subducted and its accretionary complex as well as adjacent units are covered by the I
.
naltı shallow-water carbonate platform. The

extensional Beykoz Basin opened adjacent to the Zonguldak Terrane north of the Akgöl accretionary complex or on marginal parts of it. The

suture zone of the Paphlagonian Ocean is exposed at the northern margin of the Beykoz-Çağlayan turbidite basin and rocks of this zone and

subordinately those of the Zonguldak Terrane are transported into the Beykoz-Çağlayan turbidite basin. The somewhat oblique future Black

Sea rift (Upper Cretaceous) is indicated that cut in the west the southernmost part of stable Europe, leaving the Zonguldak Unit on the south-

ern side of the Black Sea rift. In the east, the Black Sea rift cut the Beykoz Unit, leaving a part of it in the SE Crimea at the northern margin

of the Black Sea rift (Taurida Flysch), the other part on the southern margin of the Black Sea rift (Beykoz Unit of the Middle Pontides).



227Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

Jurassic Küre Ocean that opened in the northern mar-

ginal part of the Variscan chain (Sakarya) south of the

suture zone of the Paphlagonian Ocean. Additionally,

Variscan oceanic sequences (Serveçay Group of the

Küre Ridge Unit) were put in the “Palaeotethys” sensu

ŞENGÖR (1979).

The opening time of the Paphlagonian Ocean is not

yet known. Until now, the oldest fossil-proven pelagic

rocks are black radiolarites of Carboniferous age and

also in the exotic olistoliths in SE Crimea the oldest

rocks are Serpukhovian - early Bashkirian. If the Pa-

phlagonian Ocean opened in that time, it would be rela-

ted to the closure of the Variscan ocean further in the

south (both in the Istanbul Terrane and in olistoliths of

the Late Triassic Diskaya Unit of the Karakaya oceanic

rift basin, the youngest pelagic Variscan rocks are early

Bashkirian in age - KOZUR, 1999; KOZUR & GÖN-

C Ü OĞLU, 2000). In this case it would be a marginal

trough north of the Variscan Sakarya continent. The

other possibility is that the Paphlagonian Ocean opened

during the late Early Devonian in prolongation of the

northernmost Variscan LIGIHA Ocean of Middle and

Western Europe. It may have opened in direct connec-

tion to the LIGIHA Ocean or in the same position as

this ocean within the formerly accreted margin of Lau-

russia. Whereas in Middle and Western Europe both the

LIGIHA Ocean in the north and the Palaeotethys in the

south closed during the Carboniferous, further in the

east both oceans remained open and closed only at the

end of the Permian (Paphlagonian Ocean) and during

the middle Carnian (Palaeotethys). 

In the Crimea a Late Palaeozoic fold belt is present

containing metamorphosed Devonian - M i s s i s s i p p i a n

deep-water shales and volcanic rocks, including rem-

nants of a volcanic arc (NIKISHIN et al., in press).

Lower Carboniferous black shales SW of Sevastopol

(NIKISHIN et al., in press) may also belong to this

basin. The Bashkirian-Permian deep-water basin with a

restricted connection to the world ocean was perhaps a

remnant basin of this ocean. The Visean deformation

phase was not connected with closure of this ocean.

The term “Palaeotethys” can neither be applied for

the combined Paphlagonian and Küre oceans (and the

splinter of Variscan basement) which were together

assembled into the “Palaeotethys” sensu ŞE N G Ö R

(1979) nor for the northern (and older) of these two

oceans alone because it contradicts the priority re-defin-

ition of Palaeotethys by STÖCKLIN (1974, 1977) and

STAMPFLI (1978) as a Late Palaeozoic-Triassic ocean

between Perigondwana in the south and the Variscan

chain in the north. For this reason, the northern ocean at

the margin of the East European Platform has been

named the Paphlagonian Ocean. The suture zone of the

priority Palaeotethys sensu Stöcklin and Stampfli lies

south of the later Izmir-Ankara Belt. Its remnants were

found recently in the Tavas composite nappe of the

Lycian Nappes in the western Taurus by KOZUR et al.

(1998) who suggested Variscan Lower Carboniferous

flysch as the oldest Palaeotethyan flysch, and by KO-

ZUR & ŞENEL (1999) and KOZUR et al. (in press c),

who discovered tectonically underlying younger Pala-

eotethyan successions, such as Pennsylvanian MORB

and oceanic sea-mount successions, as well as a Trias-

sic foreland basin in front of the advancing Cimmerian

nappes).

5. RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

(1) As both the Karakaya oceanic rift basin and the Kü-

re Ocean were early Mesozoic oceans, all three for-

mer models of the geological evolution of the Kara-

kaya oceanic rift basin and the Küre Ocean (1 - Kü-

re Ocean - the Late Palaeozoic to Middle Jurassic

Palaeotethys, and Karakaya oceanic rift basin its

back-arc basin; 2 - Karakaya oceanic rift basin - the

Late Palaeozoic to Triassic Palaeotethys and Küre

Ocean its back-arc basin; 3 - Karakaya oceanic rift

basin and Küre Ocean represent the later separated

remnants of the large Late Palaeozoic to Middle Jur-

assic Palaeotethys) cannot be confirmed.

(2) The Küre Complex is not the remnant of a persistent

Late Palaeozoic - Jurassic Palaeotethyan Ocean as

assumed by the ŞENGÖR school (e.g., ŞENGÖR &

YILMAZ, 1981; ŞENGÖR, 1984, 1985; ŞE N G Ö R

et al., 1984; GENÇ & YILMAZ, 1995), but a Mid-

dle Triassic to Middle Jurassic ocean. It opened as a

back-arc basin during the latest Scythian. However,

its opening is not related to the subduction of a per-

sistent Late Palaeozoic - Triassic Karakaya Ocean as

assumed by OKAY et al. (1996), PICKETT et al.

(1995), USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON (1995,

1997, 1999), PICKETT & ROBERTSON (1996),

but to the northward subduction of Palaeotethys, the

suture zone of which is south of the later Izmir -

Ankara Belt. Remnants of this Palaeotethys (MORB

and OIB, as well as pelagic Carboniferous to Trias-

sic oceanic sediments and Late Pennsylvanian ocean

island sediments) were found in the Tavas Compos-

ite nappe of the Lycian nappes (KOZUR et al.,

1998; KOZUR & ŞENEL, 1999; GÖNCÜOĞLU et

al., 2000; KOZUR et al., in press c). The subduction

of the rather broad Küre Ocean started during the

middle Carnian and continued until the Middle Jura-

ssic closure of this back-arc ocean.

(3) The Karakaya Ocean is a narrow (transtensional)

oceanic rift basin in the Eurasian marginal belt

(shelf) of Palaeotethys. It existed only from the

uppermost Permian to middle Norian. Its opening is

not related to the southward subduction of the Küre

Ocean because the Karakaya oceanic rift basin ope-

ned before the beginning of subduction of the Küre

Ocean. However, the closure of the narrow Ka r a-

kaya oceanic rift basin may be related to the south-

ward subduction of the Küre Ocean because it was

filled up by the siliciclastic turbidites and olisto-



228 Geologia Croatica 53/2

stromes of the Diskaya Unit which started exactly at

the same time as the southward subduction of the

Küre Ocean. 

(4) The missing subduction signal in the mafics of the

Karakaya Ocean does not indicate that this ocean

was the huge Palaeotethyan Ocean, but that its ope-

ning was unrelated to the subduction of Palaeote-

thys and of the Küre Ocean. The opening of the

Karakaya oceanic rift basin is related to the collapse

of the Variscan cordillera (Sakarya continent). Con-

tinuing collapse of the Variscan orogene and north-

ward subduction of Palaeotethys finally creates the

opening of back-arc oceans, such as the Küre Oce-

an. Further to the west, an analogous development

caused by the collapse of the Variscan cordillera can

be observed in the early rifting (Late Permian) in

the area of the later Maliak Ocean, but in contrast to

the Karakaya oceanic rift basin it did not develop an

oceanic rift stage before the Late Triassic (or late

Ladinian). Further collapse of the Variscan orogene

and continuous northward subduction of Palaeo-

tethys led to the opening of the Meliata- H a l l s t a t t

back-arc ocean during the Anisian. Slab roll-back in

the Palaeotethys led to a southward shift of back-arc

sea-floor spreading from the Meliata back-arc ocean

into the Maliak back-arc ocean during the late Ladi-

nian or early Carnian. Southward subduction of the

Meliata ocean and of its eastern continuation, the

Küre Ocean, opened the Vardar Ocean from the

Vardar Belt to the Izmir-Ankara Belt.

(5) The subduction direction of the Karakaya oceanic

rift basin is disputed. This is mainly consequence of

the fact that with the onset of flysch sedimentation

siliciclastic turbidites were present in the entire

basin and therefore no active and passive margin

can be lithologically distinguished. The other reason

is the very complicated tectonic situation which

makes it nearly impossible to recognise the general

tectonic dipping. Most authors prefer a southward

subduction (e.g., ŞENGÖR & YILMAZ, 1981;

ŞENGÖR et al., 1984; GENÇ & YILMAZ, 1995;

OKAY et al., 1996; KOZUR & MOCK, 1997).

According to PICKETT et al. (1995) and USTA-

ÖMER & ROBERTSON (1995, 1997, 1999) there

was a northward subduction of the Karakaya ocean-

ic rift basin. In their opinion this caused the opening

of the Küre back-arc basin, which is impossible

because the Küre Ocean opened during the late Scy-

thian whereas no evidence for Early and Middle Tri-

assic subduction of the Karakaya oceanic rift basin

can be found. 

USTAÖMER & ROBERTSON (1997) pointed

out that the basement units of the Karakaya Com-

plex exhibit a consistently northward-dipping folia-

tion, and the axial planes of fold and thrust planes

also dip northward. If this structural evidence can be

confirmed, then subduction in the Karakaya oceanic

rift basin was really directed northward. However,

in the structurally very complicated Karakaya Com-

plex it is very difficult to establish the subduction

direction, if no passive margin sequence can be

recognised. Thus, PICKETT & ROBERTSON

(1996) accepted the main subduction of the Kara-

kaya oceanic rift basin toward the south, but belie-

ved that also a northward-directed subduction was

present. This would be in conflict with the previous-

ly mentioned structural data. Moreover, such a nar-

row rift basin as the Karakaya oceanic rift basin

would surely not subduct into two opposite direc-

tions. OKAY (2000) also changed his former view

of a southward-directed subduction into the north-

ward-directed subduction of the Karakaya oceanic

rift basin without new structural data, and this con-

tradicted his view of a single Karakaya-Küre Ocean

which subducted below the European margin. The

northern margin of the Küre Ocean is clearly a pas-

sive margin with Anisian to Norian Hallstatt Lime-

stones and Rhaetian - Liassic shales and marls. With

exception of OKAY (2000), there is general agree-

ment that the Küre Ocean subducted toward the

south. This is proven by the discovery of Anisian to

Norian Hallstatt Limestones at the passive northern

margin which were, in the Carnian and Norian, con-

temporaneous with the siliciclastic flysch at the

southern active margin of the Küre Ocean.

It is possible that there was southward subduc-

tion only in the Küre Ocean and none in the

Karakaya oceanic rift basin. If the ridge between the

Küre Ocean and the Karakaya oceanic rift basin was

elevated with the onset of the southward subduction

of the Küre Ocean, then this ridge yielded terrige-

nous siliciclastic rocks both toward the southern

active margin of the Küre Ocean (Akgöl Group) and

toward the Karakaya oceanic rift basin (Diskaya

Unit). As the Karakaya oceanic rift basin was very

narrow, turbidites of this clastic input filled the

entire basin. In this case, the Nilüfer Unit may be a

northward subducted Palaeotethyan sea-mount

which was suddenly brought to the surface perhaps

by the onset of the southward subduction of the

Küre Ocean. This would be one possible explana-

tion for the fact that middle Carnian to middle Nori-

an turbidites of the Diskaya Unit overlie the HP/LT

metamorphic rocks of the Nilüfer Unit. The other

possibility would be that the within plate volcanics

of the Nilüfer Unit do not indicate a sea-mount but

early rifting stage of the Karakaya oceanic rift ba-

sin. This would be in better agreement with the suc-

cession within the Nilüfer Unit (Table 1), however,

it would require a rather unusual development of

blueschist facies without very deep, subduction rela-

ted tectonic burial. Such an explanation seems to be

possible because within the Nilüfer Unit the meta-

morphic overprint changes from very low grade in

its upper part to blueschist facies in its lower part in

a distance of a few kilometres. A third explanation



229Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

for the Nilüfer Unit would be that it represents a

sequence of the Late Permian - Early Triassic rift

stage of the Küre Ocean which cannot be found in

the Küre Basin because it was totally southward-

subducted under the Küre Ridge Unit and the Kara-

kaya rift basin. As the Karakaya rift basin was dur-

ing the upper Triassic in its transpressional stage

and the Nilüfer Unit is a relatively light slab (not

only mafic tuffs and volcanics are present, but also

thick shallow-water carbonates in its lower part and

thick shales in its upper part), a rapid exhumation

during the Upper Triassic is possible. 

(6) The Küre Complex consists of three oceanic and

continental units with different evolution paths and

palaeogeographic positions. These are the Küre

Ridge Unit (the Variscan Serveçay Group and the

Sırçalık Group, its Lower -Middle Triassic shallow-

water cover) in the south, the central Küre Ocean

Unit (Middle Triassic basalts, ophiolites, and middle

Carnian to Middle Jurassic accretionary complex of

the Akgöl Group) and the Çalça Unit (northern pas-

sive margin and slope of the Küre Ocean). The

Palaeotethys sensu ŞENGÖR (1979, 1984, 1995)

comprises all three units, a Variscan complex (Ser-

veçay Group) and its disconformably overlying Lo-

wer and Middle Triassic shallow-water cover, as

well as the Middle Triassic - Middle Jurassic Küre

Ocean (its middle Carnian to middle Jurassic accre-

tionary complex from the active southern margin,

obducted ophiolites and mafic volcanics, and its

northern passive margin sequence).

(7) The Serveçay Group is a Variscan low-grade meta-

morphic oceanic unit of pre-Triassic (pre-Permian)

age. It is a part of the Variscan Sakarya Continent. It

is overlain by a deformed but unmetamorphosed

Triassic shallow-water sequence that begins with a

Scythian transgressive quartz conglomerate also

containing a few pebbles of unmetamorphosed dolo-

mites of post-Variscan / pre-Triassic (probably Per-

mian) age.

(8) The deformed, but unmetamorphosed Sırçalık Gro-

up is not an intercalation within the upper Serveçay

Group, and it is also not Ladinian in age as assumed

by AYDIN et al. (1995). It disconformably overlies

the Serveçay Group and begins with the above men-

tioned transgressive conglomerate. Sandstones and

siltstones in the facies of the Alpine Buntsandstein,

Werfen Beds, a hypersaline horizon with cellular

dolomites at the Olenekian-Anisian boundary, Ani-

sian Gutenstein Limestone and Steinalm Dolomite

follow in a shallow-water shelf Triassic sequence of

typical North Alpine character. A formerly assumed

upper Ladinian part with D a o n e l l a t a r a m e l l i M O J-

SISOVICS cannot be confirmed. This “D a o n e l l a ”

has been derived from the Werfen Beds and is a

misidentified Scythian E u m o r p h o t i s. The Late Ole-

nekian (Spathian) age of this part of the Sırçalık

Group is proven by M e a n d r o s p i r a p u s i l l a ( H O ) ,

S p i r o r b i s p h l y c t a e n a BRÖNNIMANN & ZANINE-

TTI (Pl. 5, Figs. 12, 13), and E u m o r p h o t i s sp. The

Anisian age of the platform carbonates is proven by

foraminifers (e.g. Meandrospira dinarica K O C H-

ANSKY-DÉVIDÉ & PANTI∆).

(9) The Akgöl “Formation” sensu AYDIN et al. (1995)

represents the following different sequences that

belong to the Küre Ocean Unit:

- Middle Triassic Ophiolites and mafic volcanics

(obducted ophiolites and pillow lavas, tectonic

slices and olistoliths),

- Karadağtepe Formation,

- an unnamed formation consisting of a shallow-

water sequence of ungraded sandstones, siltstones

and shales.

Additionally, the newly established Çalça Unit,

a passive margin succession, was also included pre-

viously into the Akgöl “Formation”. The Karadağ-

tepe Formation and the unnamed formation belong

to the Akgöl Group.

(10) The Karadağtepe Formation represents a siliciclas-

tic accretionary complex at the southern, active mar-

gin of the Küre Ocean with remnants of the obduct-

ed oceanic crust (ophiolites, pillow lava). The

matrix of the lower and middle Karadağtepe Forma-

tion was dated by the succession of T o r l e s s i a n.s p .

(middle to upper Carnian) and T o r l e s s i a m a c k a y i

(lower and middle Norian) as middle Carnian to

middle Norian. Trace fossils indicate deep-water

conditions for the turbidite-olistostrome sequence.

The upper Karadağtepe Formation has a late Norian

to Early or Middle Jurassic age. Olistoliths of the

deep-water turbidites of the Karadağtepe Formation

contain shallow-water, slope and basinal limestone,

radiolarites (all of Anisian age), red radiolarites of

probably Ladinian age, Middle Triassic mafic vol-

canics and ophiolites. The ophiolites and mafic vol-

canic clasts are part of a pre-Carnian oceanic crust.

As there are no basinal and slope sediments older

than basal Anisian, a Middle Triassic age for the

oceanic crust can be assumed. It was obducted early

during the Late Triassic - Middle Jurassic southward

subduction because ophiolite and mafic volcanics

are already present as olistoliths in the middle to

upper Carnian part of the Karadağtepe Formation. A

Middle Triassic age is also assumed for tectonic

slices of ophiolites and thick pillow lavas in the Kü-

re area, that all have a tectonic lower contact and

partly a sedimentary upper contact (USTAÖMER &

ROBERTSON, 1995).

As fully pelagic, open sea faunas with Chiosella

t i m o r e n s i s, the conodont guideform of the pelagic

lowermost Anisian, are present in the olistoliths of

the Karadağtepe Formation, the opening of the Küre

oceanic basin was within the latest Olenekian.



230 Geologia Croatica 53/2

(11) An unnamed shallow-water sandstone-siltstone-

shale sequence with coaly layers overlies (? uncon-

formably, contact relations not observed) the Kara-

dağtepe Formation. These beds of molasse character

also unconformably overlie the Sırçalık and Serve-

çay groups. There, they contain only pebbles of

local character which were derived from the Sırçalık

and Serveçay groups.

(12) The Çalça Unit is an Anisian to Lower or Middle

Jurassic deep-water sequence from the passive

(northern) margin of the Küre Ocean. It consists of

Pelsonian (middle Anisian) to Norian or lower Rha-

etian Hallstatt Limestones that have the same litho-

facies and fossil content as the North Alpine and

Western Carpathian Hallstatt Limestones, and

R h a e t i an - Liassic marls with brachiopods and trace

fossils. Due to the extraordinary palaeogeographic

importance of the discovery of Hallstatt Limestones

in the investigated area, their fauna and age will be

discussed in a separate paper. The dating is based on

well preserved conodonts that are very common and

have a CAI = 1 (within the oil window). Ammono-

ids are also common, but were not collected.

For palaeogeographic evaluation it is very

important that during the Upper Triassic deposition

of siliciclastic turbidites and olistostromes of the

accretionary complex at the active southern margin

of the Küre Ocean, the deposition of the strongly

condensed Hallstatt Limestones without any clastic

input continued at the slope of its passive northern

margin. Thus, the Küre Basin was rather broad at

the end of the Triassic, and its subduction continued

during the Lower and Middle Jurassic.

(13) Numerous important micropalaeontological results

were obtained from the olistoliths in the Akgöl

Group. Conodonts, foraminifers, holothurian scleri-

tes and other echinoderm remains, ostracods, fish

remains and sporomorphs have been studied and

evaluated both stratigraphically and biofacially. 

Stratigraphically important pelagic conodonts

were found from the lowermost Anisian C h i o s e l l a

timorensis Zone up to the upper Anisian Neogondo -

l e l l a c o n s t r i c t a Zone. As the conodonts are well

preserved, no taxonomic problems arose. For speci-

es present see Pl. 8, Figs. 1-10; Pl. 10, Figs. 4-9; Pl.

11; Pl. 12, Figs. 1-5; Pl. 13, Fig. 10; Pl. 14, Figs. 1-

4, 6-10.

The conodont alteration index (CAI) in the

K a r a d ağtepe Formation of the Akgöl Group is 3-4

and, consequently, a little above the “oil window”

(KOZUR et al., 1997).

Foraminifers yielded important stratigraphic

data for olistoliths both of shallow-water and pelag-

ic limestones, but also for the Sırçalık Group. In

these rocks algae (only in shallow-water limestones)

and sometimes ammonoids, brachiopods, bivalves,

fish remains and occasionally S p i r o r b i s (only in

shallow-water limestones) were also present. For

present species see Pls. 5-7; Pl. 8, Fig. 11; Pl. 9,

Figs. 1-4; Pl. 10, Fig. 1. 

Holothurian sclerites were previously nearly

undescribed from Turkey. Only MOSTLER (1968)

described 3 T h e e l i a species form the upper Anisian

of northwestern Turkey. In our material holothurian

sclerites are known throughout the entire Anisian.

The lower Anisian holothurian sclerites are the first

of this age from western Tethys. Except T h e e l i a,

also P r i s c o p e d a t u s , E o c a u d i n a , T e t r a v i r g a and oth-

er genera are present in our material and will be

described in a separate paper. For some of the spe-

cies present see Pl. 9, Figs. 5-7 and Pl. 14, Fig. 5.

A s p i d o c r i n i t e s, Echinodermata incertae sedis

(Pl. 10, Figs. 2, 3), was found for the first time out-

side the Alps, where it occurs in the Pelsonian (KO-

ZUR & MOSTLER, 1992). Our form is a new spe-

cies from the lowermost Anisian Chiosella timoren -

sis Zone.

Ostracods yielded very important palaeoecologi-

cal data. In the lower Anisian Neogondolella ? rega -

lis Zone and in younger faunas palaeopsychrosphae-

ric ostracods occur that indicate the presence of cold

oceanic bottom water currents.

(14) The Küre Complex and adjacent units are covered

by an Upper Jurassic shallow-water carbonate plat-

form (I
.
naltı Formation). Only in the Azdavay-Ağlı -

D i k m e n d ağ area (Fig. 1), the I
.
naltı Formation is

missing and replaced by the Upper Jurassic turbidi-

tes of the Beykoz Formation. The Beykoz -Ç ağl a-

yan turbidite basin is probably not a compressional

basin as the remnant of the Küre Ocean, but an ex-

tensional basin. It widened during the uppermost

Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous by the breaking up

and subsidence of the I
.
naltı shallow-water carbona-

te platform (Lower Cretaceous turbidites of the Ça-

ğlayan Formation which overlay both the turbidites

of the Beykoz Formation and the shallow-water I
.
na-

ltı Formation).

(15) The olistostromes and conglomerates of the Bey-

koz Unit (Beykoz Formation and Çağlayan Forma-

tion) contain olistoliths and pebbles of rocks of the

Zonguldak Terrane which, since the Devonian, was

a marginal part of the East European Platform (GÖ-

N C Ü OĞLU & KOZUR, 1998; KOZUR & GÖN-

C Ü OĞLU, 1999, 2000), of Upper Jurassic platform

carbonates from the adjacent I
.
naltı Formation, and

of exotic pebbles. 

(16) The exotic olistoliths and pebbles of the Beykoz

Formation (lower part of the Beykoz Unit) contain

Late Pennsylvanian and Early - Middle Permian pe-

lagic deep-water sediments (pelagic limestones,

radiolarites), slope sediments and shallow-water

limestones. Wordian to Capitanian or post-Capitan-

ian debris flows were also proven. This proves for

the first time the existence of a persistent La t e



231Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

Palaeozoic ocean in the Middle Pontides that was

predicted by the ŞENGÖR school (a part of the

“Palaeotethys” by ŞENGÖR & YILMAZ, 1981;

ŞENGÖR, 1984, 1985; ŞENGÖR et al., 1984; GE-

NÇ & YILMAZ, 1995; YILMAZ et al., 1997).

However, its position was farther north than previ-

ously assumed, between the Late Palaeozoic stable

Europe margin (Zonguldak Terrane) in the north

and the northernmost part of the Variscan chain in

the south (e.g. Serveçay Group of the Küre Ridge

Unit of the Küre Complex and other metamorphic

Variscan rocks that occur within the Küre Com-

plex). As the name Palaeotethys cannot be applied

to this ocean for priority reasons, this oceanic basin

is named the Paphlagonian Ocean. Its remnants are

also present in the Eskiorda tectonic complex of SE

Crimea at the opposite side of the Black Sea. This

indicates that the formerly continuous Eskiorda

U n it -Beykoz Unit was separated by the somewhat

oblique Late Cretaceous opening of the Black Sea.

Likewise, the flysch of the Akgöl Group of the Mid-

dle Pontides and the Taurida flysch s. s . of SE Cri-

mea are equivalent sequences which were separated

by the opening of the Black Sea.

(17) The origin of the Paphlagonian Ocean is not yet

known. It may have opened in prolongation of the

northernmost Variscan oceanic branch (LIGIGA

Ocean; in that case not yet proven pelagic Devonian

rocks should be found). Or it may have opened in a

zone of crustal weakness in the broad transition zo-

ne between stable Europe and the Variscan chain. In

this area also later oceanic basins or deep-sea basins

on thinned continental crust opened (e.g. Küre Oce-

an, Beykoz - Ç ağlayan turbidite basin, Cretaceous

Intrapontide Ophiolite Belt = Intrapontide “Neo-

tethys”; the term Neotethys should be only used for

the southernmost Tethyan Ocean that opened during

the Permian within Gondwana and closed during the

Late Cretaceous to Late Tertiary), and finally the

Black Sea. 

(18) The repeated presence of debris flows at least from

the Wordian until the top of the Guadalupian (or

Lopingian) may indicate subduction of the Paphlag-

onian Ocean during this time. The youngest known

debris flow block contains Capitanian clasts as the

youngest rocks. It may be latest Capitanian to Late

Permian (Lopingian: Dzhulfian, Dorashamian) in

age. The Eskiorda Unit of SE Crimea also contains

dated Dzhulfian and Dorashamian blocks. As nei-

ther the Eskiorda Unit of SE Crimea nor the Beykoz

Formation of the Middle Pontides contain any

pelagic rocks of Early Triassic age, the closure of

the Paphlagonian Ocean probably occurred at the

end of the Permian or during the earliest Triassic.

(19) Important palaeontological results were obtained

from the exotic olistoliths and pebbles in the Bey-

koz Formation. The stratigraphic evaluation of the

olistoliths and pebbles is mainly based on foramini-

fers, especially on fusulinids, in pelagic beds also on

conodonts (e.g., the first evidence of pelagic Upper

Carboniferous in northern Turkey by the Gzhelian

S t r e p t o g n a t h o d u s ex gr. S. r u z h e n c e v i - Pl. 14, Fig.

11) and bathypelagic ostracods.

Apart from these biostratigraphic results, these

Upper Carboniferous and Permian faunas are also

biogeographically important. The fusulinids and

small foraminifers, accompanied by algae, are an

undoubtedly northern Tethyan fauna and flora, whe-

reas the provenance of the Permian faunas and mari-

ne floras of the Karakaya Complex is disputed. We

agree with LEVEN (in LEVEN & OKAY, 1996)

that the Permian associations of the Karakaya Com-

plex also have a northern Tethyan character, but

other authors originate this fauna from Gondwana

(e.g., PICKETT & ROBERTSON, 1996; ALTINER

et al., 2000).

The often bathypelagic Cypridinidae from the

Permian (Guadalupian and older) blocks in the Bey-

koz Unit are the oldest Permian pelagic fossils of

Turkey. Moreover, Cypridinidae are known from

the Carboniferous, rarely from the Lower and Mid-

dle Triassic and mainly Recent, but not from the

Permian. Thus, P e r m o c y p r i d i n a m o c k i n.gen. n.s p .

(Pl. 10, Fig. 10, description in a separate paper by

KOZUR & YAKAR, in prep.) is an important link

between the Carboniferous and Triassic Cypridini-

dae.

6. CONCLUSIONS

The Middle Pontides are a geologically very com-

plex area with repeated opening and closure of oceanic

or suboceanic basins since the Ordovician. By a post-

S i l u r i an - pre-Emsian Caledonian event (folding, very

low to low grade metamorphism, thermal alteration,

GÖNCÜOĞLU & KOZUR, 1998), the Arenig to Siluri-

an deep-sea basin of the Zonguldak Terrane (with shal-

lowing upwards sequence until the lowermost Lochko-

vian) was attached to the margin of the East European

Platform (stable Europe). The broad transition Zone

between stable Europe and the Variscan Sakarya Conti-

nent has been a tectonically very unstable area since the

Late Palaeozoic. Firstly, during the Carboniferous (or

Devonian), the Paphlagonian Ocean opened, immedi-

ately south of the margin of stable Europe (south of the

Zonguldak Terrane). The southward subduction of this

ocean during the Middle and Late Permian (earliest Tri-

assic) and the northward subduction of Palaeotethys

south of the later Izmir-Ankara Belt triggered the col-

lapse of the Variscan cordillera. The former Variscan

Cordillera (Sakarya continent) subsided, was at first

(Late Pennsylvanian to Artinskian interval) periodical-

ly, and then from the Kungurian to Dzhulfian perma-

nently covered by shallow seas. Continuing collapse of

the Variscan cordillera created the conditions for the

latest Permian (Dorashamian) opening of the Karakaya



232 Geologia Croatica 53/2

rift, which developed during the Early and Middle Tri-

assic to a narrow oceanic rift basin that filled up from

the middle Carnian by siliciclastic turbidites and olisto-

stromes of the Diskaya Unit (junior synonym: Hodul

Unit) and closed during the late Norian.

During the Late Olenekian, the Küre Ocean opened

north of the Küre Ridge (part of the Sakarya continent)

and south of the suture zone of the Paphlagonian Oce-

an. The Küre Ridge (Variscan metamorphics of the Ser-

veçay Group and unconformably overlying shallow-

water Triassic) therefore became a continental “splin-

ter” between two oceanic basins. The ocean floor basal-

ts of the Küre Ocean show a back-arc signature. This is

either caused by the northward subduction of Palaeo-

tethys or the subduction signal is inherited from a for-

mer southward subduction of the Paphlagonian Ocean

and/or from the Variscan subduction. 

The Küre Ocean was a rather broad ocean because

in the late Norian, more than 20 Ma after the beginning

of the subduction during the middle Carnian, it was still

so broad that the deposition of a clastic-free, condensed

Hallstatt Limestone sequence at its passive northern

margin continued contemporaneously with the deposi-

tion of siliciclastic turbidites and olistostromes of the

K a r a d ağtepe Formation at its active southern margin.

This required an ocean width of more than 500 km clo-

se to the end of the Triassic, also indicated by the fact

that the subduction continued until the Middle Jurassic,

when Küre Ocean was closed.

Subsequently, nearly the entire area was covered by

the Upper Jurassic shallow-water carbonate platform of

the I
.
naltı Formation which is missing only in the

A z d a v ay-Ağlı -D i k m e n d ağ area. Here, the extensional

J u r a s s ic -Lower Cretaceous Beykoz-Ç ağlayan turbidite

basin subsided north of the Küre Complex or on mar-

ginal parts of it. Subsequently, during the (?uppermost

Jurassic) Early Cretaceous this turbidite basin consider-

ably widened by the break-up and subsidence of the I
.
n-

altı carbonate platform and the turbidite deposition of

the Çağlayan Formation started. 

The occurrence of exotic pelagic Carboniferous and

Permian blocks (pelagic limestones and radiolarite)

within the Beykoz Formation indicates that the Bey-

k oz- Ç ağlayan turbidite basin opened on or immediate-

ly south of the Paphlagonian suture zone.

The Intrapontide Ocean opened during the Creta-

ceous and closed at the end of the Cretaceous. Its late

Cretaceous closure caused the opening of the Black

Sea. As the Black Sea opened somewhat oblique to ear-

lier structures, part of the Akgöl Group of the Middle

Pontides can be found on the opposite side of the Black

Sea, in SE Crimea (Taurida flysch s. s .). The equiva-

lents of the originally northward adjacent Beykoz Unit

of the Middle Pontides with the blocks of exotic pelagic

Late Palaeozoic are situated even to the larger part in

SE Crimea (Eskiorda tectonic complex north of the

Taurida flysch s. s. and partly thrust on it).

The continuation of the Küre Ocean towards the

west is the Kotel Zone in Bulgaria and the Northern

Dobrudzha in Rumania, parts of the Transylvanian

nappes in Eastern Carpathians (Romania) and the Meli-

a ta -Hallstatt Ocean in the Western Carpathians and

Eastern Alps (KOZUR, 1991a, b, 1999; KOZUR &

MOCK, 1997). Fauna, lithological sequences and event

successions in all these areas are very similar or identi-

cal. From the Kotel Zone westward, the subduction

only began in the Jurassic, but the closure occurred in

all these areas in the late Callovian - early Oxfordian in-

terval. The opening of the oceanic basins began earlier

toward the east, in the Pelsonian (middle Anisian) in

the Eastern Alps, in the uppermost lower Anisian in the

easternmost Alps and Western Carpathians, in the

uppermost Scythian in the Eastern Carpathians, and in

the uppermost Scythian in the Northern Dobrudzha,

Kotel Zone and in the Küre Basin (KOZUR, 1999). 

Acknowledgements

We thank very much Univ.-Prof. H. MOSTLER,

Innsbruck, Prof. R. RETTORI, Peruggia, Prof. J. SRE-

MAC, Zagreb, Dr. I. VELI∆, Zagreb, and Doc. Dr. W.

RESCH, Innsbruck, for their important help and sup-

port when reviewing the manuscript with particular re-

gard to the foraminiferal determinations, and Dr. C.

JENNY-DESHUSSES, Bernex, for useful critique of

the Permian foraminiferal data. We are also very grate-

ful to Dr. J. ROBSON, Southminster, for her language

editing and very useful comments.

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PLATE I

Figs. 1-6  Permian olistoliths in the lower part of the Upper Jurassic Beykoz Formation, within an olistostrome that

contains olistoliths of shallow-water and pelagic Permian limestones, partly with reworked upper Carboniferous.

Outcrop Dağ Mahellesi at Kircalla village 11.5 km E of Azdavay (locality 4 of text Fig. 1). 

Figs. 7-11  Sporomorphs from sample no. 1996/56, a Middle Triassic (? Lower Anisian) black radiolarite, roadcut at

the Küre-Inebolu road (locality 1 in text Fig. 1).

Fig. 1  Bioclastic wackestone or grainstone to wackestone. Sample no. 1996/141, x 18.5, Roadian (Kubergan-

dinian to earliest Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 2  Grainstone with sparitic cement and micritic matrix. Rich in bioclasts (fusulinids etc., partly incrusted

by T u b i p h y t e s and A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a ). Sample no. 1996/151, x 18.5, Wordian (early Murgabian

fusulinid age).

Fig. 3  Bioclastic grainstone with some pelmicritic matrix strongly washed out, mostly sparitic cement, bio-

clasts partly incrusted. Beside the shallow-water bioclasts, small ammonoids are present (one is visible

in the figure) that postmortally drifted into this shallow-water environment. The same facies as for

ammonoid-bearing olistoliths in the Taurida flysch of SE Crimea. Sample no. 1996/140, x 18.5,

Guadalupian.

Fig. 4  Rudstone, matrix micritic, components wackestone, mudstones, reworked shallow and basinal rocks.

Sample no. 1996/148, x 18.5, Wordian (Murgabian to early Midian fusulinid age) with reworked

Upper Carboniferous (Gzhelian) conodonts.

Fig. 5  Bioclastic, bioturbated mudstone, few biogenic clasts. Sample no. 1996/146, x 18.5, Upper Carbonifer-

ous to Permian.

Fig. 6  Bioclastic bioturbated mudstone. Sample no. 1996/144, x 18.5, Upper Carboniferous to Permian.

Fig. 7  Striatoabieites balmei KLAUS, broken specimen, x 850. 

Fig. 8  Platysaccus leschiki HART, x 425.

Figs. 9, 10  Triadispora epigona KLAUS, x 930. 

Fig. 11 Triadispora sp., x 795. 



237Kozur et al. PLATE I



238 Geologia Croatica 53/2

S. (eds.): Geology of the Black Sea region, General

Dir. of Min. Res. and Expl. & Chamb. of Geol Eng.,

24-32, Ankara.

USTAÖMER, T. & ROBERTSON, A.H.F. (1997):Tec-

tonic-sedimentary evolution of the North Tethyan

margin in the Central Pontides of northern Turkey.-

In: ROBINSON, A.G. (ed.): Regional and petrole-

um geology of the Black Sea and surrounding

region.- AAPG Memoir, 68, 255-290.

USTAÖMER T. & ROBERTSON, A.H.F. (1999):

Geochemical evidence used to test alternative plate

tectonic models for pre-Upper Jurassic (Palaeote-

PLATE II

Microfossils from thin-sections of Permian olistoliths in the lower part of the Upper Jurassic Beykoz Formation,

within an olistostrome that contains olistoliths of shallow-water and pelagic Permian limestones, partly with

reworked Upper Carboniferous faunas. Outcrop Dağ Mahellesi at Kircalla village 11.5 km E of Azdavay (locality 4

of text Fig. 1).

Fig. 1  Nankinella ? sp. Sample no. 1996/143, x 38, Capitanian (Midian fusulinid age).

Fig. 2  Staffella sp. Sample no. 1996/141, x 38, Roadian (Kubergandinian to earliest Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 3  Bultoniinae (fusulinid), gen. et spec. indet. Sample no. 1996/143, x 78, Capitanian (Midian fusulinid

age).

Fig. 4  Afghanella sp. Sample no. 1996/150, x 18.5, Guadalupian.

Fig. 5  N e o s c h w a g e r i n a s i m p l e x OZAWA. Sample no. 1996/152, x 38, Wordian (early Murgabian fusulinid

age).

Fig. 6  Minojapanella sp. Sample no. 1996/151, x 19, Wordian (early Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 7  Parafusulina sp. Sample no. 1996/150, x 18.5, Guadalupian.

Fig. 8  Lasiotrochus tatoiensis REICHEL. Sample no. 1996/143, x 75, Capitanian (Midian fusulinid age).

Fig. 9  Dagmarita chanakchensis REICHEL. Sample no. 1996/143, x 38, Capitanian (Midian fusulinid age).

Fig. 10  Neoendothyra parva (LANGE). Sample no. 1996/142, x 38, Guadalupian.

Fig. 11  Globivalvulina sp. Sample no. 1996/143, x 38, Capitanian (Midian fusulinid age).

Fig. 12  Palaeotextularia sp. Sample no. 1996/153, x 38, Guadalupian.

Fig. 13  Deckerella sp. Sample no. 1996/143, x 78, Capitanian (Midian fusulinid age).

Fig. 14  Palaeotextulariid indet. Sample no. 1996/151, x 18.5, Wordian (early Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 15  Pachyphloia ovata LANGE. Sample no. 1996/149, x 78, Guadalupian.

Fig. 16  Geinitzina postcarbonica SPANDEL. Sample no. 1996/152, x 38, Wordian (early Murgabian fusulinid

age).

Fig. 17  Geinitzina reperta BYKOVA. Sample no. 1996/143, x 53.5, Capitanian (Midian fusulinid age).

Fig. 18  Nodosaria postgeinitzi EFIMOVA. Sample no. 1996/146, x 77, Upper Carboniferous to Permian.

Fig. 19  Tuberitina collosaREITLINGER. Sample no. 1996/153, x 77, Guadalupian.

Fig. 20  T u b e r i t i n a c o n i l i NGUYEN. Sample no. 1996/141, x 76, Roadian (Kubergandinian to earliest Mur-

gabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 21  Eotuberitina reitlingerae MIKLUCHO-MAKLAY. Sample no. 1996/146, x 154, Upper Carboniferous

to Permian.

Fig. 22  Mizzia sp. Sample no. 1996/151, x 18, Wordian (early Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 23  Pseudovermiporella nipponica (ENDO). Sample no. 1996/141, x 78, Roadian (Kubergandinian to ear-

liest Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 24  Tubiphytes obscurus MASLOV. Sample no. 1996/151, x 19, Wordian (early Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 25  Tubiphytes carinthiacus (FLÜGEL). Sample no. 1996/142, x 19, Guadalupian.

Fig. 26  Archaeolithoporella sp. Sample no. 1996/150, x 18.5, Guadalupian.



239Kozur et al. PLATE II

~ . '4 
• • , ..... ~-.: 

• ,to .~ . 



240 Geologia Croatica 53/2

thyan) units in the Central Pontides, N Turkey.-

Geol. J., 34, 25-53.

YI
.
ĞI

.
T B AŞ, E., ELMAS, A. & YILMAZ, Y. (1999):

Pre-Cenozoic tectono-stratigraphic components of

the Western Pontides and their geological evolu-

tion.- Geol. J., 34, 55-74.

YILMAZ, O. (1981): Petrography and whole-rock che-

mistry of the Ebrek Metamorphite (Daday-Devre-

kani Massif, Western Pontides, Turkey).- Yerbilim-

leri, 8, 71-82.

YILMAZ, Y. & TÜYSÜZ. O. (1988): An approach to

the problem of reconstructing the Mesozoic units in

the Kargı Massif and its surroundings.- Turk. Assoc.

Petrol. Geol., 1, 73-86, Ankara.

YILMAZ, Y., TÜYSÜZ. O., YI
.
ĞI

.
T B AŞ, E., GENÇ,

Ş.C. & ŞENGÖR, A.M.C. (1997): Geology and tec-

tonic evolution of the Pontides.- In: ROBINSON,

A.G. (ed.): Regional and petroleum geology of the

Black Sea and surrounding region. AAPG Memoir,

68, 183-226. 

WEBBY, B.D. (1967): Tube fossils from the Triassic of

South-west Wellington, N.Z.- Trans. Roy. Soc. New

Zealand, 5/7, 181-191.

ZANINETTI, L., CIARAPICA, G., MARTINI, R. &

RETTORI, R. (1987): T u r r i g l o m i n a s c a n d o n e i,

n. sp., dans les calcaires recifeaux du Trias moyen

(Ladinien) en Apennin meridional.- Rev. Paléobiol.,

6/2, 177-182.

ZANINETTI, L., RETTORI, R. & MARTINI, R.

(1994): Aulotortus ? eotriasicus , un nuove foramini-

fero del Trias medio (Anisico) delle Dinaridi ed

Ellenidi.- Boll. Soc. Paleont. Italiana, 33/1, 43-49.

Manuscript received August 30, 1999.

Revised manuscript accepted November 13, 2000.

PLATE III

Figs. 1-3, 5, 6  Different microfacies from Middle Triassic olistoliths in the middle to upper Carnian part (turbidites

and olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of

Inebolu (locality 1 of text Fig. 1). All magnifications x 27. 

Fig. 4  Permian olistolith in the lower part of the Upper Jurassic Beykoz Formation within an olistostrome that con-

tains olistoliths of shallow-water and pelagic Permian limestones, partly with reworked Upper Carboniferous fau-

nas. Outcrop Dağ Mahellesi at Kircalla village 11.5 km E of Azdavay (locality 4 of text Fig. 1). Magnification x 6.7.

Fig. 1 Bioclastic mudstone (radiolarian biomicrite) with radiolarians, ostracods and filaments. Sample no.

1996/48, (middle or) upper Anisian.

Fig. 2  Filamentous packstone, extremely rich in filaments. Sample no. 1996/49, lower Pelsonian upper

Paragondolella bulgarica Zone.

Fig. 3  Filamentous biomicrite with abundant filaments and few ostracods. Sample no. 1996/50, Pelsonian to

lower Illyrian. 

Fig. 4  Bioclastic grainstone with little pelmicritic matrix, mostly sparitic cement, shallow-water bioclasts, but

also a small ammonoid shell. Ammonoids probably did not live in this facies, thus the shell is probably

postmortally drifted. The same facies as for ammonoid-bearing olistoliths in the Taurida flysch of SE

Crimea. Sample no. 1996/140, Roadian (Kubergandinian to earliest Murgabian fusulinid age).

Fig. 5  Clast of filamentous, radiolarian bearing micrites that is rich in filaments and contain ostracods,

foraminifers within nearly fossil-free packstone (not in the picture). Sample no. 1996/52, middle-upper

Anisian.

Fig. 6  Fine-grained wackestone with small bioclasts (filaments) and graded calciturbidite with reworked shal-

low-water clasts. Sample no. 1996/54, Illyrian.



241Kozur et al. PLATE III



242 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE IV

Different microfacies from Middle Triassic olistoliths in the middle - upper Carnian part (turbidites and olis-

tostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu

(locality 1 of text Fig. 1). All magnifications x 26.5.

Fig. 1  Radiolarian wackestone, bioturbated, with filaments and few foraminifers, ostracods and sponge

spicules. Sample no. 1996/55, lower Anisian (upper Aegean) Neogondolella ? regalis Zone.

Fig. 2  Radiolarian-rich lydite, with few sporomorphs (see Pl. 1, Figs. 7-11). Sample no. 1996/56, lower

Anisian.

Fig. 3  Bioclastic grainstone. Sample no. 1996/57, Anisian.

Fig 4  Bioclastic wackestone and mudstone with numerous filaments, ostracods, few radiolarians. Sample no.

1996/62, lowermost Anisian Chiosella timorensis Zone.

Fig. 5 Bioclastic wackestone, bioturbated, partly packstone, filaments, ostracods and (not in the picture)

crinoids, echinid spines and few radiolarians. Sample no. 1996/63, upper Anisian.

Fig. 6  Shallow-water, dasycladacean algae limestone (bioclastic grainstone with mainly sparitic cement) with

dasycladacean algae and echinoderm remains. Sample no. 1996/65, Anisian.



243Kozur et al. PLATE IV



244 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE V

Figs. 1-11  Thin sections with microfossils from Anisian olistoliths in the middle - upper Carnian part (turbidites and

olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu

(locality 1 of text Fig. 1).

Figs. 12, 13  Outcrop of Werfen Beds, “Gutenstein” Limestone and Steinalm Dolomite at the road between the vil-

lages of Aha and Sırçalık (locality 3 of text Fig. 1).

Fig. 1  Ammobaculitessp. Sample no. 1996/62, x 72, lowermost Anisian Chiosella timorensis Zone.

Fig. 2  Nodosaria ordinata TRIFONOVA. Sample no. 1996/62, x 103, lowermost Anisian Chiosella timoren -

sis Zone.

Fig. 3  Tolypammina aff. T. gregaria WENDT. Sample no. 1996/62, x 51.5, lowermost Anisian Chiosella tim -

orensis Zone.

Fig. 4  Cross section of a leiostrace ammonoid. Sample no. 1996/62, x 25.75, lowermost Anisian C h i o s e l l a

timorensis Zone.

Fig. 5  M e a n d r o s p i r a p u s i l l a (HO). Sample no. 1996/64, x 206, upper Olenekian limestone clasts within an

Illyrian pelagic limestone olistolith.

Fig. 6  Involutinidae, gen. et spec. indet. Sample no. 1996/65, x 103, Anisian.

Fig. 7  Trochammina sp. or Duostominidae. Sample no. 1996/65, x 103, Anisian.

Fig. 8  Hoyenella gr. sinensis (HO). Sample no. 1996/65, x 51.5, Anisian.

Fig. 9  Hoyenella ? sp. Sample no. 1996/65, x 51.5, Anisian.

Fig. 10  Hoyenella sp. Sample no. 1996/65, x 103, Anisian.

Fig. 11  Dasycladacean algae. Sample no. 1996/65, x 18, Anisian.

Fig. 12 Spirorbis phlyctaena BRÖNNIMANN & ZANINETTI. Sample no. 1996/95, x 51.5, yellowish weath-

ered, marly, shallow-water Werfen Limestone (formerly regarded as D a o n e l l a-bearing, pelagic Ladin-

ian limestone), Olenekian (Upper Scythian).

Fig. 13  Spirorbis phlyctaena BRÖNNIMANN & ZANINETTI. Sample no. 1996/99, x 51.5, yellowish weath-

ered, marly, shallow-water Werfen Limestone (formerly regarded as D a o n e l l a-bearing, pelagic Ladin-

ian limestone), Olenekian (Upper Scythian).



245Kozur et al. PLATE V



246 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE VI

Thin-sections with microfossils from Anisian olistoliths in the middle-upper Carnian part (turbidites and olis-

tostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu

(locality 1 of text Fig. 1).

Fig. 1  A r e n o v i d a l i n a sp. Sample no. 1996/55, x 105, lower Anisian (upper Aegean) N e o g o n d o l e l l a ? r e g a l i s

Zone.

Fig. 2  Spirobis valvata (GOLDFUSS). Sample no. 1996/57, x 52.5, Anisian.

Fig. 3  Dasycladacean cross section. Sample no. 1996/57, x 26.25, Anisian.

Fig. 4  Earlandia cf. tintinniformis (MÍ©IK). Sample no. 1996/57, x 105, Anisian.

Fig. 5  Pilammina cf. densa PANTI∆. Sample no. 1996/57, x 52.5, Anisian.

Fig. 6  Hoyenella sp. Sample no. 1996/57, x 105, Anisian.

Fig. 7  Hoyenella gr. sinensis (HO). Sample no. 1996/57, x 52.5, Anisian.

Fig. 8  Hoyenella sp. Sample no. 1996/57, x 52.5, Anisian.

Fig. 9  Pilammina cf. densa PANTI∆. Sample no. 1996/59, x 105, middle-upper Anisian.

Fig. 10  Hoyenella gr. sinensis (HO). Sample no. 1996/59, x 52.5, middle-upper Anisian.

Fig. 11  Hoyenella gr. sinensis (HO). Sample no. 1996/59, x 52.5, middle-upper Anisian.

Fig. 12  Glomospirella sp. Sample no. 1996/59, x 52.5, middle-upper Anisian.

Fig. 13  M e a n d r o s p i r a d i n a r i c a (KOCHANSKY-DÉVIDÉ & PANTI∆). Sample no. 1996/59, x 105, middle-

upper Anisian.

Fig. 14  Glomospira sp. Sample no. 1996/59, x 105, middle-upper Anisian.

Fig. 15  Glomospira sp. Sample no. 1996/59, x 52.5, middle-upper Anisian.

Fig. 16 Aulotortus ? eotriassicus ZANINETTI, RETTORI & MARTINI. Sample no. 1996/59, x 52.5, middle-

upper Anisian.

Fig. 17  ? Aulotortus ? eotriassicus ZANINETTI, RETTORI & MARTINI. Sample no. 1996/59, x 105, middle-

upper Anisian.



247Kozur et al. PLATE VI

.. 

.• 16 



248 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE VII

Thin-sections with microfossils from Anisian olistoliths in the middle-upper Carnian part (turbidites and olis-

tostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu

(locality 1 of text Fig. 1).

Fig. 1-4  Hoyenella gr. sinensis (HO). Sample no. 1996/60, x 100, Anisian.

Fig. 5  Hoyenella sp. Sample no. 1996/60, x 100, Bithynian-Pelsonian.

Fig. 6  Hoyenella gr. sinensis (HO). Sample no. 1996/60, x 100, Bithynian-Pelsonian.

Figs. 7-8  Hoyenella sp. Sample no. 1996/60, x 100, Bithynian-Pelsonian.

Fig. 9  Indet. foraminifer. Sample no. 1996/60, x 100, Bithynian-Pelsonian.

Fig. 10  Meandrospiranella samueli SALAJ. Sample no. 1996/60, x 100, Bithynian-Pelsonian.

Fig. 11  Meandrospira dieneri (KRISTAN-TOLLMANN). Sample no. 1996/60, x 50, Bithynian-Pelsonian.

Fig. 12  M e a n d r o s p i r a d i e n e r i (KRISTAN-TOLLMANN). Sample no. 1996/62, x 200, lowermost Anisian

(lower Aegean) Chiosella timorensis Zone.

Fig. 13  M e a n d r o s p i r a d i e n e r i (KRISTAN-TOLLMANN). Sample no. 1996/62, x 100, lowermost Anisian

(lower Aegean) Chiosella timorensis Zone.

Fig. 14  Trochammina sp. Sample no. 1996/62, x 100, lowermost Anisian (lower Aegean) Chiosella timorensis

Zone.

Fig. 15  E a r l a n d i a g r a c i l i s ZANINETTI. Sample no. 1996/62, x 50, lowermost Anisian (lower Aegean)

Chiosella timorensis Zone.



249Kozur et al. PLATE VII



250 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE VIII

Conodonts and placoid scale from the lowermost Anisian (lower Aegean) C h i o s e l l a t i m o r e n s i s Zone. Sample no.

1996/62. Olistolith of grey, bioclastic wackestone and mudstone (with numerous filaments, mostly from ostracods)

in the middle - upper Carnian part (turbidites and olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Out-

crop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu (locality 1 of text Fig. 1).

Figs. 1, 2  Chiosella timorensis (NOGAMI), Pa element, lateral view, x 100; Fig. 1: rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/5; Fig.

2: rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/2.

Figs. 3, 4  C h i o s e l l a g o n d o l e l l o i d e s (BENDER), Pa element, lateral view; Fig. 3: x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/3;

Fig. 4: x 147, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/22.

Figs. 5, 12  G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a sp., ramiform elements, x 100, Fig. 5: M element, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/16; Fig. 12:

broken part of Sb element, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/29.

Figs. 6-10  C h i o s e l l a sp., ramiform elements; Fig. 6: Pb element, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/6; Fig. 7: Sa ele-

ment, x 200, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/12; Fig. 8: Sb element, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/23; Fig. 9: Sa ele-

ment, x 200, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/18; Fig. 10: broken posterior bar of Sa element, x 79, rep.-no.

1996/22-11-I/13.

Fig. 11  Placoid scale, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/10.



251Kozur et al. PLATE VIII



252 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE IX

Microfossils from the lowermost Anisian (lower Aegean) C h i o s e l l a t i m o r e n s i s Zone. Sample no. 1996/62. Olis-

tolith of grey, bioclastic wackestone and mudstone (with numerous filaments, mostly from ostracods) in the mid-

dle - upper Carnian part (turbidites and olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the

Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu (locality 1 of text Fig. 1).

Figs. 1-4  Fish remains; Fig. 1: ganoid scale, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/31; Fig. 2: Acrodus sp., x 142, rep.-no.

1996/22-11-I/27; Fig. 3: placoid scale, x 84, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/11; Fig. 4: S a u r i c h t h y s sp., x 100,

rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/14.

Figs. 5-7  Holothurian sclerites; Fig. 5. T h e e l i a i m m i s o r b i c u l a MOSTLER, x 200, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/1; Fig.

6: Eocaudina sp., x 294, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/24; Fig. 7: Priscopedatus triassicus MOSTLER, x 294,

rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/8.

Fig. 8  Gastropod steinkern, x 200, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/26.

Fig. 9  Spinocypris nepalensis KOZUR, x 200, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/20.



253Kozur et al. PLATE IX



254 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE X

Figs 1-9  Microfossils (Fig. 1: Foraminifera; Figs. 2-3: Echinodermata; Figs. 4-9: Conodonta) from Anisian lime-

stone olistoliths in the middle - upper Carnian part (turbidites and olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağt e p e

Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu (locality 1 of text Fig. 1).

Fig. 10  Bathypelagic ostracod from an olistolith of a dark-grey Upper Carboniferous to Permian bioclastic, biotur-

bated mudstone with some biogenic clasts, within the lower part of the Upper Jurassic Beykoz Formation (locality 4

of text Fig. 1).

Fig. 1  Tolypammina sp. Sample no. 1996/62 (see Plates VII, VIII), x 78, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/15.

Figs. 2, 3  A s p i d o c r i n i t e s n.sp., lower view, sample no. 1996/62 (see Plates VII, VIII); Fig. 2: x 244, rep.-no.

1996/22-11-I/30; Fig. 3: x 99, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/21.

Figs. 4, 5  Neogondolella ? regalis MOSHER, Pa element, lateral view. Sample no. 1996/55, x 99, lower Anisian

(upper Aegean) N. ? r e g a l i s Zone, olistolith of grey radiolarian wackestone (bioturbate, with

foraminifers, ostracods, sponge spicules, filaments); Fig. 4: rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/75; Fig. 5: rep.-no.

1996/22-11-II/81.

Figs. 6, 7, 9 G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a b u d u r o v i KOVÁCS & KOZUR. Sample no. 1996/5O, x 99, Bithynian or Pelsonian,

olistolith of grey, filamentous biomicrite (with very much filaments, few foraminifers, some ostra-

cods); Fig. 6: Pa element, upper view, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/41A, Fig. 7: posterior bar of Sc element,

rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/42; Fig. 9: Pb element, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/44.

Fig. 8  Paragondolella bulgarica BUDUROV & STEFANOV, Pa element, lateral view, juvenile form, x 197,

rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/39, sample no. 1996/60, Bithynian or Pelsonian, olistolith of a grey grainstone.

Fig. 10  Permocypridina mocki n.gen. n.sp., RV, lateral view. Sample no. 1996/146, x 83.



255Kozur et al. PLATE X



256 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE XI

Conodonts from the Pelsonian upper Paragondolella bulgarica Zone. Sample no. 1996/49. Olistolith of a grey fila-

mentous packstone, extremely rich in filaments, in the middle - upper Carnian part (turbidites and olistostromes) of

the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of Inebolu (locality 1 of text

Fig. 1).

Figs. 1-7  Paragondolella bulgarica BUDUROV & STEFANOV, Pa element; Fig. 1: lateral view, x 99, rep.-no.

1996/22-11-II/31; Fig. 2: upper view, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/17; Fig. 3: lateral view, x 146, rep.-

no. 1996/22-11-I/62; Fig. 4: transitional form to Paragondolella shoshonensis NICORA, upper view, x

99, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/8; Fig. 5: upper view, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/10; Fig. 6: lateral view,

x 99, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/7; Fig. 7: lateral view, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/20.

Figs. 8, 11, 12  Paragondolella bulgarica BUDUROV & STEFANOV, ramiform elements; Fig. 8: Pb element, x

99, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/55; Fig. 11: Sb element, x 99, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/34; Fig. 12: Sa element,

x 198, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/54.

Fig. 9  P a r a g o n d o l e l l a b i f u r c a t a BUDUROV & STEFANOV, Pa element, upper view, x 99, rep.-no.

1996/22-11-I/64.

Fig. 10  Neohindeodella dropla (SPASOV & GANEV), x 198, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/22.

Fig. 13  Neohindeodella aequiramosa KOZUR & MOSTLER, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/66.



257Kozur et al. PLATE XI



258 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE XII

Conodonts and palaeopsychrosphaeric ostracods from the Pelsonian upper Paragondolella bulgarica Zone. Sample

no. 1996/49. Olistolith of a grey filamentous packstone, extremely rich in filaments, in the middle - upper Carnian

part (turbidites and olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road

south of Inebolu (locality 1 of text Fig. 1).

Figs. 1-5  G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a t e t h y d i s (HUCKRIEDE); Fig 1: Pa element, juvenile specimen, lateral view, x 200,

rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/52; Fig. 2: Sb element, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/39; Fig. 3: M element,

x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/32; Fig. 4. posterior bar of Sc element, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/2;

Fig. 5: anterior bar of Sc element, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/48.

Fig. 6  Spinocypris vulgaris KOZUR, RV, lateral view, x 147, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/4.

Fig. 7  Acratina goemoeryi (KOZUR), right lateral view, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/35.

Fig. 8  Triassocythere sp., LV, lateral view, x 100, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/25.

Fig. 9  Acratina triassica KOZUR, LV, lateral view, x 89, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/29.

Fig. 10  Polycope sp. 1, LV, lateral view, x 147, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/14.



259Kozur et al. PLATE XII



260 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE XIII

Palaeopsychrosphaeric ostracods and one conodont from olistoliths in the middle - upper Carnian part (turbidites

and olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu - Küre road south of

Inebolu (locality 1 of text Fig. 1). 

Figs. 1-9  Sample no. 1996/49, Pelsonian upper P a r a g o n d o l e l l a b u l g a r i c a Zone. Olistolith of a grey filamentous

packstone, extremely rich in filaments.

Fig. 10  Sample no. 1996/63, olistolith of a grey, bioclastic wackestone, bioturbated, partly packstone, with fila-

ments, ostracods, crinoids, echinid spines and a few radiolarians. Illyrian. 

Fig. 1  C r y p t o b a i r d i a a t u d o r e i i (CRASQUIN-SOLEAU & GRADINARU), LV, inner view, x 99, rep.-no.

1996/22-11-I/38.

Fig. 2  Polycope sp. 1, RV, lateral view, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/21.

Fig. 3  Polycope sp. 2, LV, lateral view, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/25.

Fig. 4  Paraberounella n.sp., identical with the specimen of Paraberounella ? renardi CRASQUIN-SOLEAU

& GRADINARU figured by these authors on Pl. 9, Fig. 3, RV, lateral view, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-

11-II/19.

Fig. 5  Polycopsis cincinnata (APOSTOLESCU), RV, lateral view, x 146, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/3.

Figs. 6-8  Paraberounella triassica KOZUR, x 99; Fig. 6: RV, lateral view, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/49; Fig. 7: LV,

lateral view, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/13; Fig. 8: RV, upper view, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/16.

Fig. 9  Nagyella longispinosa KOZUR, RV, inner view, x 99, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/11.

Fig. 10  Neogondolella cornuta BUDUROV & STEFANOV, upper view, x 78, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-I/34.



261Kozur et al. PLATE XIII



262 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE XIV

Figs. 1-10  Conodonts and holothurian sclerites from Anisian pelagic limestone olistoliths in the middle - u p p e r

Carnian part (turbidites and olistostromes) of the Akgöl Group (Karadağtepe Formation). Outcrop at the Inebolu -

Küre road south of Inebolu (locality 1 of text Fig. 1). 

Fig. 11  Upper Carboniferous pelagic conodont.

Figs. 1-4  G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a sp., ramiform elements, sample no. 1996/51, Pelsonian grey, filamentous, partly bio-

clastic wackestone to packstone, with numerous filaments, common radiolarians, few gastropods, and

ophiurian remains; Fig. 1: Pa element, lateral view, early, platform-free juvenile specimen, x 140, rep.-

no. 1996/22-11-II/70; Fig. 2: Sc element, x 140, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/65; Fig. 3: broken part of Sb

element, x 85, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/66; Fig. 4: M element, x 140, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/62.

Fig. 5  T h e e l i a c o n s o n a (CARINI), upper view, x 190, sample no. 1996/51 (see Figs. 1-4), rep.-no. 1996/22-

11-II/59. 

Figs. 6, 7  G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a sp., ramiform elements, sample no. 1996/54, upper Illyrian grey, fine-grained wacke-

stone with small bioclasts and graded calciturbidites with reworked shallow-water clasts; Fig. 6: Sc ele-

ment, x 120, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/58; Fig. 7: broken part of Sb lement, x 95, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-

II/53.

Fig. 8  N e o g o n d o l e l l a c o n s t r i c t a (MOSHER & CLARK), advanced form, lower view, x 190, sample no.

1996/54 (see Figs. 6, 7). 

Figs. 9, 10  N e o g o n d o l e l l a sp., ramiform elements, sample no. 1996/54 (see Figs 6, 7); Fig. 9: Sc element, x 140,

rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/56; Fig. 10: Sa element, x 190, rep.-no. 1996/22-11-II/51.

Fig. 11  Juvenile S t r e p t o g n a t h o d u s sp. ex gr. S. r u z h e n c e v i KOZUR, oblique upper view, x 200. Sample 148,

olistolith of a Wordian rudstone with reworked shallow-water and basinal rocks that also contain

Upper Carboniferous pelagic conodonts, olistostrome within the Upper Jurassic Beykoz Formation.

Outcrop Dağ Mahellesi at Kircalla village 11.5 km E of Azdavay (locality 4 of text Fig. 1). 



263Kozur et al. PLATE XIV



264 Geologia Croatica 53/2

PLATE XV

Trace fossils and Torlessia from Upper Triassic turbidites of the Karadağtepe Formation.

Fig. 1  T o r l e s s i a n.sp., x 0.85, middle to upper Carnian turbidites of Karadağtepe Formation, roadcut at the

Inebolu - Küre road, approximately 9 km south of Inebolu, rep.-no. KY 98-7.

Fig. 2  T o r l e s s i a m a c k a y i BATHER, detail, x 12, lower to middle Norian turbidites of Karadağtepe Forma-

tion, sample 377, roadcut at the Inebolu -Küre road, 10.3 km south of Inebolu, rep.-no. KY 98-10 I.

Fig. 3  Chondrites sp. x 12, lower to middle Norian turbidites of Karadağtepe Formation with Torlessia mack -

ayi, sample 377 (see Fig. 2), rep.-no. KY 98-21 A.

Figs. 4, 6  Upper Triassic new ichnogenus consisting of an elliptical or round ring; Fig. 4: x 1.2, lower to middle

Norian turbidites of Karadağtepe Formation with T o r l e s s i a m a c k a y i BATHER, sample 377 (see Fig.

2), rep.-no. KY 98-10 D; Fig. 6: G o r d i a sp. and the new ichnogenus, x 0.85, middle to upper Carnian

turbidites of Karadağtepe Formation with T o r l e s s i a n.sp., roadcut at the Inebolu - Küre road, approxi-

mately 9 km south of Inebolu, sample 370, rep.-no. KY 98-25 D.

Fig. 5 Phycosiphon incertum FISCHER-OOSTER, x 2.15, lower to middle Norian turbidites of Karadağt e p e

Formation with Torlessia mackayi BATHER, sample 440, roadcut at the northern entrance to Esentepe

village, rep.-no. KY 98-27 F.



265Kozur et al. PLATE XV



266 Geologia Croatica 53/2

APPENDIX: SAMPLE DATA OF OLISTOLITHS

FOR PROTOLITH RECONSTRUCTION

Only samples taken in 1996 that are important

(stratigraphically or otherwise) to this study are listed.

Material collected in 1998 is not yet fully processed and

only part of the SEM study is complete. The most

important results from these samples are used in the

present paper (e.g. presence of Pelsonian to Norian

Hallstatt Limestones in the Çalça Unit) but the fossil

data (plates etc.) will be presented later.

Locality 1 (see text Fig. 1)

K a r a d ağtepe Formation, road Inebolu - Küre, roadcut south of

Inebolu. If not otherwise indicated, olistoliths within the Karadağtepe

Formation with the middle - upper Carnian Torlessia erenleri n.sp.

Sample 1996/47

Shallow-water limestone (wackestone). Fossils: crinoids, forami-

nifers (H o y e n e l l a sp.). E n v i r o n m e n t : shallow-water shelf. A g e : p r o-

bably Anisian.

Sample 1996/48

Bioclastic mudstone (filamentous radiolarian biomicrite). F o s-

s i l s : conodonts (juvenile P a r a g o n d o l e l l a h a n b u l o g i SUDAR & BU-

DUROV, G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a sp., ramiform elements), radiolarians, and

ostracods. Environment: pelagic. Age: (middle) to late Anisian.

Sample 1996/49

Filamentous packstone, extremely rich in filaments. Fossils: con-

odonts (P a r a g o n d o l e l l a b u l g a r i c a BUDUROV & STEFANOV, P .

b i f u r c a t a BUDUROV & STEFANOV, primitive P . s h o s h o n e n s i s,

only one specimen, G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a sp., ramiform elements, N e o h i n -

d e o d e l l a a e q u i r a m o s a KOZUR & MOSTLER, N. d r o p l a ( S P A S O V

& GANEV)), ostracods (A c r a t i n a g o e m o e r y i KOZUR, A. t r i a s s i c a

KOZUR, C a v e l l i n a n. sp., C r y p t o b a i r d i a a t u d o r e i i ( C R A S Q U I N -

SOLEAU & GRADINARU), C r y p t o b a i r d i a sp., H u n g a r e l l a r e n i -

f o r m i s (MÉHES), N a g y e l l a l o n g i s p i n o s a KOZUR, P a r a b e r o u n e l l a

triassica KOZUR, Paraberounella n.sp. (= Paraberounella ? renardi

CRASQUIN-SOLEAU & GRADINARU, pars), P o l y c o p e sp. 1,

P o l y c o p e sp. 2, P o l y c o p s i s c i n c i n n a t a (APOSTULESCU), S p i n o -

cypris vulgaris KOZUR, Triassocypris sp., Triassocythere sp.). Envi-

r o n m e n t : pelagic; palaeopsychrosphaeric deep water ostracods indi-

cate full connection to the world ocean and its cold bottom water cur-

rents. Age: early Pelsonian upper Paragondolella bulgarica Zone.

Sample 1996/50

Filamentous biomicrite with abundant filaments. F o s s i l s : c o n-

odonts (G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a b u d u r o v i KOVÁCS & KOZUR),

foraminifers, holothurian sclerites (T h e e l i a i m m i s o r b i c u l a M O S T-

LER), and ostracods. Environment: pelagic. Age: middle Anisian to

lower part of the late Anisian.

Sample 1996/51

Filamentous, partly bioclastic wackestone to packstone, with

numerous filaments. F o s s i l s : arthropod spines, conodonts (G l a d i g o n -

dolella sp., ramiform elements and juvenile Pa elements), gastropods,

holothurian sclerites (T h e e l i a g e r m a n i c a KOZUR, T. i m m i s o r b i c u l a

MOSTLER, T. p l a n a t a MOSTLER, T. c o n s o n a (CARINI), T e t r a v i r -

ga levis KOZUR & MOSTLER), ophiurian remains, and radiolarians.

Environment: pelagic. Age: middle Anisian (Pelsonian).

Sample 1996/52

Bioclastic packstone, poor in determinable fossils, with clasts of

filamentous, radiolarian bearing micrites that are rich in filaments and

contain ostracods, foraminifers. Fossils: conodonts (G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a

sp., ramiform elements and juvenile Pa elements), holothurian scle-

rites (T h e e l i a a n d r u s o v i KOZUR & MOSTLER, P r i s c o p e d a t u s s p . ,

T e t r a v i r g a cf. l e v i s KOZUR & MOSTLER). E n v i r o n m e n t : p e l a g i c .

Age: early to middle Anisian.

Sample 1996/53

Shallow-water boundstone. Fossils: bryozoa, calcareous sponges

(recrystallized). Environment: shallow-water shelf. 

Sample 1996/54

Fine-grained wackestone with small bioclasts and graded calci-

turbidites with reworked shallow-water clasts. Fossils: c o n o d o n t s

(N e o g o n d o l e l l a c o n s t r i c t a MOSHER & CLARK, advanced forms,

G l a d i g o n d o l e l l a sp., ramiform elements), foraminifers (N o d o s a r i a

sp.), gastropods, holothurian sclerites (T h e e l i a i m m i s o r b i c u l a

MOSTLER, T. m u l t i r a d i a t a KOZUR, T. p l a n a t a MOSTLER, T.

u n d a t a MOSTLER, C a l c l a m n a g e r m a n i c a FRIZZELL & EXLINE,

Tetravirga ? n. sp.), ostracods (Microcheilinella sp.), sponge spicules.

E n v i r o n m e n t : pelagic calciturbidite. Age: late Illyrian (latest

Anisian).

Sample 1996/55

Radiolarian wackestone, bioturbated, with filaments. F o s s i l s :

conodonts (Gladigondolella sp., ramiform elements, Neogondolella ?

regalis MOSHER, fish scales, foraminifers (Arenovidalina sp., Nodo -

s a r i a sp.), holothurian sclerites (P r i s c o p e d a t u s n. sp. 1), ostracods

(H u n g a r e l l a sp., C r y p t o b a i r d i a sp., P r a e m a c r o c y p r i s sp.). E n v i r o n -

ment: pelagic. Age: early Anisian N. ? regalis Zone.

Sample 1996/56

Radiolarite (lydite) with numerous radiolarians (low-diversity

fauna, all Entactinaria and Spumellaria) that could not be dissolved

from the rock. Fossils from the palynological separation : Acritar-

cha indet., Bacteria, sporomorphs (A l i s p o r i t e s sp., F a l c i s p o r i t e s s p . ,

I l l i n i t e s t r i v i s u s VISSCHER, L u n a t i s p o r i t e s sp., P l a t y s a c c u s l e s c h i k i

HART, S t r i a t o a b i e i t e s b a l m e i KLAUS, T r i a d i s p o r a e p i g o n a

KLAUS, Triadispora cf. falcata KLAUS, Triadispora sp., few trilete

spores). E n v i r o n m e n t : deep water, anoxic to dysaerobic; not too far

from the continent; deep, but narrow rift basin, probably restricted

connection to the open ocean (abundant, but very low diversity radio-

larian fauna). Age: Middle Triassic (? early Anisian).

Sample 1996/57

Bioclastic grainstone. Fossils: crinoids, dasycladacean algae,

echinoderm remains, foraminifers (E a r l a n d i a cf. t i n t i n n i f o r m i s ( M Í-

©IK), H o y e n e l l a gr. s i n e n s i s (HO), H o y e n e l l a sp., P i l a m m i n a d e n s a

PANTI∆), gastropods, ostracods (Bairdiacypris sp.), Vermes (Spiror -

bis valvata (GOLDFUSS)). Environment: shallow-water shelf. Age:

Anisian.

Sample 1996/59

Bioclastic grainstone-wackestone. F o s s i l s : Foraminifers (A r e n -

ovidalina sp., Aulotortus ? eotriassicus ZANINETTI et al., Glomospi -

ra sp., Glomospirella sp., Hoyenella gr. sinensis (HO), Hoyenella sp.,

M e a n d r o s p i r a d i n a r i c a (KOCHANSKY-DÉVIDÉ & PANTI∆), P i l -

a m m i n a d e n s a PANTI∆), gastropods, ostracods (C r y p t o b a i r d i a s p . ) .

Environment: shallow-water. Age: middle to late Anisian. 

Sample 1996/60

Grainstone. F o s s i l s : Conodonts (P a r a g o n d o l e l l a b u l g a r i c a

BUDUROV & STEFANOV), foraminifers (A m m o d i s c u ssp., H o y e -

n e l l a gr. s i n e n s i s (HO), H o y e n e l l a sp., M e a n d r o s p i r a d i e n e r i ( K R I S-

TAN-TOLLMANN), M e a n d r o s p i r a sp., M e a n d r o s p i r a n e l l a s a m u e l i

SALAJ)), gastropods, Vermes (S p i r o r b i s sp.). E n v i r o n m e n t : s h a l-

low-water, but very near to the shelf edge (Paragondolella bulgarica

!). Age: Bithyanian-Pelsonian.

Sample 1996/61A

Debris flow with silty matrix, and clasts of mafic volcanics, ser-

pentinite detritus, partly brecciated limestones with filaments, indeter-

minable foraminifers. E n v i r o n m e n t : upper slope deposit. Age of

matrix: Late Carnian.



267Kozur, Aydin, Demir, Yakar, Göncüoğlu & Kuru: New Stratigraphic and Palaeogeographic Results...

Sample 1996/62

Bioclastic wackestone and mudstone with numerous filaments,

mostly from ostracods. F o s s i l s : ammonoids, conodonts (C h i o s e l l a

t i m o r e n s i s (NOGAMI), C h i o s e l l a g o n d o l e l l o i d e s (BENDER), G l a d -

i g o n d o l e l l a, ramiform elements), dasycladacean algae, echinoderm

remains, among them A s p i d o c r i n i t e s n.sp., fish remains (placoid and

other scales, A c r o d u s sp., S a u r i c h t h y s sp.), foraminifers (A m m o b a c -

u l i t e s sp., E a r l a n d i a g r a c i l i s ZANINETTI, H o y e n e l l a gr. s i n e n s i s

(HO), H o y e n e l l a sp., G l o m o s p i r a sp., M e a n d r o s p i r a d i e n e r i ( K R I S-

TAN-TOLLMANN), N o d o s a r i a o r d i n a t a Trifonova, P l a n i i n v o l u t a

sp., T o l y p a m m i n a a f f. T. g r e g a r i a Wendt, T o l y p a m m i n a sp., T r o -

c h a m m i n a sp.), holothurian sclerites (A c h i s t r u m p u l c h r u m K O Z U R ,

T h e e l i a g e r m a n i c a KOZUR, T. i m m i s o r b i c u l a MOSTLER, T h e e l i a

n.sp., Priscopedatus triassicus MOSTLER, Eocaudina sp.), ostracods

(C r y p t o b a i r d i a sp., M i c r o c h e i l i n e l l a sp., S p i n o c y p r i s n e p a l e n s i s

K O Z U R ) . Environment: upper slope facies. A g e : earliest Anisian

Chiosella timorensis Zone. Close to Scythian-Anisian boundary.

Sample 1996/63

Bioclastic wackestone, bioturbated, partly packstone, with fila-

ments. F o s s i l s : conodonts (N e o g o n d o l e l l a c o r n u t a BUDUROV &

STEFANOV), crinoids, echinid spines, foraminifers (Glomospira sp.,

N o d o s a r i a sp., A r e n o v i d a l i n a sp., T o l y p a m m i n a aff. g r e g a r i a

WENDT), ostracods, few radiolarians. E n v i r o n m e n t : pelagic. A g e :

late Anisian.

Sample 1996/64

Bioturbated mudstone with a few filaments, some echinoderm

remains and sparse radiolarians; some shallow-water limestone clasts

with M e a n d r o s p i r a p u s i l l a (HO). Fossils from the matrix: c o n-

odonts (N e o g o n d o l e l l a c o n s t r i c t a (MOSHER & CLARK)), foramini-

fers (E a r l a n d i a sp., G l o m o s p i r a ? sp.). Fossils from the shallow-

water clasts: foraminifers (M e a n d r o s p i r a p u s i l l a (HO)). E n v i r o n -

m e n t : slope deposit. Age of the matrix: late Illyrian (latest). Age of

the clasts: late Olenekian.

Sample 1996/65

Dasycladacean algal limestone, some oncoids, ostracods. Fossils:

dasycladacean algae, echinid spines, foraminifers (E n d o t h y r a ? sp.,

G l o m o s p i r a sp., Hoyenella g r . s i n e n s i s ( H O ) , H o y e n e l l a sp., T r o -

c h a m m i n a sp., Involutinidae, gen. et spec. indet.), gastropods. E n v i -

ronment: shallow-water outer shelf. Age: Anisian.

Sample 1996/66

Siliciclastic turbiditic siltstone, clayey limestone, disturbed

(slumping), organic matter, sand grain-sized mafic volcanic clasts.

Matrix of the olistostrome. E n v i r o n m e n t : lower slope at the active

margin of an ocean. Age: middle to late Carnian.

Sample 1996/67

Turbiditic siltstone with sand grain-sized mafic volcanic clasts,

few coaly remnants. Matrix of the olistostrome. Environment: lower

slope at the active margin of an ocean. Age: middle to late Carnian.

Sample 1996/68

Debris flow with clasts of mafic volcanics (spilitic basalts), very

sparce ultramafic detritus, hyaloclastics, and shallow-water lime-

stones, dolomites, partly with oncoids, pelagic limestones, few radio-

larites. E n v i r o n m e n t : steep slope at the active margin of an ocean.

A g e : as the block lies in a middle - late Carnian matrix, the volcanics

must be of pre-middle Carnian age. Some of the radiolarites (lydites)

are of (early) Anisian age (see sample 1996/56).

Locality 3 (see text Fig. 1)

Outcrops along the road between the villages of Aha and

Sırçalık, Sırçalık Group, flaser-bedded marly limestone with “D a o -

n e l l a” (the “D a o n e l l a ” material could not be re-studied, but in the

same beds Dr. AYDIN found a badly preserved similar bivalve, prob-

ably an E u m o r p h o t i s), formerly assigned to the Ladinian, but typical

Werfen shallow-water facies. Age: Scythian.

Sample 1996/91

Fossils: Vermes (S p i r o r b i s ? sp.). E n v i r o n m e n t : s h a l l o w - w a t e r ,

variable salt content.

Sample 1996/93

Fossils: ostracods, Vermes (Spirorbis ? sp.). Environment: shal-

low-water, variable salt content.

Sample 1996/95

Fossils: ostracods (filaments), Vermes (S p i r o r b i s p h l y c t a e n a

BRÖNNIMANN & ZANINETTI). E n v i r o n m e n t : s h a l l o w - w a t e r ,

variable salt content.

Sample 1996/99

Fossils: ostracods (filaments), Vermes (S p i r o r b i s p h l y c t a e n a

BRÖNNIMANN & ZANINETTI). E n v i r o n m e n t : s h a l l o w - w a t e r ,

variable salt content.

Locality 4 (see text Fig. 1)

SE of the Azdavay village. Beykoz Formation with olistoliths of

shallow-water and pelagic, mostly Middle Permian, partly Upper Car-

boniferous and Lower Permian limestones. All listed samples are

olistoliths.

Sample 1996/140

Bioclastic grainstone with some pelmicritic matrix, strongly

washed out, mostly sparitic cement, bioclasts partly incrusted. F o s-

sils: Algae (Archaeolithoporella sp., Mizziasp., Tubiphytescarinthia -

c u s (FLÜGEL)), ammonoids (!), brachiopods, bryozoans, foramini-

fers (D i p l o s p h a e r i n a sp., G l o b i v a l v u l i n a v o n d e r s c h m i t t i R E I C H E L ,

Geinitzinidae, Palaeotextulariidae indet., P a r a f u s u l i n a ? sp.), gas-

tropods, ostracods. Environment: shelf edge; shallow-water, but

with drifted small ammonoid shells. A g e : late Cisuralian to lower

Guadalupian.

Sample 1996/141

Bioclastic wackestone or grainstone to wackestone. F o s s i l s :

algae (A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a sp., P s e u d o v e r m i p o r e l l a n i p p o n i c a ( E N-

DO), T u b i p h y t e s sp.), brachiopods, bryozoans, calcareous sponges,

foraminifers (C l i m a c a m m i n a sp., D i p l o s p h a e r i n a i n a e q u a l i s ( D E R-

VILLE), G l o b i v a l v u l i n a sp., L a n g e l l a sp. or P s e u d o l a n g e l l a s p . ,

P a c h y p h l o i a sp., T o l y p a m m i n a sp., T u b e r i t i n a b u l b a c e a G A L L O-

WAY & HARLTON, T u b e r i t i n a c o n i l i NGUYEN, Geinitzinidae

indet., Staffella sp.), gastropods. E n v i r o n m e n t : shallow-water open

shelf. Age: Permian.

Sample 1996/142

Bioclastic wackestone to boundstone, micritic to pelmicritic

matrix. Fossils: Algae (A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a sp., T u b i p h y t e s c a r i n t h i -

a c u s (FLÜGEL), T. o b s c u r u s MASLOV), brachiopods, bryozoans,

echinoderm remains, foraminifers (N e o n d o t h y r a p a r v a ( L A N G E ) ,

T e t r a t a x i s sp., Geinitzinidae gen. et spec. indet., Palaeotextulariidae

indet., broken walls of fusulinids). E n v i r o n m e n t : open shallow-

water shelf. Age: Guadalupian.

Sample 1996/143

Fine-grained packstone, slightly washed out, sparitic cement and

micritic matrix. Fossils: Algae (T u b i p h y t e s o b s c u r u s M A S L O V ,

dasycladacean algae), brachiopods, byozoans, echinoderm remains,

foraminifers (D a g m a r i t a c h a n a k c h e n s i s REITLINGER, D e c k e r e l l a

sp., D i p l o s p h a e r i n a i n a e q u a l i s (DERVILLE), E n d o t h y r a sp., G l o b i -

v a l v u l i n a sp., L a s i o d i s c u s sp., L a s i o t r o c h u s t a t o e n s i s R E I C H E L ,

N e o e n d o t h y r a sp., P a c h y p h l o i a sp., Geinitzina reperta B Y K O V A ,

Rectostipulina sp., Spiroplectammina sp., Tolypammina sp., Tuberiti -

n a b u l b a c e a GALLOWAY & HARLTON, Geinitzinidae indet.,

M i n o j a p a n e l l a sp., N a n k i n e l l a ? sp., Boultoniidae gen. et spec. in-

det.), ostracods (A m p h i s s i t e s sp.), microproblematica, Porotubida

(P o l y p o r o t u b u s sp.). E n v i r o n m e n t : open shallow-water shelf. A g e :

Capitanian (D a g m a r i t a c h a n a k c h e n s i s is not present below the Capi-

tanian, some of the fusulinids do not occur above the Capitanian).



268 Geologia Croatica 53/2

Sample 1996/144

Bioclastic bioturbated mudstone. Fossils: foraminifers (D i p l o -

s p h a e r i n a i n a e q u a l i s (DERVILLE), Geinitzinidae indet.), ostracods

(exclusively Myodocopida, e.g., P e r m o c y p r i d i n a m o c k i n.gen. n.s p . ,

and Cladocopida, e.g. P o l y c o p e cf. p r o v e c t a ZHANG). E n v i r o n -

ment: pelagic limestone. A g e : Late Carboniferous to Middle Permi-

an.

Sample 1996/145

Rudstone with shallow-water clasts. Fossils: bryozoa, calcareous

sponges, corals, foraminifers (T e t r a t a x i s sp., broken walls of schwa-

gerinid fusulinids). E n v i r o n m e n t : shelf edge. A g e : E a r l y - M i d d l e

Permian. 

Sample 1996/146

Bioclastic, bioturbated mudstone, few biogenic clasts. F o s s i l s :

algae (Tubiphytes obscurus MASLOV), echinoderm remains, forami -

nifers (D i p l o s p h a e r i n a i n a e q u a l i s (DERVILLE), F r o n d i n o d o s a r i a

sp.), pelagic ostracods (exclusively Myodocopida). E n v i r o n m e n t :

pelagic. Age: Late Carboniferous to Permian.

Sample 1996/147

Boundstone to wackestone. Fossils: algae (T u b i p h y t e s c a r i n t h i a -

c u s (FLÜGEL), T u b i p h y t e s o b s c u r u s MASLOV, dasycladacean

algae), bryozoans, calcareous sponges, corals, echinoderm remains,

foraminifers (C l i m a c a m m i n a sp., T o l y p a m m i n a sp., T u b e r i t i n a b u l -

b a c e a GALLOWAY & HARLTON), gastropods, ostracods. E n v i -

ronment: open shallow-water shelf. Age: Guadalupian (?).

Sample 1996/148

Rudstone, matrix micritic, components wackestone, mudstones,

reworked shallow and basinal rocks. Fossils: algae (T u b i p h y t e s o b s -

curus MASLOV), bryozoans, conodonts (reworked juvenile Streptog -

nathodus ex gr. S. ruzhencevi KOZUR), echinoderm remains, forami-

nifers (Diplosphaerina sp., Globivalvulina sp., Lunucammina sp., Pa -

c h y p h l o i a sp., T o l y p a m m i n a sp., N e o s c h w a g e r i n a fragment), gastro-

pods, ostracods (partly pelagic forms). Environment: proximal slope

(pelagic with transported shallow-water fossils, mostly broken, re-

worked older material). A g e : Wordian (Murgabian to early Midian

fusulinid age) with reworked Late Carboniferous (Gzhelian) cono-

donts.

Sample 1996/149

Packstone with bio- and lithoclasts, some siliciclastic material

(quartz). Fossils: bryozoans, echinoderms, foraminifers (D i p l o s p h a e -

r i n a i n a e q u a l i s (DERVILLE), G l o b i v a l v u l i n a sp., L u n u c a m m i n a s p . ,

P a c h y p h l o i a o v a t a LANGE, T u b e r i t i n a b u l b a c e a GALLOWAY &

HARLTON, Palaeotextulariidae gen. et spec. indet., Schubertellidae

gen. et spec. indet.), ostracods. E n v i r o n m e n t : slope to shelf. A g e :

Guadalupian.

Sample 1996/150

Rudstone, with components of boundstones and wackestones,

A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a -T u b i p h y t e s boundstone. Fossils: algae (A r c h a e -

o l i t h o p o r e l l a sp., T u b i p h y t e s sp., dasycladacean algae), bryozoans,

calcareous sponges, incrusted by Tubiphytes and Archaeolithoporella,

corals, foraminifers (D i p l o s p h a e r i n a sp., L u n u c a m m i n a sp., P a c h y -

p h l o i a sp., P a l a e o t e x t u l a r i a sp., P r o t o n o d o s a r i a sp., P s e u d o l a n g e l l a

sp., Parafusulina sp., Afghanella sp.), ostracods. Environment: open

shallow-water shelf. Age: Guadalupian.

Sample 1996/151

Grainstone with sparitic cement and micritic matrix. F o s s i l s :

algae (M i z z i a sp., P s e u d o v e r m i p o r e l l a n i p p o n i c a (ENDO), T u b i -

p h y t e s c a r i n t h i a c u s (FLÜGEL), T. o b s c u r u s MASLOV), brachio-

pods, bryozoans, calcareous sponges, corals, foraminifers (B a i s a l i n a

? sp., T e t r a t a x i s sp., T o l y p a m m i n a sp., Geinitzinidae, gen. et spec.

indet., Palaeotextulariidae gen. et spec. indet., C a n c e l l i n a ? sp., C h u -

senella sp., Minojapanella sp., Nankinella sp., primitive Neoschwage -

r i n a sp.), gastropods. E n v i r o n m e n t : open shallow-water shelf. A g e :

Wordian (early Murgabian fusulinid age).

Sample 1996/152

Rudstone, angular components of wackestones, mudstones,

boundstones in micritic matrix. Fossils: algae (A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a

sp., T u b i p h y t e s o b s c u r u s MASLOV), bivalve fragments, bryozoans,

corals, echinoderm remains, foraminifers (D i p l o s p h a e r i n a sp., G e i n i -

tzina postcarbonica SPANDEL, primitive N e o e n d o t h y r a , M i n o j a p a -

n e l l a ? sp., N e o s c h w a g e r i n a s i m p l e x OZAWA), microproblematica.

E n v i r o n m e n t : upper slope deposit. A g e : Wordian (early Murgabian

fusulinid age).

Sample 1996/153

Bioclastic, bioturbated wackestone, fine-grained with few large

biogenic remnants. F o s s i l s : algae (A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a s p . , T u b i p h y -

tesobscurus MASLOV), bryozoans, calcareous sponges, corals, echi-

noderm remains, foraminifers (L a s i o d i s c u s sp., P a c h y p h l o i a s p . ,

P a l a e o t e x t u l a r i a sp., T u b e r i t i n a c o l l o s a REITLINGER, Geinitzini-

dae, gen. et spec. indet.), gastropods, ostracods. E n v i r o n m e n t : s h e l f

edge. Age: Guadalupian. 

Sample 1996/154

Pelagic mudstone with large shallow-water limestone clasts

(grainstone, boundstone). Fossils: algae (A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a s p . ,

M i z z i a sp., T u b i p h y t e s o b s c u r u s MASLOV, S t a c h e o i d e s sp. (red

algae)), brachiopods, bryozoans, calcareous sponges, incrusted by

A r c h a e o l i t h o p o r e l l a and T u b i p h y t e s, corals, echinoderm remains,

foraminifers (Diplosphaerina sp., Pachyphloia sp., Neoschwagerina ?

sp.), ostracods (shallow-water and pelagic forms). E n v i r o n m e n t :

slope deposits (probably reef slope). Age: Wordian (Murgabian to

early Midian fusulinid age).

Sample 1996/155

Pelagic bioclastic mudstone with shallow-water limestone clasts.

Fossils: ostracods (shallow-water forms, e.g., Amphissitessp., typical

moderate high energy shallow-water fauna of carbonate platform,

Cladocopida (P e r m o p o l y c o p e sp., P o l y c o p e sp.) and some pelagic

ostracods (Myodocopida, P e r m o c y p r i d i n a ? n. sp.)). E n v i r o n m e n t :

slope debris flow. Age: Permian.