Late Quaternary evolution of the Çanakkale strait region (Dardanelles, NW Turkey): Implications of a major erosional event for the postglacial Mediterranean-Marmara Sea connection

Erkan Gökaşan; Hüseyin Tur; Mustafa Ergin; Tolga Görüm; Fatma Gül Batuk; Nurcan Sağcı; Timur Ustaömer; Ozan Emem; Hakan Alp

doi:10.1007/s00367-009-0166-2

Late Quaternary evolution of the Çanakkale strait region (Dardanelles, NW Turkey): Implications of a major erosional event for the postglacial Mediterranean-Marmara Sea connection

Erkan Gökaşan^*, Hüseyin Tur, Mustafa Ergin, Tolga Görüm, Fatma Gül Batuk, Nurcan Sağcı, Timur Ustaömer, Ozan Emem, Hakan Alp

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

28 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Seismic and bathymetric data from the Çanakkale Strait and its extensions onto the shelves of the Marmara and Aegean seas indicate that the strait was formed mainly by an erosional event. Four seismic units are observed on seismic profiles. The lower two of these (units 4 and 3) constitute the basement of a regionally widespread erosional unconformity (ravinement), which developed during marine isotope stage 2 (MIS 2). The two upper units (units 2 and 1), which overlie the ravinement surface, form a higher-order sequence. Sequence stratigraphic analysis indicates that units 2 and 1 deposited as lowstand and highstand systems tracts respectively, since the end of MIS 2. The transgressive systems tract is represented by a major erosional event which occurred throughout the Çanakkale sill area when the Mediterranean-Marmara Sea connection and, hence, the Çanakkale Strait was formed. The existence of the erosive Şarköy Canyon along the shelf edge of the southern Marmara Sea demonstrates that the flow direction causing the erosion was from south to north, thus proving that it was produced by Mediterranean water flowing over the sill into the Marmara Sea basin.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	113-131
Number of pages	19
Journal	Geo-Marine Letters
Volume	30
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-009-0166-2
Publication status	Published - Apr 2010
Externally published	Yes

Funding

In addition, 413 km of digital seismic and approx. 8,000 km2 of multi-beam bathymetric data were collected between 2004 and 2007 by the research vessel TCG Çubuklu of the TN-DNHO within the framework of a scientific project supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK-CAYDAG-104Y024; Figs. 1b, 2). Of this, the seismic data from the Çanakkale Strait and the Şarköy Canyon were acquired in 2005 and 2006 (Fig. 1b). The seismic system consisted of a 300-J seismic energy source, a single-channel hydrophone streamer (receiver) and a recorder set at a 200-ms scan. The ship speed was about 4 knots, positioning being achieved by a D-GPS system. Part of this seismic data was previously published by Ergin et al. (2007) and Gökaşan et al. (2008). Acknowledgements This study was supported by The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey, Project No. TUBİTAK-ÇAYDAG-104Y024. We thank the officers and crew, as well as the scientists and technicians onboard the TCG Çubuklu and TCG Çeşme of the Turkish Navy, Department of Navigation, Hydrography, and Oceanography, for their unfailing assistance. We are also grateful for the constructive comments of two anonymous referees and the journal editor B.W. Flemming.

Funders	Funder number
TN-DNHO
Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştirma Kurumu	TUBİTAK-ÇAYDAG-104Y024, TUBITAK-CAYDAG-104Y024

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Gökaşan, E., Tur, H., Ergin, M., Görüm, T., Batuk, F. G., Sağcı, N., Ustaömer, T., Emem, O., & Alp, H. (2010). Late Quaternary evolution of the Çanakkale strait region (Dardanelles, NW Turkey): Implications of a major erosional event for the postglacial Mediterranean-Marmara Sea connection. Geo-Marine Letters, 30(2), 113-131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-009-0166-2

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abstract = "Seismic and bathymetric data from the {\c C}anakkale Strait and its extensions onto the shelves of the Marmara and Aegean seas indicate that the strait was formed mainly by an erosional event. Four seismic units are observed on seismic profiles. The lower two of these (units 4 and 3) constitute the basement of a regionally widespread erosional unconformity (ravinement), which developed during marine isotope stage 2 (MIS 2). The two upper units (units 2 and 1), which overlie the ravinement surface, form a higher-order sequence. Sequence stratigraphic analysis indicates that units 2 and 1 deposited as lowstand and highstand systems tracts respectively, since the end of MIS 2. The transgressive systems tract is represented by a major erosional event which occurred throughout the {\c C}anakkale sill area when the Mediterranean-Marmara Sea connection and, hence, the {\c C}anakkale Strait was formed. The existence of the erosive {\c S}ark{\"o}y Canyon along the shelf edge of the southern Marmara Sea demonstrates that the flow direction causing the erosion was from south to north, thus proving that it was produced by Mediterranean water flowing over the sill into the Marmara Sea basin.",

author = "Erkan G{\"o}ka{\c s}an and H{\"u}seyin Tur and Mustafa Ergin and Tolga G{\"o}r{\"u}m and Batuk, {Fatma G{\"u}l} and Nurcan Sağcı and Timur Usta{\"o}mer and Ozan Emem and Hakan Alp",

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Gökaşan, E, Tur, H, Ergin, M, Görüm, T, Batuk, FG, Sağcı, N, Ustaömer, T, Emem, O & Alp, H 2010, 'Late Quaternary evolution of the Çanakkale strait region (Dardanelles, NW Turkey): Implications of a major erosional event for the postglacial Mediterranean-Marmara Sea connection', Geo-Marine Letters, vol. 30, no. 2, pp. 113-131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-009-0166-2

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AU - Tur, Hüseyin

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AU - Görüm, Tolga

AU - Batuk, Fatma Gül

AU - Sağcı, Nurcan

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AU - Emem, Ozan

AU - Alp, Hakan

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Late Quaternary evolution of the Çanakkale strait region (Dardanelles, NW Turkey): Implications of a major erosional event for the postglacial Mediterranean-Marmara Sea connection

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