Temporal and spatial variations in uplift from river-profile inversions
at the Central Anatolian Plateau southern margin 2
Abstract
The Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP) southern margin experienced a strong
uplift pulse with max. rates of 3.5 km/Myr during the Quaternary, based
on marine sediments dated to the Middle Pleistocene that are now located
at 1500 m.a.s.l. In geodynamically active areas, spatio-temporal
variations in uplift can provide key insights into the processes
responsible for the evolution of topography. Fluvial landscapes record
elements that reflect temporal and spatial variations in rock uplift
rates, such as the normalized river steepness index, which is affected
by rock uplift rates, the erodibility of the underlying rock, and
factors such as climate. Following the calibration of river profiles for
an erosion coefficient value, which can be done using independent data
(in our case, uplifted marine terraces), river profiles can be inverted
for the uplift histories that created them. In our study, we demonstrate
how it is possible to define the spatio-temporal uplift history of the
CAP southern margin by quantitative analysis of multiple river profiles.
Our results, which show a wave of rapid uplift propagating from west to
east during the Quaternary and subsequent exponential decreases in
uplift rates, provide support for Quaternary uplift being driven by
tearing and break-off of the Cyprus slab.