Provenance of the northern part of the Kahramanmaras ß Peripheral Foreland Basin (Miocene, S Turkey) Murat Gül a,⇑ , Kemal Gürbüz b , Bryan T. Cronin c a Mugla University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Geological Engineering, 48000 Kotekli, Mugla, Turkey b Çukurova University, Eng.-Arc. Faculty, Department of Geological Engineering, 01330 Balcalı, Adana, Turkey c Deep Marine, 9 North Square, Footdee, Aberdeen AB115DX, Scotland, UK article info Article history: Received 11 September 2009 Received in revised form 22 September 2010 Accepted 23 September 2010 Keywords: Miocene Kahramanmaras ß Peripheral Foreland Basin S Turkey Deep-sea sediment Provenance abstract The Miocene Kahramanmaras ß Peripheral Foreland Basin (KPFB) resemble to classic foreland basin model, with small differences. In the classic model, both the accretionary wedge and foredeep extend length- ways parallel to the plate margin. In addition, accretionary wedge includes wedge top basin or piggy back basin that extends parallel to foredeep. However, the accretionary wedge of the KPFB contains small half-graben type basins that obliquely intersect the plate margin between the Arabian Plate and the Anatolide–Taurides Platform (due to the irregular shape of the plate boundary). Tectonic lineaments controlled the shape and orientation of these basins and larger main depocentre of the KFPB, which were predominantly filled with deep-sea sediments. This paper focuses on the provenance of features of the KFPB, predominantly was fed from the northern basin margin, while also aiming to resolve the complex basin evolution that occurred during the Miocene. Clasts of Palaeozoic and Mesozoic limestone and ophiolites are common components of the confined deep-water clastic systems, which evolved as elongated trenches in the north-western sector of the KPFB during the Early-Middle Miocene. During the Middle Miocene, continuous thrusting of the northern basin margin to south caused depocentre migration to south-east, through the basin interior. At that time, the north-east and central depocentres of the KPFB were filled primarily by clasts of ophiolite and metamor- phic units. The tectonic control on basin fill architecture can be observed anywhere in the KFPB. The prin- cipal tectonic features controlled the geometry and orientation of the canyon, the channel geometry of the deep-water slope on the northern basin margin, the frequency and distribution of slump-slide-debris flows and the overall pattern of sedimentation cycles in the stratigraphy of the slope and the central basin floor. Some basin sectors have continuously reactivated and as a result, different sediment entry points with substantial local accumulation of sediment and deformation have evolved on the slope and basin floor. Three scales of provenance were used to investigate the source rock: (a) field-based observation and analysis of conglomerate clasts, (b) modal analysis of sandstone facies and (c) geochemical analysis, all of which were in agreement. Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 0. Introduction The Kahramanmaras ß Peripheral Foreland Basin (KPBF) is located in south-eastern Anatolia and is an important long-lived tectonic junction (Fig. 1). Its Miocene stratigraphy reflects the spectacular interaction between tectonic activity and sedimentation. The KPBF evolved due to progressive oblique collision of the Arabian Plate, whereas the Anatolide–Taurides Platform evolved as a result of Al- pine Orogenesis (S ßengör and Yılmaz, 1981; Karig and Kozlu, 1990; Yılmaz, 1993). The filling of the KPBF reflects considerable struc- tural compartmentalisation. The different sectors of the KPBF were active and filling at different times due to overlapping from the north. This also led to the shift of basin depocentres. The north- western sector of the KPBF was first to initiate, with evolution of the small basins located at the top of the accretionary wedge (formed as an extensional half graben). This sector was initially filled with claystones, then progressively by channelised fan-delta conglomerates (Fig. 2; Karig and Kozlu, 1990; Kozlu, 1997; Gül, 2004). Those small basins at the top of the accretionary wedge opened obliquely to the line of the foredeep region of the KPFB (on the NW basin margin). This contrasts with the classic foreland basin model developed from the Apennines and Pyrenees (Puigdefâbregas et al., 1992; Mutti et al., 2003; Torricelli et al., 2006), where both the foredeep and related basin at the top of 1367-9120/$ - see front matter Ó 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jseaes.2010.09.012 ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: muratgul@mu.edu.tr (M. Gül), sedim@cu.edu.tr (K. Gürbüz), bryan@deep-marine.com (B.T. Cronin). Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 40 (2011) 475–495 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Asian Earth Sciences journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jseaes