Yerbilimleri, 32 (2), 151-170 Hacettepe Üniversitesi Yerbilimleri Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi Bülteni Bulletin of the Earth Sciences Application and Research Centre of Hacettepe University Geological Evolution of the Ulukışla Basin (Late Cretaceous- Eocene) Central Anatolia, Turkey Ulukışla Havzasının (Geç Kretase-Eosen) Jeolojik Evrimi, Orta Anadolu, Türkiye *Kemal ZORLU 1 , Selim İNAN 2 , Murat GÜL 3 , Nurdan İNAN 2 , Mehmet Ali KURT 4 , Musa ALPASLAN 2 1 Adıyaman University, Kahta Vocational School, Department of Architecture and City Planning, Kahta– Adıyaman/ TURKEY. 2 Mersin University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Geological Engineering, 33343, Çiftlikköy– Mersin/ TURKEY 3 Mugla University, Engineering Faculty, Department of Geological Engineering, 48000, Kotekli–Mugla/ TURKEY. 4 Mersin University, Advanced Technology Education, Research and Application Center, 33343, Çiftlikköy–Mersin/ TURKEY Geliş (received) : 24 Şubat (February) 2011 Kabul (accepted) : 11 Temmuz (July) 2011 ABSTRACT The Ulukışla Basin (Central Anatolian, Turkey) developed between the Menderes-Taurides Platform and the Niğde- Kırşehir Metamorphic Massif. Evidence from the basin fill indicates that it evolved with asymmetric tectonics. An extensional phase (the Late Cretaceous-Late Paleocene) developed after subduction of the northern branch of Neotethyan Ocean. The narrow southern margin of Ulukışla Basin evolved over and in front of the Alihoca Ophi- olites (remnant of the Neotethyan ocean floor) and it has been characterized with deposition of the agglomerates, limestone olistoliths, sandstones and mudstones in submarine slope to deep marine environment. At the same time, in the initially the relatively deep then shallow marine environment, broad northern part of the basin includes relatively fine-grained sandstones and mudstones overlying by reef limestone, which is interfingered with volca- nic rocks. Depend on compressional phase (the Late Paleocene and Early Eocene), the basin evolved with the ef- fect of regional tectonics; patch reefs formed over the volcanic highlands. In addition, volcanics interfingered with clastics that contain limestone and volcanic rock fragments. Basin evolution and inversion in this tectonic regime has been strongly influenced by deviations originated from overall northward motion of the African-Arabian pla- tes. Other controls on the sedimentation and basin evolution are local tectonics, sea level changes and irregula- rity of basement topography. Keywords: Basin inversion, compression, extension, intra-continental basin, Ulukışla basin. ÖZ Ulukışla Havzası (Orta Anadolu, Türkiye) Menderes-Toros Bloğu ve Niğde-Kırşehir Metamorfik Masifi arasında gelişmiştir. Havzaya ait dolguların sunduğu kanıtlar, havzanın asimetrik bir şekilde evrimleştiğini göstermektedir. Genişlemeli faz (Geç Kretase – Geç Paleosen) Neotetis Okyanusu kuzey kolu tabanının yitime uğraması sonrasında gelişmiştir. Ulukışla Havzası’nın dar güney kenarı, Alihoca Ofiyoliti (Neotetis Okyanus tabanı kalıntısı) üzerinde K. Zorlu E-posta : kemalzorlu.geol@gmail.com