A review of the geology and geodynamic evolution of tectonic terranes in Turkey

Abstract

The geodynamic evolution of Turkey is mainly controlled by drift and collision of a number oceanic and continental plates or terranes. This can be ascribed to four orogenic episodes, namely: the Cadomian, Variscan, Cimmerian and Alpine. During these episodes, terranes were formed in a wide range of tectonic settings, including active and passive continental margins, rifts, arcs and suture complexes between the Gondwana supercontinent in the South and the Eurasian supercontinent in the North. The arrangements and re-arrangements of these terranes in the past 500 Ma gave way to a very complex mosaic of geological units with a wide variety of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic units, as well as related mineral systems, as discussed in the chapters of this book. In this chapter a brief review of these geological processes will be summarised within the framework of the geodynamic evolution to provide a background for the igneous activity, sedimentary rocks, metamorphic processes and formation of the mineral resources in Turkey.