Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
1st SaltAges Conference, Krakow, Polonya, 31 Mart - 04 Nisan 2025, ss.1, (Özet Bildiri)
The Neotethys Ocean was an ancient ocean that existed between the continents of Gondwana
and Laurasia during the Mesozoic era. It evolved as a result of plate tectonic
movements and played a key role in shaping the geography of present-day
Eurasia, Africa, and the Middle East. Progressive convergence led to closure of
oceanic basins and development of major Neotethyan subduction zones, eventually
contributing to the Alpine-Himalayan orogeny and the uplift
of the Iranian and Anatolian plateaus. Final, the Neotethys oceanic lithosphere subducted
and Arabia collided with Eurasia, and the preserved remnants of the Neotethys were trapped, forming landlocked seas like the Mediterranean in the south and the Paratethys (Black Sea-Caspian
Sea domain) in the north.
During the
Oligocene to Pliocene, the Paratethys Sea covered large parts of Central and
Eastern Europe as a semi-isolated sea or megalake separated in subbasins due to
the uplift of the Alps, Carpathians, Pontides, and Caucasus. At the southern
margin, the Anatolian landmass formed a shallow barrier controlling Paratethys-Mediterranean
connectivity. Tectonic uplift and global sea level lowering restricted the Paratethys
at the beginning of the Oligocene. Throughout geological time, climate changes and tectonic activity caused Paratethys to shrink dramatically and led to hypersaline conditions during the Badenian Salinity Crisis (13.8-13.4 Ma) and
other evaporitic episodes in the Carpathian foredeep.
This study
presents preliminary information for a detailed stratigraphic investigation
planned in a key section along the Central Black Sea coast (Sinop region,
Türkiye) where a significant record of the late Eocene to Middle Miocene is
exposed. The research aims to explore the rise and demise of the Paratethys and
its connections to the open seas throughout the Oligo-Miocene times. Detailed
stratigraphic, geochemical and isotopic studies are planned to reveal how the
vast ocean evolved into smaller, isolated water bodies over millions of years.