(PDF) High‐resolution sequence stratigraphic correlation in the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian)–Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) peri

GEOLOGICAL JOURNAL Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) High-resolution sequence stratigraphic correlation in the Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian)±Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) peritidal carbonate deposits (Western Taurides, Turkey) . . . DEMIR ALTINER, 1* I. OÈMER YILMAZ, 1 NECDET OÈZGUÈL,.2 NAKI AKCËAR, 1 MUZAFFER BAYAZITOGÆLU 1 and ZEYNEP E. GAZIULUSOY 1 1Marine Micropalaeontology Research Unit, Department of Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University, TR-06531 Ankara, Turkey . 2 GEOMAR MuÈhendislik, Sanayi ve Ticaret Ltd. SËti., Cengizhan Sok., 18/3, GoÈztepe, TR-81060 Istanbul, Turkey Upper Jurassic (Kimmeridgian)±Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) inner platform carbonates in the Western Taurides are composed of metre-scale upward-shallowing cyclic deposits (parasequences) and important karstic surfaces capping some of the cycles. Peritidal cycles (shallow subtidal facies capped by tidal-¯at laminites or fenestrate limestones) are regressive- and transgressive-prone (upward-deepening followed by upward-shallowing facies trends). Subtidal cycles are of two types and indicate incomplete shallowing. Submerged subtidal cycles are composed of deeper subtidal facies overlain by shallow subtidal facies. Exposed subtidal cycles consist of deeper subtidal facies overlain by shallow subtidal facies that are capped by features indicative of prolonged subaerial exposure. Subtidal facies occur characteristically in the Jurassic, while peritidal cycles are typical for the Lower Cretaceous of the region. Within the foraminiferal and dasyclad algal biostratigraphic framework, four karst breccia levels are recognized as the boundaries of major second-order cycles, introduced for the ®rst time in this study. These levels correspond to the Kimmeridgian±Portlandian boundary, mid-Early Valanginian, mid-Early Aptian and mid-Cenomanian and represent important sea level falls which a€ected the distribution of foraminiferal fauna and dasyclad ¯ora of the Taurus carbonate platform. Within the Kimmeridgian±Cenomanian interval 26 third-order sequences (types 1 and 2) are recognized. These sequences are the records of eustatic sea level ¯uctuations rather than the records of local tectonic events because the boundaries of the sequences representing 1±4 Ma intervals are correlative with global sea level falls. Third-order sequences and metre-scale cyclic deposits are the major units used for long-distance, high-resolution sequence stratigraphic correlation in the Western Taurides. Metre-scale cyclic deposits (parasequences) in the Cretaceous show genetical stacking patterns within third-order sequences and correspond to fourth-order sequences representing 100±200 ka. These cycles are possibly the E2 signal (126 ka) of the orbital eccentricity cycles of the Milankovitch band. The slight deviation of values, calculated for parasequences, from the mean value of eccentricity cycles can be explained by the currently imprecise geochronology established in the Cretaceous and missed sea level oscillations when the platform lay above ¯uctuating sea level. Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. KEY WORDS Western Taurides; biostratigraphy; Kimmeridgian±Cenomanian; peritidal carbonates; metre-scale cycle; sequence; parasequence; eustatic sea level; orbital eccentricity cycle; correlation 1. INTRODUCTION Most carbonate platform successions are basically composed of stacked upward-shallowing metre-scale deposits displaying periodic ¯ooding through transgressive events (Fischer 1964, 1991). This cyclic nature can be easily detected within peritidal domains. The role of eustatic, orbital and tectonic events in the *Correspondence to: Demir Altõner, Marine Micropalaeontology Research Unit, Department of Geological Engineering, Middle East Technical University, TR-06531 Ankara, Turkey. e-mail:

. Contract/grant sponsor: Scienti®c and Technical Research Council of Turkey (TUÈBITAK). Contract/grant number: YDABCËAG-163. CCC 0072±1050/99/010139±20$17.50 Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 140 D. ALTINER ET AL. formation of such peritidal deposits has been discussed frequently and widely in recent years (Grotzinger 1986a, b; Hardie 1986; Hardie et al. 1986; Goldhammer et al. 1987, 1990; Goldhammer and Harris 1989; Strasser 1988, 1991, 1994; Read 1989; Read and Goldhammer 1988; Tucker and Wright 1990; Osleger and Read 1991; Vail et al. 1991; Hunt and Tucker 1993; Elrick 1995; D'Argenio et al. 1997). The general conclusion on the formation of metre-scale upward-shallowing sequences is that one small-scale sequence or parasequence represents a fundamental chronostratigraphic unit of the sedimentary record. These sequences are considered to re¯ect climatic cycles controlled by the Earth's orbit (Milankovitch cycles) (Berger 1988; Mitchum and Van Wagoner 1990; Schwarzacher 1993). In this study, we de®ne cyclicity and its hierarchy within the studied successions and the role of eustatic and orbital events in the formation of such cyclic deposits. With the resolution obtained, we correlate the sections within the peritidal domain of the Western Taurides and discuss the signi®cance of this correlation. In order to carry out such a study, we have made extensive use of microfacies and micropalaeontological data, types of sedimentary structures and the structures at the binding surfaces of beds. Metre-scale upward- shallowing sequences and larger sequences are identi®ed and analysed in the sense of Van Wagoner et al. (1988), Mitchum and Van Wagoner (1990) and Vail et al. (1991). 2. GEOLOGIC SETTING AND CHRONOSTRATIGRAPHIC CALIBRATION OF STRATIGRAPHIC SECTIONS The study area is in the Western Taurides and located to the north and south of BeysË ehir Lake and near SeydisË ehir, Akseki and Hadim (Figures 1 and 2). The studied outcrops belong to the main autochthonous± parautochthonous carbonate belt of the Taurides, which have been previously called `L'Axe Calcaire du Taurus' by Ricou et al. (1975) or the Geyik DagÆõ Unit by OÈzguÈl (1976). This belt consists of Cambrian to Tertiary sediments (Monod 1977; Gutnic et al. 1979; OÈzguÈl 1997), overlain tectonically by nappes comprising both the oceanic and platform margin-slope material derived from both the north and the south of the platform (SËengoÈr and Yõlmaz 1981) (Figure 1). The peritidal limestone sections occur on the inner platform facies of the Tauride block (Figure 3). During the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian)±Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) time interval, the Taurus carbonate platform was isolated and bounded by the southern and northern branches of the Neotethys ocean. The margins of this platform were passive at that time (Monod 1977; OÈzguÈl 1984) and large-scale tectonic events did not a€ect the platform (SËengoÈr and Yõlmaz 1981). The sections have been measured in the most `homogeneous' portions of the Mesozoic carbonate strata resting unconformably either on the Ordovician or Triassic deposits (Figure 4). Chronostratigraphic positions of the sections correspond to the Kimmeridgian to Cenomanian interval. In total 5572 beds were inspected and the total thickness measured in six sections was 1935.1 m. A further 1142 samples were collected for laboratory work in order to de®ne the boundaries of the biostratigraphic units and to carry out a detailed microfacies analysis. Biostratigraphy has been one of the most powerful tools used in this study. The chronostratigraphic framework is provided by the biostratigraphy, based on benthic foraminifera and dasycladacean algae. Although the absence of ammonites is the major disadvantage in the interpretation of such peritidal successions, the calibration of the stratigraphic ranges of foraminiferal and dasycladacean algal taxa by using direct and indirect methods has been improved in recent years (Arnaud-Vanneau 1980, 1986; Septfontaine 1980; Septfontaine et al. 1991; Altõner 1991; Altõner and OÈzkan 1991; Strohmenger et al. 1991; Chiocchini et al. 1994). The zonation used in this study stems largely from our previous studies (Altõner and Septfontaine 1979; Altõner 1981; Altõner and Decrouez 1982; Altõner et al. 1986, 1988) (Figure 5). It consists of four zones and ®ve subzones within the Kimmeridgian±Cenomanian interval. In order to improve the chronostratigraphic Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 141 Figure 1. Simpli®ed geological map of BeysË ehir Lake±Akseki±Hadim region in the Western Taurides (simpli®ed from OÈzguÈl 1984) and location of stratigraphic sections (1±6). a ˆ Autochthonous platform carbonate unit; b ˆ allochthonous units; c ˆ ophiolite; d ˆ Neogene and Quarternary units; e ˆ normal fault; f ˆ strike-slip fault; g ˆ thrust; h ˆ tectonic unit boundary (low-angle thrust fault); i ˆ stratigraphic section resolution we have added three more foraminiferal taxa in this study. These taxa improve the resolution in the Lower Cretaceous chronostratigraphy, particularly in the Valanginian and Albian stages (Figure 5). 3. SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHY 3a. Metre-scale upward-shallowing sequences ( parasequences) In the hierarchical classi®cation of our sequence stratigraphic study, the smallest sequence that we have distinguished is the fourth- or ®fth-order metre-scale upward-shallowing sequence ( parasequence) (James 1984; Van Wagoner et al. 1988; Goldhammer et al. 1990) (Figure 6). Parasequences are the building blocks of inner platform successions of the Taurides and they are widely recognized in the ®eld. Although we distinguish many types of metre-scale upward-shallowing cycles, we classify them into three main groups. Peritidal cycles are shallow subtidal facies capped by tidal-¯at laminites or limestones with fenestrate structures including irregular and laminoid types (Shinn 1983ab) (Figure 7). Following marine ¯ooding, lower parts of cycles commence with transgressive deposits, sometimes with lag clasts swept from the top of underlying cycles. After a certain upward-deepening trend characterized by deposits with dasyclad algae and proliferated foraminiferal fauna, typical of a warm, subtidal environment (FluÈgel 1982), the successions continue with an upward-shallowing trend. The laminites capping the cycles are true Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) 142 D. ALTINER ET AL. Figure 2. Geographic location of stratigraphic sections (1±6). (a) Fele area; (b) UÈzuÈmluÈ area; (c) SeydisË ehir (Madenli) area; (d) Hadim (Polat) area; (e) Akseki area stromatolites and indicate tidal ¯at progradation (Ginsburg 1971; James 1984; Jones and Desrochers 1992). They generally show irregular wavy-parallel laminations (Wright 1984) and less commonly the limestones have Laterally Linked Hemispheroid-type stromatolitic structure (Logan et al. 1964). Peritidal cycle caps sometimes show evidence of prolonged subaerial exposure, similar to those described by Estaban and Klappa (1983), Demicco and Hardie (1994) and Wright and Tucker (1991), characterized by various structures including karst breccia, dissolution surfaces, collapse breccia, sheet cracks, mud cracks, pisolithic caliche and rizolithic surfaces. Peritidal cycles are sometimes incomplete, and transgressive portions at the bottom of cycles can be represented directly by stromatolites. In Figure 8, illustrating two portions of the SeydisË ehir (Madenli) section (see also Figure 7), parasequences are subtidal or tidal-dominated and in both types laminites are the dominating cycle caps. The other two main cycle groups are subtidal cycles and indicate incomplete shallowing (Figure 7). Submerged subtidal cycles are composed of deeper subtidal facies overlain by shallow subtidal facies. This Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 143 Figure 3. Palaeogeographic and tectonic setting of the Taurus carbonate platform (Tauride block) during the Late Jurassic±Early Cretaceous. Prepared after data in SËengoÈr and Yõlmaz (1981) and OÈzguÈl (1984) Figure 4. Simpli®ed Mesozoic stratigraphy of the studied areas (Monod 1977; OÈzguÈl 1984, 1997; this study). Numbered vertical bars (1± 6) are the intervals of measured stratigraphic sections. Os ˆ SeydisË ehir Formation; Ts ˆ Sarpiar Dere Formation; JuÈ ˆ UÈzuÈmdere Formation; Js ˆ Sarakman Formation; Jt ˆ Tepearasõ Dolomite; JKa ˆ Akkuyu Formation; JKp ˆ Polat Formation. a ˆ Limestone; b ˆ rudist limestone; c ˆ pelagic limestone; d ˆ dolomite; e ˆ bauxite; f ˆ conglomerate with limestone pebbles; g ˆ red conglomerate±sandstone; h ˆ turbiditic sandstone-siltstone; i ˆ plant-bearing ®ne siliciclastics; j ˆ basalt; k ˆ unconformity. Do ˆ Dogger; Ma ˆ Malm; L. Cret ˆ Lower Cretaceous; U. Cret ˆ Upper Cretaceous type is the most dicult to recognize in the ®eld because marker sedimentary structures or any subaerial exposure criteria are lacking. However, our bed-scale study, aided by a detailed micropalaeontological investigation in the ®eld, has revealed the alternation of two types of critical facies. The codiacean Cayeuxia-bearing facies, with slightly more proliferated foraminiferal fauna, is considered as deeper Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) 144 D. ALTINER ET AL. Figure 5. Foraminiferal and dasyclad algal biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphic correlation of measured sections. Brick-patterned lines in sections are prominent karst breccia levels and areas with oblique lines are the dolomitic levels. Numbers on the left of columns are critical sample numbers indicating karst breccia horizons and biostratigraphic unit boundaries. J4 ˆ Clypeina jurassica Zone; J4a ˆ Clypeina jurassica±Kurnubia plexus Subzone; J4b ˆ Campbelliella striata Subzone; K1 ˆ Salpingoporella annulata Zone; K2 ˆ Vercorsella scarsellai±Salpingoporella dinarica Zone; K2a ˆ Campanellula capuensis Subzone; K2b ˆ Voloshinoides murgensis Subzone; K3 ˆ Cuneolina gr. pavonia±Miliolidae 1 Zone Figure 6. Hierarchy of sequences in the study area Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 145 Figure 7. Types of metre-scale upward-shallowing cycles subtidal, while the dasyclad Campbelliella-bearing facies containing few diversi®ed elements is considered as shallow subtidal facies. Submerged subtidal cycles are best observed in the Portlandian of Akseki section (Figure 9). They are generally the thickest among the cycles of the three groups. Exposed subtidal cycles consist of deeper subtidal facies overlaid by shallow subtidal facies that are capped by features indicative of prolonged subaerial exposure (Figure 7). The di€erence between deeper and shallow subtidal facies is usually indicated by the decrease of faunal and ¯oral diversity in the shallow subtidal facies. The best example is provided by the Upper Kimmeridgian portion of the Fele 1 section (Figures 5 and 9). Cycle caps in this section are usually represented by in situ brecciation with dissolution vugs or sometimes with prominent karst breccia levels (see the tenth parasequence from the bottom of the section indicated by an asterisk in Figure 9). Submerged and exposed subtidal cycles in the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, lacking tidal ¯at progradation, are best documented from the southern and western European Tethyan successions, namely from the Valanginian±Hauterivian of the southern Apennines (D'Argenio et al. 1997), Purbeckian of the Swiss and French Jura (Strasser 1988) and Purbeckian (Berriasian) of southern Spain (Jimenez de Cisneros Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) 146 D. ALTINER ET AL. Figure 8. Peritidal cycles in two di€erent portions of SeydisË ehir±Madenli section. For symbols, see Figure 7 and Vera 1993). In all these studies, subtidal cycles were interpreted as high-frequency orbital cycles in the carbonate platform strata. When the distribution of dominant cycle types is documented in all sections their organization appears to follow in chronostratigraphic order within the Kimmeridgian±Cenomanian interval (Figure 10). Subtidal Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 147 Figure 9. Subtidal cycles in Akseki and Fele 1 sections. For symbols, see Figure 7 cycles occur dominantly in the Kimmeridgian±Portlandian peritidal cycles in the Cretaceous. Peritidal cycles capped by laminites occur exclusively in the Upper Hauterivian±Cenomanian interval. If there has not been any particular autocyclic mechanism responsible for the generation and appearance of peritidal cycles capped by stromatolitic laminites in the Late Hauterivian, the formation of such cycles could be explained by a long-term allocyclic, most probably a tectonic, event. The probable mechanism as illustrated in Figure 10 could be a lithospheric ¯exure (Dewey 1982; Miall 1997; Allen and Allen 1990). Two fundamental mechanisms are responsible for the formation of lithospheric ¯exure, namely thermal subsidence and tectonic loading. Which could have been the acting process? The Taurides were a mature, isolated platform with passive margins at that time, linked probably to the Adriatic±Apulia system (SËengoÈr and Yõlmaz 1981; Robertson et al. 1996). This large platform had completed its initial rifting stage, at least in Turkey, in Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) 148 D. ALTINER ET AL. Figure 10. Diagrams to illustrate how lithospheric ¯exure explains the generation of peritidal cycles in the Late Hauterivian± Cenomanian interval Early±Middle Jurassic time and also probably passed the much larger cooling and ¯exural phase, which lasted for tens of millions of years. Most probably the ¯exure in the lithosphere occurred progressively during the Late Jurassic±Early Cretaceous. The continuous carbonate sedimentation on the platform excludes the e€ect of local tectonic events. The amplitude of subsidence must not have exceeded tens of metres at the platform margin (Figure 10); however, this discrete ¯exure in the lithosphere should have caused the generation of peritidal cycles capped by stromatolites in the platform interior. 3b. Third- and second-order sequences In the present study, the recognition of third- and second-order sequences is mainly based on calibration of chronostratigraphic positions of the karst breccia levels frequently detected within the stratigraphic sections (Figure 6). Since those second-order sequences (supersequences), de®ned as Zuni subdivisions in Haq et al. (1987, 1988) (supersequence chronozones), correspond to third-order sequence sets and their recognition is not based on any independent observation in outcrop study, we conclude that their recognition is not useful in the present context. Therefore, subdivision of the Kimmeridgian±Cenomanian interval into second-order sequences in the sense of Haq et al. (1987, 1988) will not be discussed further. Following the correlation of the major karst breccia horizons with the eustatic sea level curve of Haq et al. (1987, 1988) within the Kimmeridgian±Cenomanian interval, 26 third-order sequences (type 1 or 2) are recognized (Figure 11). Type 1 sequence boundaries formed when the entire platform, or at least the whole inner platform area, lay above sea level, are persistently and regularly detected in the sections. According to Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 149 Figure 11. Correlation of prominent karst breccia horizons with long- and short-term eustatic curves of Haq et al. (1987, 1988). Brick- patterned lines are boundaries of major second-order sequences. Thick black lines are type 1 sequence boundaries; others are type 2 sequence boundaries. For biostratigraphic symbols, see Figure 5 chronology of Haq et al. (1987, 1988), type 1 boundaries correspond to 138, 136, 135, 134, 128.5, 126, 112, 107.5, 98 and 954 Ma. The other prominent karst breccia horizons are type 2 sequence boundaries. Although they are also correlative with Haq et al.'s curve, they are impersistent and are not regularly recognized in the sections (Figure 11). We explain this by the highly exaggerated magnitudes of sea level fall given in Haq et al.'s curve. For example, for the type 2 sequence boundaries in the Barremian, the magnitude of sea level fall is estimated as some 20 m. According to our observations, this should be of the order of a few metres for some type 2 sequence boundaries. As illustrated in the block diagram (Figure 12), at a type 2 sequence boundary, following the deposition of stacked parasequences in a progradational highstand systems tract of the underlying third-order sequence, the magnitude of sea level fall was within the range of a few metres and did not pass the depositional shoreline break. When sea level rose again the exposed surface started to be covered by the transgressive deposits of the new sequence. Within this con®guration, if the measured section in the Taurides was located on the exposed side of the platform, nearly all type 2 sequence boundaries indicated by karst breccia horizons are recorded. However, at a few kilometres distance from the exposed area, this unconformity surface might emerge into its correlative surface without any interruption in sedimentation. We have tested this case in the Fele area by measuring two sections (Fele 1 and Fele 2) some 3 km apart (Figures 1, 2a and 11). Although we have recorded nearly all unconformity surfaces at type 2 sequence boundaries in the Fele 1 section, which is probably located on the exposed side of the platform (Figure 12), some of the unconformity surfaces were not observed in the Fele 2 section, which represents a more `shelfward' location. The sporadic development of unconformity surfaces in this section can be explained by the changing geometry of the depositional basement as sediments accumulated. If the boundaries of third-order sequences recognized in the stratigraphic sections represent globally recognized time boundaries, the further subdivision of sequences into systems tracts could also yield other Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) 150 D. ALTINER ET AL. Figure 12. Block diagram illustrating the stacking pattern of parasequences in a highstand systems tract, the maximum areal extent of a type 2 unconformity surface and its correlative surface time lines, as already stated and illustrated in Vail et al. (1984), Vail (1987), Van Wagoner et al. (1988) and Sarg (1988). In the peritidal successions, however, stacking of carbonate parasequences is mainly aggradational (Van Wagoner et al. 1988) and subdivision of sequences into systems tracts is then extremely dicult. Two types of systems tracts could be distinguished and their recognition is possible and relatively easy when the lower boundary is a type 1 sequence boundary. As in the case of one of the third-order sequences in the SeydisË ehir section (Figure 13), overlying the unconformity surface resulting from the world- wide mid-Early Aptian sea level fall at 112 Ma, the rise of seal level is recorded at the bottom of the sequence by incomplete peritidal cycles lacking their subtidal portions. The study area must have been above the shoreline at that time, and the unconformity surface may include some missed beats since, before transgressing the study area, sea level was ¯uctuating close to the shelf edge. Following the deposition of incomplete peritidal cycles, peritidal cycles with subtidal foraminifera-rich facies invaded the area, completing deposition of the transgressive systems tract. The remaining stacked parasequences in the sequence was laid down within a highstand systems tract. Peritidal cycles with foraminifera-rich subtidal facies were progressively covered by parasequences that again consist of incomplete peritidal cycles. The topmost parasequence in this progradational system is ®nally capped by a karst breccia horizon de®ning the upper sequence boundary (Figure 13). It should be noted that even in such sequences showing obvious facies trends, the delineation of the exact boundary between systems tracts is extremely dicult in outcrop studies. Such exact boundaries could be drawn if the geometry of the sequences is detected in many closely spaced stratigraphic sections located perpendicular to the depositional strike; in other words, from inner platform to the outer platform depositional settings. 3c. Major second-order sequences Within the foraminiferal and dasyclad algal biostratigraphic frame, the position of some karst breccia levels corresponds to biostratigraphic unit boundaries (Figure 11). These are, in fact, type 1 sequence boundaries of Van Wagoner et al. (1988) and Haq et al. (1987, 1988) and are de®ned as the boundaries of major second-order sequences (Figure 6), a term introduced for the ®rst time in this study. The boundaries of major second-order sequences are based mainly on important foraminiferal faunal extinctions, proliferations and changes in the Taurus carbonate platform related to major sea level falls, as illustrated in the Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 151 Figure 13. Subdivision of a type 1 sequence in SeydisË ehir±Madenli section into systems tracts (TR ˆ transgressive systems tract; HS ˆ highstand systems tract). For other symbols, see Figure 7 second- and third-order sea level curves of Vail et al. (1977) and Haq et al. (1987, 1988). These correspond to the Kimmeridgian±Portlandian boundary, mid-Early Valanginian, mid±Early Aptian and mid-Cenoma- nian horizons (Figure 14). One of these foraminiferal faunal changes corresponds to the disappearance of some complex and large lituolaceans and ataxophragmiaceans (Kurnubia plexus including Conicokurnubia, Kilianina and related forms) at the Kimmeridgian±Portlandian boundary. The overlying major second-order sequence, representing the Portlandian to lowermost Valanginian interval, is characterized by the very rare occurrence of foraminifera. We attribute this biologic event to the frequency of important sea level falls during this time interval (see Haq et al.'s sea level chart at 135, 134 and 128.5 Ma), which probably controlled the distribution of benthic foraminifera in peritidal depositional settings. Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) 152 D. ALTINER ET AL. Figure 14. Foraminiferal faunal characteristics of major second-order sequences and correlation of their boundaries with the sea level curves of Vail et al. (1977) and Haq et al. (1987, 1988). Symbols on the right (LZA-4, LZB-1 to LZB-4, UZA-1 and UZA-2) are the supersequence chronozones (Zuni subdivisions) of Haq et al. (1988) As sea level rose again after the mid-Early Valanginian sea level fall, foraminiferal fauna proliferated in the succeeding major second-order cycle, spanning the Early Valanginian±Early Aptian interval. Although they are not recorded in the studied sections, Orbitolinids sporadically invaded the peritidal domain in the Eastern Taurides (Altõner 1981; Altõner and Decrouez 1982) displaying their evolutionary trends for a short interval of time in the Early Aptian. A major crisis in the foraminiferal fauna occurred in the Aptian, coinciding with the mid-Early Aptian sea level fall. Many foraminiferal taxa (Debarina, Vercorsella scarsellai, Voloshinoides murgensis and others) and the important dasyclad Salpingoporella dinarica and several other forms became extinct at this boundary. With the following new rise in sea level, the platform was again invaded, this time by porcellaneous and agglutinated wall-bearing foraminifera among which Pseudonummoloculina and many other taxa belonging to miliolids, and nezzazatids, cuneolines and chrysalidines are typical for the recognition of the major second-order sequence deposited within the mid- Early Aptian±mid-Cenomanian interval. Although it has not been studied in the stratigraphic sections described here, above the mid-Cenomanian sea level fall at 94 Ma which corresponds to the major bauxite occurrence in the Taurus carbonate platform (Figure 4), a major turnover in the foraminiferal populations in the Upper Cenomanian and Turonian is well known from the inner platform successions of the Tethyan realm (Saint-Marc 1973; Decrouez 1976; Schroeder and Neumann 1985). Hence, the mid-Cenomanian sea level fall detected at the top of the studied sections is regarded as the upper boundary of a major second-order sequence in the Cretaceous, spanning mid-Early Aptian to mid-Cenomanian times. The boundaries of major second-order cycles based on changes in the foraminiferal taxa are directly correlative with the second- and third-order sea level curve of Vail et al. (1977), derived from seismic stratigraphic studies (Figure 14). In the studies of Haq et al. (1987, 1988), however, the boundaries of major second-order cycles, as de®ned in this study, coincide with some of the type 1 sequence boundaries that correspond also to the boundaries of some of their second-order cycles. As indicated earlier, it seems that some of the type 1 sequence boundaries selected as the boundaries of second-order sequences (supersequence chronozones LZB-1 to LZB-4 and UZA-1 to UZA-2; Figure 14) in Haq et al.'s chart are relatively less important than the others. This also suggests that second-order sequences as de®ned by these authors should be reviewed and a much more re®ned de®nition of second-order cycles should be made. Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 153 4. HIGH-RESOLUTION SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION In the correlation of the six measured stratigraphic sections located in the Western Taurides, the most reliable time lines are provided by the boundaries of major second-order sequences represented by prominent karst breccia horizons and corresponding to biostratigraphic unit boundaries and important foraminiferal faunal changes in the Taurus carbonate platform. These boundaries coincide with the sea level falls at the Kimmeridgian±Portlandian boundary (136 Ma), mid-Early Valanginian (126 Ma), mid-Early Aptian (112 Ma) and mid-Cenomanian (94 Ma) in the short-term eustatic sea level curve of Haq et al. (1987, 1988) (Figure 15). The other type 1 sequence boundaries (135 and 134 Ma in the Portlandian, 128.5 Ma in the Berriasian, 107.5 Ma in the Aptian and 98 Ma in the Albian), also recorded in nearly all sections, improve the resolution of the correlation well beyond the resolution of our biostratigraphic frame, established by foraminifera and dasyclad algae. The main problem arises, however, in the correlation of type 2 sequence boundaries. As already discussed in the present study, some of the type 2 unconformity surfaces cannot be directly recognized in all sections, depending on the limited areal distribution of the exposed surfaces, and they laterally pass into their correlative surfaces. In order to establish this correlation, however, we have used the parasequences which are the building blocks of third-order sequences and tested their chronostratigraphic value as an independent correlation tool. In two of these sections, Fele 1 and Fele 2 (Figure 15), located 3 km apart, the number of parasequences between two important time markers corresponding to mid-Early Valanginian (126 Ma) and mid-Early Aptian (112 Ma) is 86 and 83, respectively. Within the same time interval, 91 parasequences were counted in the UÈzuÈmluÈ section, located approximately 50 km from the Fele area. In the comparison of the Fele 1 and Hadõm sections, located more than 150 km from each other, the parasequence counts for the interval between the mid-Early Valanginian (126 Ma) and Early Barremian (116 Ma) are 57 and 63, respectively. The number of parasequences is also very close in the Fele 1 and Akseki sections. Thus, 49 and 51 parasequences were counted for the mid-Early Valanginian (126 Ma) and mid-Late Hauterivian (117.5 Ma) time interval in these sections, separated by more than 100 km. Although there are small di€erences in the number of parasequences counted for the same time-span, the general match in correlation is very striking. This means that the type 2 sequence boundaries represented by karst breccia horizons, with a certain percentage of error, could be extended to their correlative by using the chronostratigraphic value of parasequences, even in sections hundreds of kilometres apart. In the present study, the Fele 1 section has been the key for our high-resolution sequence stratigraphic correlation. Nearly all type 2 sequence bound- aries detected within this section can be extended to their correlative surfaces, particularly when the latter exhibit little direct physical evidence for their recognition. As noted in many previous studies from the Mesozoic carbonate platforms of Tethys, the metre-scale upward-shallowing cycles ( parasequences) have a chronostratigraphic value within the sedimentary record (Fischer 1964, 1991; Strasser 1988, 1991, 1994; Goldhammer et al. 1990; Schwarzacher 1993; Jimenez de Cisneros and Vera 1993; Pasquier and Strasser 1997; D'Argenio et al. 1997). In the present study, metre-scale cycles mostly correspond to fourth-order sequences (Goldhammer et al. 1990; Mitchum and Van Wagoner 1991) representing 100±200 ka (mean is around 150 ka). We consider that these cycles are possibly the E2 signal (126 ka) of the orbital eccentricity cycles (Berger 1980, 1988; Fischer 1991) of the Milankovitch band. The deviation of values, calculated for parasequences, from the mean value of such eccentricity cycles can be explained by imprecise geochronology established to date for Mesozoic. The latest geochronologic studies (Harland et al. 1990) suggest that all calculations and estimates of the durations of the Milankovitch cycles and other calibrations related with the sea level curves of Haq et al. (1987, 1988) should be reviewed. Other possible explanations for the deviation of values from the mean of eccentricity cycles may be missed sea level oscillations, late diagenetic events during compaction, and ®nally our imprecise collection of ®eld data. Among these causes, missed sea level oscillations (missed beats) could have occurred, particularly on type 1 sequence boundaries when the platform lay above the ¯uctuating sea level. As for the compaction-related diagenetic events, stylolitization and dissolution need to be seriously considered. Intense dissolution along Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) 154 D. ALTINER ET AL. Figure 15. High-resolution sequence stratigraphic correlation of measured sections. Cup-shaped subdivisions in the columns are parasequences. T1 and T2 are type 1 and type 2 sequences. Numbers on the right of columns are dates (in million years) corresponding to sequence boundaries given in Haq et al. (1987, 1988). Karst breccia horizons are indicated by bricked-patterned lines in the columns. Thickened correlation lines correspond to boundaries of major second-order sequences Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Geol. J. 34: 139±158 (1999) SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC CORRELATION IN PERITIDAL CARBONATES 155 stylolite planes could have reduced the thickness of cycles with the omission of critical facies at the bottom or at the top of parasequences making recognition of such cycles dicult. 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS In the present study, all correlation made, based on karst breccia horizons de®ned as the boundaries of major second- and third-order sequences, is coherent within the biostratigraphic frame of inner platform carbonate deposits of Taurides. However, one fundamental question to be answered is whether these sequences were formed under the control of eustatic or regional tectonic events. The sequence boundaries, as demonstrated in this study, correlate with the eustatic sea level curves of Haq et al. (1987, 1988) which basically represent the mean of sea level curves derived from studies carried out in di€erent regions of the world, such as the cratonic interior of North America, Atlantic shelves, North Sea and the continental interior of Europe. This suggests, of course, that these sequences provide records of eustatic sea level ¯uctuations rather than local tectonic events. Additional supporting evidence, indicating eustatic control on sedimentation, may be provided by carbonate sedimentation rates where they are known to be controlled by eustatic sea level rises. These rates have been estimated in Holocene carbonates as 0.3±3 mm/year for tidal ¯at deposits (Hardie and Ginsburg 1977), 0.1±0.3 mm/year for peritidal algae-rich lime mud deposits (Neumann and Land 1975) and 1 mm/year, given as the mean value of the calculated depositional rates, for shallow-water carbonate platform deposits (Schlager 1981). Rates of carbonate production in such depositional settings easily outpace the rate of tectonic subsidence (estimated as 0.01±0.1 mm/year by Grotzinger 1986b) for cratons and mature passive margins, similar to the Tauride block where the study sections are located. In addition, the estimations for short-term sea level rises are about 0.5±10 mm/year in the Holocene (Schlager 1981) and again indicate values that easily outpace the rates of tectonic subsidence in peritidal carbonate settings. Boundaries of major second-order cycles have also been reported in some of the Tethyan successions of peri-Mediterranean regions. The unconformity surface attributed to the sea level fall at the Kimmeridgian± Portlandian boundary was recorded in central France (Gabilly et al. 1985), the Paris Basin (Vail et al. 1987) and Abu Dhabi in the Middle East (Al Silwadi et al. 1996). The mid-Early Aptian sea level fall is well known from north Spain (Garcia-MondeÂjar 1990), southeast France and Switzerland (Arnaud-Vanneau and Arnaud 1990), Oman and the Arabian peninsula (Harris et al. 1984; Scott et al. 1988; Watts and Blome 1990), southwest Egypt and northwest Sudan (Wycisk 1994) and northeast Iraq (Al Shididi et al. 1993). As for the mid-Cenomanian sea level fall, studies in Oman (Scott et al. 1988) and in southwest Egypt and northwest Sudan (Wycisk 1994) have revealed its presence in the Cretaceous successions. In the Cretaceous of peri-Mediterranean regions, the sea level fall corresponding to mid-Early Valanginian has not been reported until now. One explanation for the absence of such a record could be the resolution and scope of these studies which are generally not based on bed-scale details. In addition, most of these studies were carried out in regions where the tectonic imprint on sedimentation is considerable. The Upper Jurassic± Lower Cretaceous transgressive sequences on the cratonic interiors of Arabian peninsula and North Africa should be analysed in bed-scale studies, in order to re®ne the records of eustatic ¯uctuations as in this study. As noted in Pasquier and Strasser (1997), `small scale composite sequences' (basically corresponding to our parasequences) could be used in correlation from platform to basin. Our study has demonstrated their chronostratigraphic value in the correlation of peritidal successions in the Taurides. Future studies should be concentrated on other platform deposits, for example those capping the Sakarya Continent or Rhodope- Pontide Fragment in Turkey (Figure 3). 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