Post-Variscan autochthonous cover in the eastern Sakarya Zone, Turkey: Evolution of the late Carboniferous back-arc ocean to the Triassic Karakaya Ocean

The processes that caused removal of the upper Carboniferous to Permian sediments in the eastern Sakarya Zone, Turkey, are modeled by using of geochemical data and LA-ICP-MS U-Pb ages from detrital zircons. A felsic provenance and passive margin setting during the deposition of the upper Carboniferous catalcesme sediments are inferred from the geochemistry of sandstones (SiO2 > 85 wt%). Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) values (75 - 81) indicate warm and humid climatic conditions and tectonic tranquility during deposition. Fifty-three (58%) concordant zircon grains produce a youngest age population in the range of 308.7 +/- 4.4 to 342.1 +/- 6.9 Ma, typical for the Variscan events. The burgundy color and upward-fining in clast size and bed thickness are the most prominent features of the concordantly overlying Hardisi Formation. Geochemistry (SiO2 = 66-81 wt%) and CIA values (58-65) of the clastic rocks point to a subduction-related tectonic setting and increasing rate of erosion in the source area. We highlight that the catalcesme sediments were deposited in a back-arc basin opened to the south of a continental ribbon separated from Gondwana. Approaching of the Paleotethyan mid-ocean ridge to the subduction zone was resulted in flattening in subducting slab, which in turn caused the back-arc basin to migrate into the interior parts of Gondwana and the former back-arc basin to evolve into a lacustrine setting. Increase in the elevation of source areas was resulted in an increase in the rate of physical erosion and trans-portation of burgundy Hardisi clastic sediments into the lacustrine basin.