Türkiye Jeoloji Bülteni Geological Bulletin of Turkey 64 (2021) 253-266 Doi:10.25288/Tjb.927117
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Türkiye Jeoloji Bülteni Geological Bulletin of Turkey 64 (2021) 253-266 doi:10.25288/tjb.927117 Holocene Palynology and Pollen-Based Palaeoclimate Reconstruction of Lake Erçek (Eastern Anatolia); Short-Term Climatic Fluctuations and their Relation with Global Palaeoclimatic Change; Results of Cores E1 and E10 Erçek Gölü’nün Holosen Palinolojisi ve Polene Dayalı Paleoiklim Yapılandırması (Doğu Anadolu, Türkiye); Kısa Dönem İklim Salınımları ve Global Paleoiklim Değişimleri ile İlişkisi; E1 ve E10 Karotlarının Sonuçları Güldem Kamar Van Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, Jeoloji Mühendisliği Bölümü, 65080, Tuşba, Van, Türkiye • Geliş/Received: 24.04.2021 • Düzeltilmiş Metin Geliş/Revised Manuscript Received: 04.07.2021 • Kabul/Accepted: 05.07.2021 • Çevrimiçi Yayın/Available online: 06.08.2021 • Baskı/Printed: 25.08.2021 Research Article/Araştırma Makalesi Türkiye Jeol. Bül. / Geol. Bull. Turkey Abstract: This study is a palynological and stratigraphical investigation of E1 and E10 core samples from the southern part of Lake Erçek (Eastern Anatolia, Turkey). Core samples were taken by a gravity corer from different water depths. Deposits in the core samples include mostly laminated rhythmic sediments, massive and graded layers and a tephra layer from E10 core, representing different time spans because of the faulted ground of the lake. Tentative time scales of the core samples are based on pollen and tephra correlation with Lake Van deposits. According to the palynological investigations, palaeovegetation of Greenlandian is represented by Amaranthaceae- dominant halophytic vegetation and semi-arid palaeoclimate conditions based on pollen analysis around Lake Erçek. The Meghalayan stage is mainly characterized by Poaceae-dominated steppe vegetation and increasing human impact according to anthropogenic pollen indicators. The Meghalayan palaeoclimate of Lake Erçek was more humid than Greenlandian and is represented by maximum deciduous Quercus expansion in recent times around the Lake Erçek area. Keywords: Greenlandian, Holocene, Lake Erçek, Meghalayan, palaeoclimate, palynology. Öz: Bu çalışma Erçek Gölü’nün (Doğu Anadolu, Türkiye) güney kesiminden alınan E1ve E10 sediment karotlarının palinolojik ve stratigrafik incelenmesini kapsamaktadır. Karot örnekleri farklı su derinliklerinden gravite karot örnekleyici kullanılarak alınmıştır. Karot örneklerinin litolojisi çoğunlukla laminalı ritmik sediman, masif ve tabakalı seviyeler ile E10 karotunda bulunan tefra seviyesi içermekte ve göl tabanının faylı oluşundan dolayı farklı zaman aralıklarını temsil etmektedir. Karot örneklerinin yaşlandırılması Van Gölü örneklerinin polen ve tefra seviyeleriyle korelasyonuna dayandırılarak belirlenmiştir. Palinolojik inceleme sonuçlarına göre, Erçek Gölü’nün, Grönlandiyen paleovejetasyonu Amaranthaceae familyası baskın halofitik vejetasyon ve yarı kurak paleoiklim koşulları ile temsil edilmektedir. Meghaliyen katı ise Poaceae familyası baskın step vejetasyonu ve antropojenik pollenlere göre artan insan etkisi ile karakterize edilmektedir. Erçek Gölü çevresinde Meghaliyen paleoiklimi Grönlandiyen’den daha nemlidir ve günümüze doğru gelindikçe maksimum yaprak döken Quercus yayılımı ile temsil edilmektedir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Erçek Gölü, Grönlandiyen, Holosen, Meghaliyen, paleoiklim, palinoloji. Correspondence / Yazışma: [email protected] © 2021 JMO Her hakkı saklıdır/All rights reserved http://tjb.jmo.org.tr http://dergipark.gov.tr/tjb Güldem KAMAR INTRODUCTION conditions (Eriş, 2013). Palaeoclimate changes of the Quaternary period in Lake Van have been Lake deposits act as a palaeoclimate archive with investigated in detail (van Zeist & Woldring, well-preserved deposits rich in palynomorphs. 1978; Wick et al., 2003; Litt et al., 2009; Kaplan Holocene sediment deposits such as in small & Örçen, 2011; Kaplan, 2013a; Kaplan, 2013b; lakes suggest short-term climatic fluctuations Litt et al., 2014; Pickarski et al., 2015; Kamar, from local to regional and global. These closed 2018). The 600 ka BP pollen record of Lake Van and small sediment basins like Lake Erçek have covers several glacial and interglacial periods stored climatic records and lake level fluctuations (Litt et al., 2014). Almost all the palynological on a time scale varying from thousands of years and palaeoclimatic data based on pollen analysis to tens of years. Investigations of ~50 globally- in Eastern Anatolia have been mainly focused on distributed palaeoclimate records show six the Lake Van deposit. There are several smaller periods of significant rapid climatic change during and high altitude lakes located on Eastern Anatolia the periods 9000–8000, 6000–5000, 4200–3800, Plateau and Lake Erçek is one of them. This study 3500–2500, 1200–1000, and 600–150 cal yr BP. aims to investigate the palynology and carry out These are characterized by polar cooling, tropical a pollen-based palaeoclimate reconstruction of aridity, and major atmospheric circulation changes Holocene deposits in Lake Erçek to identify short- (Mayewski et al., 2004) including two main dry term palaeoclimate and palaeoflora changes. phases during Holocene. Climate variability during Holocene has been recorded in Anatolia and also closer locations to STUDY SITE Lake Erçek such as Lake Sevan (Armenia) and Lake Erçek is a soda lake and is located in Eastern Lake Urmia (Iran) (Ülgen et al., 2012; Eriş, 2013; Anatolia east of Lake Van at about 1815 m above Ocakoğlu et al., 2013; Çağatay et al., 2014; Dean sea level with a surface area of 92 m2 and water et al., 2015; Talebi et al., 2016; Ön et al., 2017; depth of 40 m (İpek & Sarı, 1998). Several Hayrapetyan et al., 2018; Ön & Özeren, 2018). In geological units ranging from pre-Cenozoic to northwest Anatolia, positive shifts in δ18O of early Quaternary occur around Lake Erçek, which is Holocene indicate a mean summer temperature situated at the intersection of the Afro/Arabian rise and increased aridity (Ocakoğlu et al., 2013). Plate to the south and the Eurasian Plate to the Deposits in Lake İznik points to arid periods and north and east (Figure 1). The continental collision a lowered lake level for late Holocene at 4.2 and 3 between these two plates along the Bitlis-Zagros ka BP (Ülgen et al., 2012). The Medieval Climatic Suture Zone (~13 Ma) gave rise to the crustal Anomaly and more humid conditions around 1110 shortening and uplift of the East Anatolian region BP then drought and humid periods after this period (Şengör & Yılmaz, 1981; Şaroǧlu & Yılmaz, have been defined respectively in northeastern 1986; Yılmaz et al., 1987; Koçyiǧit et al., 2001). Anatolia (Kılıç et al., 2018). In Eastern Anatolia, Gürpınar, Everek and Alaköy faults are the main multiproxy data results from Lake Hazar indicate faults that have been formed, and they control the warm and humid climate conditions at the onset eastern part of the Lake Van basin as a result of the of Holocene (Biltekin et al., 2018) and a dropping collision (Okuldaş & Üner, 2013; Sağlam Selçuk, water level about 3ka BP due to cold and dry 2016). 254 Holocene Palynology and Pollen-Based Palaeoclimate Reconstruction of Lake Erçek (Eastern Anatolia); Short-Term Climatic Fluctuations and their Relation with Global Palaeoclimatic Change; Results of Cores E1 and E10 Figure 1. a) Location and geology map of surroundings of Lake Erçek (geological map taken from Alan et al., 2011), b) Detailed deformational elements and main faulting patterns of Lake Erçek (taken from Toker et al., 2017), c) Locations of E1 and E10 core samples. Şekil 1. a)Erçek Gölü’nün lokasyonu ve çevresinin jeoloji haritası (jeoloji haritası Alan ve diğ., 2011’den alınmıştır), b)Erçek Gölü’nün ana fay sistemleri ve detaylı deformasyonal elemanları (Toker ve diğ., 2017’den alınmıştır), c) E1 ve E10 karot örneklerin lokasyonları. 255 Güldem KAMAR The bathymetry and seismic features of Lake m at an altitude of 1826 (±5) m above sea level. Erçek have been published (İpek & Sarı, 1998; The 140 cm long sample E10 was taken from a Toker et al., 2017; Toker & Tur, 2018). Reverse depth of 36 m at an altitude of 1815 (±5) m above normal and inferred normal fault systems have sea level (Figure 1). Samples were taken from 3-5 been identified at the bottom of Lake Erçek (Figure cm intervals for palynological investigation and 1) (Toker et al., 2017; Toker & Tur, 2018). prepared according to the standard palynological The surroundings of Lake Erçek are covered sample preparation method, treated with HCl, by eastern Anatolian lowland steppe and the HF and ZnCl2 (Ediger, 1986). A minimum of 450 southern part of the lake is dominated by Eastern pollen grains were counted per sample. The pollen Anatolia high mountain steppe (Figure 2) (Eken et descriptions, plates and illustrations of Wodehouse al., 2006). Limonium meyeri, Tamarix parviflora, (1935), Erdtman (1943), Faegri & Iversen (1989), Carex divisia, Typha latifolia, Salix alba, Moore et al. (1991) and Beug (2004) were used Hippophae rhamnoides, Plantago lanceolata, for pollen identification. Pollen diagrams were Prunella vulgaris, Polygonum bistorta, Ephedra plotted using Tilia computer program (E. C. distachia, and Ephedra major plants comprise the Grimm, Springfield, Illinois, USA). lowland steppe vegetation of Eastern Anatolia. Plants such as Acantholimon kotschyi, Artemisia tauriaca, Centaurea virgata, etc. have been RESULTS AND DISCUSSION observed in the high mountain steppe up to Palynology, Palaeoclimate Reconstruction, 2600-2700 m. Rumex scutatus and Centranthus Lithology and Stratigraphy