Neotethyan Ankara Melange, central Turkey in its Triassic-Eocene regional tectonic setting including accretionary melanges, magmatic arcs and continental units

The classic Neotethyan Ankara Melange formed within the Triassic-Eocene İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan ocean (‘N Neotethys’), bordered in central Anatolia by Kırşehir and Tauride-Anatolide continental units to south discontinuous Sakarya continent northwest. Farther north, separate Intra-Pontide probably remained partly open until early Cenozoic. developed via phases of intra-oceanic accretion (mainly pre-Aptian), initial (i.e. Coniacian (?)), arc magmatism (Upper Cretaceous) continent-continent collision (Maastrichtian-Early Eocene). Variably dismembered ophiolitic rocks Early-Middle Jurassic age supra-subduction zone (SSZ) spreading above a generally northward-dipping subduction zone. Volcanic-sedimentary lithologies Triassic-Cretaceous represent fragments oceanic crust including variably sized seamounts. volcanics sediments accreted from downgoing plate, whereas ophiolites overriding plate. main driver area was large Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous seamount (probably plume related) its capping carbonate platform, with Middle-Late fore-arc lithosphere. Intra-oceanic proximal-distal basin accretionary complex remnant north during Cretaceous. After docking continent, transgressed margin syn-collisional foreland (Campanian-Early Comparisons melanges across Caucasus indicate exceptional development type area.