Sedimentological and geochemical properties of late pleistocene-holocene sedimentary records in lake Hazar, East Anatolian, Turkey

SUMMARY Sedimentological and Geochemical Properties of Late Pleistocene-Holocene Sedimentary Records in Lake Hazar, East Anatolian, Turkey The Lake Hazar, which is situated 22 km far from the southeast of Elazığ city. Recently, it has a elevation of 1248 m, and is a a 25 km-long and 7 km-wide. The Hazar Lake is a pull-apart basin located along the strike-slip left lateral East Anatolian Fault System (EAFZ). The Hazar Lake Basin represents a continental cold climate. The average annual temperature is around 12,9 °C and and precipitation of 551,7 mm. This study has been established within TUBİTAK Project of 111Y045 number that began to execute in the Geology Department since 2011. The aim of this study is to investigate paleo-climate and lake level changes in Lake Hazar during Late Pleistocene to Holocene by using sedimentologic and geochemical multi-proxies obtained from the core sediments. For his purpose, TOC, magnetic susceptibility, radiocarbon, grain size analysis of the core sediments have been documanted in this study. The chronostratigraphic units have been well established in detail in the cores on the basis of 14C ages obtained from the cores, which were deposited during the Late Pleistocene to Holocene (the last 15 ka). As a result of core and seismic studies together with pysical and geochemical analysis of the sediments, the transition from the Late Pleistocene to the Younger Dryas is represented by a major unconformity surface, implying a widespread unconformity surface. In the seismic profiles, the -73 m wave-cut terrace has been beveled into the this surface. At the beginning of the Holocene, transgressive, undisturbed mud drapes cover the unconformity surface in the form of coastall onlapping. During the Holocene, progressive lake level rises were modulated by stillstands, as evidenced by coastal terraces at -63 m, - 56 m and -38 m. The continued lake level increase during the Holocene can also be deduced by presences of deltaic sediments observed in the seismic profiles. These extensive deltaic sediments were presumably sourced from Kürkçayı River, which is the biggest drainage system around the lake. Key Words: Lake Hazar, Pleistocene-Holocene, Core, Seismic, Terrace