Mut Basin, Turkey: Miocene carbonate depositional styles and mixed systems in an icehouse setting

Abstract

The Mut Basin in southcentral Turkey contains a rich variety of Cenozoic carbonate deposits that developed on a complex pre-Miocene topography and can be studied in seismic-scale, three-dimensional outcrops. These include open and rimmed carbonate shelves with steep slopes, small isolated platforms, and mixed carbonate–siliciclastic systems showing reciprocal sedimentation. The exceptional preservations of the stratal geometries make it possible to easily link large-scale depositional geometry to depositional facies in a variety of platform types and depositional environments. The Mut Basin provides a better understanding of (1) the control of antecedent topography on carbonate platform development, (2) the influence of icehouse conditions (e.g., high-amplitude, high-frequency sea level fluctuations) on the carbonate system, (3) the link between faunal evolution and the style of carbonate platforms and stratigraphic architecture, (4) lateral and reciprocal carbonate and siliciclastic sedimentation, (5) platform asymmetry and local controls on stratal geometries, and (6) the architecture of steep carbonate margin and associated gravitational collapse deposits. These concepts are directly applicable to time-equivalent Cenozoic carbonate reservoir systems in Southeast Asia, the southern Caribbean, and the eastern Mediterranean.