500,000 Years of Environmental History in Eastern Anatolia: The PALEOVAN Drilling Project

• DOI: 10.5194/sd-14-18-2012
• Publication Date: 2014-03-27T03:37:57Z
• Authors: T. Litt; F. S. Anselmetti; H. Baumgarten; J. Beer; N. Cagatay; D. Cukur; E. Damci; C. Glombitza; G. Haug; G. Heumann; H. Kallmeyer; R. Kipfer; S. Krastel; O. Kwiecien; A. F. Meydan; S. Orcen; N. Pickarski; M.-E. Randlett; H.-U. Schmincke; C. J. Schubert; M. Sturm; M. Sumita; M. Stockhecke; Y. Tomonaga; L. Vigliotti; T. Wonik
• Keywords: Scientific drilling; Paleoclimatology

International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) drilled a complete succession of the lacustrine sediment sequence deposited during last ~500,000 years in Lake Van, Eastern Anatolia (Turkey). Based on detailed seismic site survey, two sites at water depth up to 360 m were summer 2010, and cores retrieved from sub-lake-floor depths 140 (Northern Basin) 220 (Ahlat Ridge). To obtain sedimentary section, multiple-cored order investigate paleoclimate history sensitive semi-arid region between Black, Caspian, Mediterranean seas. Further scientific goals PALEOVAN project are reconstruction earthquake activity, as well temporal, spatial, compositional evolution volcanism reflected deposition tephra layers. The sediments host organic matter different sources hence composition, which will be unravelled using biomarkers. Pathways for migration continental mantle-derived noble gases analyzed pore waters. Preliminary 40Ar/39Ar single crystal dating layers pollen analyses suggest that Ahlat Ridge record encompasses more than half million volcanic/geodynamic history, providing longest entire Near East date. <br><br> doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2204/iodp.sd.14.02.2012" target="_blank">10.2204/iodp.sd.14.02.2012</a>