Presence of Rudist Bearing Limestone Blocks Derived from The Arabian Platforms in Gevaş (Van) Ophiolite

Authors : Sacit ÖZER

Pages : 75-82

View : 24 | Download : 11

Publication Date : 1992-07-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The Gevaş ophiolite consists of ultramafic rocks, gabros, lavas, tuffs, cherts, shales, and it contains also limestone blocks. The majority of these limestone blocks are unfossiliferous. The fossiliferous limestones are observed only around İkizler and Dilmetaş villages. The sandy limestones cropping out near İkizler village have rare fossil such as rudists, gastropods, and some coral fragments. However, the limestone block of Dilmetaş village contain a rich macrofauna consisting of rudist, gastropods, lamellibranchs and corals. The rudist fauna consist of Dictyoptychus cf. euphratica, Dictyoptychus sp., Hatayia sp., Hippurites syriaca, Hippurites comucopiae, Vaccinites sp. and Sabinia sp. indicating a Maestrichtian age. The rudist forms are characteristic for the Arabian platform and they show a distribution in southeastern Anatolian region, Iran, Syria and Oman Peninsula. The biogeographic characteristics of the rudists suggest that the fossiliferous limestone blocks of Gevaş ophiolite were derived from the Maestrichtian units of the Arabian platform.
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