U/Th Dating of the Akhüyük Fissure Ridge Travertines in Ereğli, Konya (Central Anatolia, Turkey): Their Relationship to Active Tectonics

Fissure ridge travertines that form the Akhüyük travertine mass are located in Central Anatolia and are exposed in an area of 1.5 km 2 with N30 ∘ W direction. These fissure ridge travertines have ages determined between 3345 ± 105 yr and 47850 ± 980 yr by U-series dating methods. Development of the travertines can be correlated with faults that have been active since the late Pleistocene. The dilation rate in the Ereğli (Konya) basin was determined using age data and the widths of the banded travertines at the opening center of the fissure ridge travertines. The dilation rate for the formation of Akhüyük travertines yields 0.025–0.05 mm yr - 1 on average. When considering positions and extension directions of fissure ridge travertines, they are consistent with the Tuz Gölü Fault Zone which is one of the most important structures in the region. The maximum earthquake intensity potential in this region is estimated to be M s 6.3, when the dilation rate of the fissure ridge travertines is taken to be 0.05 mm yr - 1 and with a 10,000-year earthquake recurrence interval.