The so-called Harmancık “purple jade” from the Bursa region of northwestern Türkiye has attracted attention as a gemstone; however, its geological characteristics and provenance have long remained uncertain. This short communication presents new field observations along with mineralogical and petrological data concerning the provenance, metamorphic evolution, and geoarchaeological relevance of this unique rock type. The rock occurs as loose boulders scattered across cultivated fields in the villages of Akpınar, Kocapınar, and Gedikören, where it was previously interpreted either as part of Neogene sedimentary successions or as a high-pressure metamorphic rock affected by contact metamorphism. Our detailed mapping and field observations suggest that the present distribution of the blocks reflects Quaternary reworking, whereas their primary source lies within the Late Cretaceous ophiolitic mélange of the Tavşanlı Zone. An apparently in situ exposure demonstrates a direct association between blueschist and felsic jadeite-bearing metavolcanic rocks. Mineral assemblages dominated by jadeite (40–60 vol. %), K-feldspar, albite, lawsonite, and relic aegirine, together with locally preserved volcanic microtextures and whole-rock geochemical signatures, indicate that the rocks represent blueschist-facies metatrachyte, locally grading into minor metaphonolite rather than true jadeitite jade formed by metasomatic processes. The purple to lavender coloration is largely restricted to fluid pathways. These rocks constitute a rare example of alkaline felsic volcanic protoliths metamorphosed under blueschist-facies conditions, most plausibly as part of an accreted seamount. Moreover, the occurrence of Neolithic polished stone tools produced from this rock type demonstrates its prehistoric exploitation and underscores its geoarchaeological importance.
The Syrian elephant (Elephas maximus asurus Deraniyagala, 1951) constitutes the extinct westernmost population of the Asian elephant and occupied parts of the Near East until the early first millennium BCE. Although historical, iconographic, and dental evidence for this population has been discussed extensively, its postcranial anatomy remains poorly documented. We present a revised osteological and morphometric study of cranial and postcranial remains recovered from the Late Bronze Age Gavur Lake Swamp assemblage (ca. 1650–1400 cal BCE) in Kahramanmaraş, southeastern Türkiye, during rescue excavations conducted in 2021 and 2022. The material derives from a natural swamp deposit rather than from an anthropogenic context such as an ivory workshop, ritual deposit, or ship cargo, and this context allows the skeletal anatomy to be assessed with better control over depositional and association data than is possible in many anthropogenic assemblages. We describe key craniodental, mandibular, and postcranial elements; provide osteometric data; and compare the Gavur Lake specimens with extant Elephas maximus and selected Quaternary elephantids. The assemblage represents at least four individuals, including a securely associated mature adult for which cranial and postcranial elements can be discussed together on the basis of excavation context. The postcranial material shows an overall Elephas-type articular pattern combined with marked robusticity. However, this robust construction is interpreted conservatively as an individual-level pattern until additional associated skeletons become available. The Gavur Lake material therefore provides an excavation-based postcranial reference set for late Holocene Elephas from southeastern Türkiye and offers an important comparative basis for future work on fragmentary elephant remains from Southwest Asia.
The tectonic framework of Northern Cyprus is presented in this study based on integrated fieldwork and paleoseismology. We identified multiple fault systems including the 214-km Dardere (Ovgos) Fault Zone (with seven segments), the Haspolat Transfer Fault, Mersinlik Fault, Yamaçköy Fault Zone, Boğazköy Fault, Alsancak Fault, and Geçitköy-Koruçam Fault Zone. Eleven paleoseismological trenches were excavated, with six yielding reliable results in terms of dating and stratigraphy. The results indicate recurrence intervals exceeding ~2500 years across different fault segments. The Dardere (Ovgos) Fault Zone shows the potential to generate earthquakes of up to Mw 7.80 with evidence of Holocene activity. The Haspolat Transfer Fault revealed f ive surface-rupturing earthquakes between 36100 ± 5500 BCE and 400 ± 300 CE. Our findings demonstrate that earthquake activity migrates across different faults through stress transfer mechanisms. The rapid tectonic uplift of Cyprus has resulted in accelerated erosion, complicating the preservation of Holocene sedimentary records in some locations. These results significantly enhance the understanding of regional seismic hazards and provide essential parameters for developing effective risk assessment frameworks for Northern Cyprus.
The Bolu region, situated along the western–central segment of the North Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ), is characterized by a complex fault architecture in which multiple overlapping strike-slip segments and associated subsurface structures accommodate active crustal deformation. Although the principal fault strands of the NAFZ have been well mapped, several clusters of seismicity are observed in areas without clear surface fault expression, indicating the presence of subsurface or poorly expressed fault zones. In this study, we integrated edge detection methods with a seismicity approach to delineate active and buried structural features across the Bolu region. Bouguer gravity anomalies derived from the WGM2012 model were analyzed using four gradient-based filters: the total horizontal derivative, tilt derivative, tilt angle of the horizontal gradient, and modified horizontal gradient amplitude filters. Among these, the MHGA technique produced the most coherent and noise-resistant results, allowing sharper identification of lateral density contrasts associated with fault-related discontinuities. Integration of MHGA results with seismic data revealed several previously unmapped, seismically active subsurface lineaments (numbered as 1–49), indicating a distributed deformation pattern extending beyond the main NAFZ strand. These findings provide new geophysical evidence for potential faults in the Bolu region and underscore the utility of potential field methods for refining active fault maps and improving seismic hazard assessments in northwestern Anatolia.
Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous limestones of the Bilecik Formation are exposed near the village of D & uuml;mrek (Eski & scedil;ehir Province) within the Sakarya Zone. Mineralogical analyses reveal that these limestones are predominantly composed of calcite and include intraclasts, fossil shell fragments, ooids, and peloids, cemented by sparry and micritic calcite. The U/Th, Ni/Co, V/(V+Ni), V/ Cr, and Ce/Ce* ratios indicate that these carbonates were deposited in an oxic environment. Furthermore, the Mn/Sr ratios imply no diagenetic alteration, indicating preservation of the original geochemical signature. The PAAS-normalized REE+Y patterns of these limestones display depletion in light rare earth elements, a pronounced positive La anomaly (La/La* = 2.13-6.2), a distinct negative Ce anomaly (Ce/Ce* = 0.18-1.76), a slight positive Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 1-1.41), and an enrichment in Y, all pointing to a well-oxygenated depositional environment with negligible detrital input. Stable isotope data show that the average delta 13C (V-PDB) value is 2.47%o, while the average delta 18O (V-PDB) value is-2.10%o. The delta 18O values display slight alteration with negative values, which are interpreted as evidence of early marine diagenesis. Based on these oxygen isotope values, the estimated paleotemperature during carbonate precipitation was approximately 26.15 degrees C. The calculated paleosalinity index (Z) of 131.40, obtained using the average delta 18O and delta 13C values, corroborates a marine origin for the carbonates. Furthermore, the paleoclimate proxy ratio & sum;(Fe + Mn + Cr + Ni + V + Co)/& sum;(Ca + Mg + Sr + Ba + K + Na) ranges between 0.087 and 0.09, indicative of an arid climate during limestone formation. The delta 13C (V-PDB) %o versus delta 18O (V-PDB) %o bivariate diagram confirms the marine character of the limestone.
