Palynostratigraphic, Palaeovegetational and Palaeoclimatic Investigations on the Miocene Deposits in Central Anatolia (Çorum Region and Sivas Basin)

Palynostratigraphy of the Neogene coal-bearing sediments in the Çorum region and Sivas Basin has been determined, and three sporomorph associations have been defined. Sporomorph association A is described from the Samsun-Havza region and is of latest Burdigalian age. Sporomorph association B is described from the Çorum region and Sivas Basin and is of early–middle Serravalian age. Sporomorph association C is described from the Sivas-Vas›ltepe region and is of earliest Tortonian age. Sporomorph association A indicates warm subtropical climatic conditions and the Coexistence Approach (CA) results are: mean annual temperature (MAT) 19 °C, mean annual coldest month (CMT) 9.75 °C, mean annual warmest month (WMT) 27.2 °C, mean annual precipitation (MAP) 1217–1322 mm, and a mean annual temperature range of (MART) 17.45 °C. Sporomorph association Bcharacterizes a subtropical climatic condition, and the CA results indicate similar temperatures to those of the latest Burdigalian period. For the early–middle Serravalian age, the MAT values range between 18 and 19.15 °C, the CMT values are between (-0.8)–10.6 °C, and the WMT between 24.7–27.7 °C, respectively. Generally the MAPs of the latest Burdigalian and early–middle Serravalian times are high. The range of the MART values relate to the palaeovegetation and palaeotopography during early–middle Serravalian time, during which increases of the MART values from the Çorum region indicate high palaeotopographic conditions. Sporomorph association C indicates a warm-temperate climate and the CA results are: MAT 19 °C, CMT 9.4 °C, WMT 27.7 °C, MAP 1187–1574 mm, and MART 18.3 °C. Palaeovegetation of the Çorum region and Sivas Basin characterizes a lacustrine environmentsurrounded by mountains from the latest Early to Middle Miocene. Open vegetation areas were widespread in earliest Tortonian time, and thus different from the palaeovegetation of the latest Early to Middle Miocene period.