The Neogene calcalkaline volcanism of Central Anatolia: geochronological data on Kayseri—Nigde area

Summary The evolution of Neogene volcanic activity in the Central Taurus is investigated; stratigraphical and radiometric age data from the Ürgüp (Kayseri) basin idicate that volcanism in the area began at least as early as Upper Miocene, lasting up to prehistoric times. The volcanism maintained throughout this time interval a calcalkaline character. The diachronous end of calcalkaline volcanism along the Taurus margin is tentatively related to the differential collision between the Afro-Arabian and the Anatolian plates, probably due to an original irregular shape of the Anatolian continental margin.