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Palaeoecological reconstruction was carried out at Lake Hazar in eastern Turkey from 3.2 cal ka BP to -510 cal years BP. To evaluate vegetation and climate changes, palynological and grain size analysis were performed by comparing geochemical data, magnetic susceptibility (MS), and Total Organic Carbon (TOC). A lake level reconstruction has been done by palynological data, indicating local environmental changes at Lake Hazar. The first lake level rise was recorded between 3.2 and 2.9 cal ka BP, showing higher river discharge due to the wetter climate. This is also evidenced by higher values in Ca/Ti and TOC values, in coarser grain size and the abundance of trees (mainly deciduous Quercus), while non-arboreal plants (NAP) decrease in the environs of Lake Hazar. A sharp drop follows this in lake level between 2.9 and 2.2 cal ka BP, evidenced by a higher the Sr/Ca ratio and fine-grained sediment (

Due to strong wall (exine) of the pollen grains, they can be well-preserved for a longtime inthe sediments. Therefore, palynology is especially a special tool for assessing paleovegetation andpaleoclimate throughout geological history. This study includes the late Miocene-early Pliocenesediments for pollen analysis. The study area corresponds to Enez Lagoon, located in the Edirne area.According to Enez pollen data, during the late Messinian (after Messinian Salinity Crisis)-early Zanclean,the vegetation was mainly dominated by herbs (i.e., Poaceae, Amaranthaceae-Chenopodiaceae,Asteraceae Asteroideae, Asteraceae Cichorioideae). Mesothermic trees are represented by deciduousQuercus, Carya, Pterocarya, Zelkova, Fagus, Alnus, Betula, and Liquidambar orientalis. The abundance ofherbaceous plants during the late Miocene-early Pliocene indicates cold and dry climate in the area., Polen taneleri eksin olarak adlandırılan dış duvarının dayanıklı olması nedeniyle tortullar içerisindeçok iyi muhafaza edilmektedir. Bu nedenle polenler jeolojik zaman boyunca meydana gelen vejetasyonve iklim değişimlerini tayin etmede önemli bir araçtır. Bu çalışma geç Miyosen-erken Pliyosen yaşlıtortullarda yapılan polen analizlerinin verilerini içermektedir. Çalışma alanı başlıca Edirne ili’nde yeralan Enez Lagününü kapsamaktadır. Geç Mesiniyen-erken Zankleyan’da (Mesiniyen TuzlulukKrizinden sonra), Enez polen verileri başlıca otsul bitki ekosistemleri (örneğin; Poaceae,AmaranthaceaeChenopodiaceae, Asteraceae Asteroideae, Asteraceae Cichorioideae) ile temsiledildiğini göstermektedir. Gölü çevreleyen yakın mesafede ise mezotermik ağaçlar yaprağını dökenQuercus, Carya, Pterocarya, Zelkova, Fagus, Alnus, Betula, Liquidambar orientalis gibi bitkilerdenoluşmaktadır. Geç Miyosen-erken Pliyosen’de Enez lagününde görülen otsu bitkilerdeki artış, bölgedesoğuk ve kurak bir iklimin varlığına işaret etmektedir.

A total of 32 the European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis Linnaeus, 1758) on the rocky shores of 0-5 m depths in Ordu province in the southern Black Sea were carried out in order to evaluate morphometric aspects and growth parameters. The shell length (SL), shell width (SWi), shell thickness (ST) and shell weight (SW), total weight (W) and meat weight (MW) were measured in this study. The mean SL of the collected individuals was measured as 69.49 ± 27.10 mm (min: 22.4, max: 145.8). Moreover, the average body weight was estimated to be 66.19 ± 60.78 g (1.5– 241.7). The calculated “b” value of O.edulis is less than 3 and the growth was negative allometric. This study presents the first morphometric properties of European flat oyster in the southern Black Sea. In addition, this is the first study conducted for O. edulis in the Black Sea and the maximum sizes given for the Mediterranean, Aegean and Black Sea.

Lake Urmia, a hypersaline lake in NW Iran, is situated in a tectonically active and climatically sensitive region. It has been gradually desiccating, endangering its unique biodiversity, including an endemic brine shrimp, Artemia urmiana. The present study documents multiproxy analyses of a 25 m-long sediment core recovered from the northern part of Lake Urmia. Lake sediment multiproxy data provide the basis for extensive documentation of lake history, climatic changes, as well as sedimentation processes. The timing of variable climatic conditions in the lake is determined by the age-depth model of the core based on radiocarbon dating. Four well-dated radiocarbon ages obtained from pollen samples suggest a late Quaternary sequence. However, generating a reliable and continuous age-depth model requires additional age data. Visual lithological observations and physical properties of the sediments document high lithofacies variations throughout the core. The sedimentary sequence is composed of biochemical and terrigenous mud and sand, micrite and clay minerals, sulfate and chloride minerals, and fecal pellets of Artemia and coated grains. The core sediments were subdivided into six sedimentary units. The lowermost part consists of dark grey-coated grains. The overlying unit consists of silty clay that varies from brown to greenish-grey and alternates with fecal pellets and coated grains. The subsequent unit is composed of brown clay minerals and fecal pellets. The upper boundary of the next unit, consisting of alternations of sulfate minerals (mostly gypsum) and fecal pellets, is marked by a color change from brown to greenish-grey. The uppermost-examined sediments are richer in pellet content; towards the top, pellets are fewer and are in a carbonate matrix. A salt crust (up to 3 m) from a recent drying event constitutes the surface sediments. These findings are combined with high-resolution µ-XRF and TOC analyses to infer a complete picture of paleoenvironmental variations on the lake. Hypersaline lakes are extreme habitats, mostly with very low productivity. However, high TOC content in some parts of the core can be attributed to organic matter production. The high-resolution smear-slide observations indicate that high TOC content mainly corresponds to rich fecal pellet layers. Intense fluctuations in the elemental profiles imply high variations in paleoclimate. The Ca-Ti ratio correlates positively with TOC content, indicating endogenic carbonate production due to the warm and dry climate. The general low µ-XRF Fe-Mn ratio throughout the core strongly suggests that the deep-water column in the lake could never have been anoxic but mostly suboxic to oxic due to high water circulation as a consequence of low lake level. The warm and wet climate period can be documented in µ-XRF K, Fe, and Ti profiles, partly supported by high MS values. Lower Ca-Sr ratios in the µ-XRF mainly correspond to sulfate minerals, primarily gypsum. We also carried out high-resolution pollen studies that brought further insights into the reconstruction of paleovegetation and paleoclimate changes. This work is supported by the TUBITAK 118C329 and ITU BAP 42972 projects.

Mineralogical and geochemical analyses of samples collected from piston core HZ11-P01 at the western margin of Lake Hazar were studied to determine the provenance and weathering conditions on the source area together with tectonic setting of the source rocks, paleoclimate of the region, and paleo-redox conditions of the lake sediments. Nonclay minerals in the sediment core are represented by feldspar, quartz, dolomite, and calcite. The clay mineral assemblage consists of smectite/chlorite mixed-layer clay, chlorite, and illite. Most major, trace, and rare earth element contents of the lake samples are generally similar to those of the catchment area. Chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns of the lake samples are characterized by enrichment of light rare earth elements, a relatively flat heavy rare earth element pattern, and no Eu negative anomaly. The chemical index of alteration and index of compositional variability of the core sediment suggested that the intensity of weathering in the source area was low to moderate. The paleoclimatic indicator (C-values) showed that a paleoclimate changing from semiarid to semimoist prevailed during the last ~2 ka BP. Authigenic U and element ratios such as Th/U, Ni/Co, Cu/Zn, V/Cr, Eu/Eu*, and Ce/Ce* indicate that the lake sediments were deposited under oxic conditions. La/Sc, Co/Th, Cr/Th, Zr/Sc, and Th/Sc element ratios in the core sediments are consistent with values of sediments derived from mainly mafic and intermediate source rocks. According to discriminant-function diagrams, lake samples are plotted within the arc setting and arc-continent collision, which is in accordance with the geology of the study area.

This study addresses the pollen record of Abric Romani archaeological site and the climate evolution of the last interglacial and glacial stadials in the Iberian Peninsula. The new pollen record spans the interval from 110,000 to 55,000 years ago. In general, the glacial/stadial vegetation is characterized by a steppe and herbaceous communities indicating dry and cold climatic conditions, whereas the vegetation optimum of past interglacials can be described as pine-oaks with mediterranean forest indicating milder and moister climatic conditions. During the first half of the MIS 5a and the MIS 5c, the region was warmer, which is characterized by temperate forests. However, the existence of Artemisia steppes during the second part of the MIS 5a indicates that the degree of continentality can be related to the low winter temperatures and precipitation. During MIS 4, a colder and dryer climate enabled the development of open vegetation (dominated by Artemisia with Poaceae and other Asteraceae) around the study site. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This study aims to determine how the distribution of Carpinus betulus L. (Linnaeus 1763) has changed from LGM to the present and the future. For this purpose, the species fossil pollen data, occurrence data, and bioclimatic variables obtained from WorldClim were used in this study. Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5 scenarios and Community Climate System Model (CCSM4) model were used for future projection. The PCA method was applied to these variables, and nine variables were determined for species distribution models (SDMs). Models were produced with MaxEnt 3.4.1, and ArcGIS 10.5. Among the nine bioclimatic variables, the BIO18 parameter had the highest contribution to the resulting prediction pattern. The accuracy of the models was measured as 0.83 with the AUC test and 0.80 with the TSS test. According to the obtained results, the most suitable distribution areas of Carpinus betulus in the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) were the Black Sea region and Western Anatolia. In the future, distribution patterns of Carpinus betulus may shift to the north by decreasing the available present distribution areas in Anatolia and its surroundings. When the models produced according to different climate scenarios for the future are examined, it is predicted that the species will preserve most of the distribution areas in Anatolia according to the RCP 2.6, and will lose most of its distribution areas based on the RCP 4.5. The suitable distribution area will almost disappear according to the RCP 8.5. Hence, these results should be taken into account to improve conservation and management plans for Carpinus betulus and considering biodiversity, and model results will make an important contribution to the future distribution of hornbeams habitat in Anatolia and its surroundings.

Surface fractures at the filament of X-ray tube increase more with metal fatique or wrong cooling and heating processes. Fractured filament continue to work as repeating open circuit positions in random times with turning fully conductive state in short time. We are explaining how open circuit flashes at the filament providing wrong measurement results. Their low voltage electric circuit conductive problems repeat in milliseconds periods. At the results, it gives the impression of healthy measurement values. Because that the measured sample absorbs photonic energy and direct it to neighbouring elements in continuous element electron scattering circulations , by the way that delayed secondary electron energy scatters hide all electron supply extinctions on the semi broken flament wire and indirect counts continue by the detector from coming reflection energy. ( real counts are not from exact beam target of sample surface during energy deprivations , and it is impossible to understand that the measurement is inaccurate because it causes similarity as discrete element counts in sedimentation layers ). Filament voltage arcs do not warn machine with error reporting systems until to whole ruptured filament touch to anode walls or their far displaced edges of 2 broken filament positioning. Erroneous records take their place in the world of science if the lithology was not followed. We collected faulty measurement data from our experiences for indicate when and how possible to facing such as events.For eliminate explained reasons at above , the tubes must be gently heated and cooled. Excessive cooling or heating of the tubes or oxid placement and leakeage at gasget contacts reduces the surface contact areas of the insilators with the corrosion by condensing water around the rubber insulation gasgets , it causes cooling liquid leakage or increasing humidity at the tube housing block via following serial failures of HV unit such as increasing amounts of the broken tube events. During the replacement of insulating gasgets, enough care should be taken for gasket contact points as oiling them with silicone grease as a form of the thin film. High responsibility must be with continuous result control and reference correlations on the scientific sample. With this way we can eliminate possible negative results by malfunctions on measurements.

Paleoclimate and vegetation reconstruction of Abric Romani (Capellades, Spain) during MIS-3, 4, and MIS-5 (a-d)Demet Biltekin1,2, Francesc Burjachs1,3,4, Josep Vallverdú1,4, Warren D. Sharp5, Regina Mertz-Kraus6, M. Gema Chacón1,4, Palmira Saladié1,4, James L. Bischoff5, Eudald Carbonell1,4 1Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolucio Social (IPHES), Zona Educacional 4, Campus Sescelades URV, edifici W3, 43007 Tarragona, Spain.2Istanbul Technical University, Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences, Ayazağa Campus, Maslak, Sarıyer, 34469, Istanbul/Turkey3ICREA, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.4URV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Facultat de Lletres, Avinguda Catalunya, 35, 43002 Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain.5Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA 94709, United States.6Institute for Geosciences, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany. This new pollen data provides the vegetation and climate history during ca. 110 ka-55 ka BP from Abric Romaní archaeological site using pollen analysis of a 30 m-long sedimentary sequence. The beginning of the MIS 3 starts an abundance in steppes and herbs, indicating cold and dry climate in the region. However, this was replaced by a slight increase in deciduous Quercus and Mediterranean trees. During the MIS 4, the pollen records reflect a predominance of Artemisia steppes and herbaceous communities (Poaceae and Asteraceae families), indicating dry and cold conditions in Abric Romaní. The MIS 5 was well recorded with its substages, including 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d. The MIS 5d is characterized by Pinus and Artemisia steppes with herbaceous assemblages. The higher abundance of Artemisia during the second part of the MIS 5b, reflecting cold and dry climate, while temperate forest and Mediterranean trees decline. Mélisey II stadial was marked by an increase in Artemisia and herbs. This suggests that cold climatic conditions existed during this time period. The abundance of oaks during the MIS 5c indicate warmer and humid climate in the region. Other deciduous and broadleaved forest developed as well, including Ulmus, Viburnum, Juglans and Castanea. A short cooling Montaigu event was also recorded within this interstadial, which is dominated by a high percentage of Ericaceae with Artemisia. The first part of the MIS 5a is characterized by Corylus, Carpinus, Hedera, Ulmus, Betula, pointing to warmer climatic conditions. In contrast, the high amount of Artemisia steppes may indicate an enhanced degree of continentality during the second half of the MIS 5a in the north-eastern Iberian Peninsula.Keywords: paleovegetation, climate, pollen analysis, Late Pleistocene, Spain

In this study, Çubuk 2, Kesikköprü and Asartepe Dam Lake, were investigated. A total of 60 sediment samples were collected and the concentrations of 10 elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Fe, Co, Cr, Al, As) were determined. The obtained findings were compared to the limit values for the sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and were investigated using sediment assessment methods. The results indicate that the values for SQGs revealed that the concentrations of Ni and As should be emphasised. Toxic unit (TU) values showed that As and Ni together constitute 69.95–80.09% of the total toxic effect alone for all lakes. In addition, the Contamination factor (Cf) and Enrichment factor (EF) detected the concentration of As for Kesikköprü Dam Lake as being at a medium and higher accumulation levels, although the Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) detected that As leads to contamination below the medium level. When the total element accumulation was evaluated, no risk was detected for the lakes. Cluster analysis (CA) revealed quite different elemental profiles for 3 lakes. The strongest correlation between the elements was observed for Cu-Ni (r = 0.942) in Çubuk 2, whereas Çubuk 2 was the lake with the highest seasonal elemental variation among the lakes investigated.

This paper reports on the first record of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793), in the southern Black Sea, based on a sample of 235 specimens collected from rocky shores 23 km west of the city of Ordu, northern Turkey. Species identification was confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of two mitochondrial gene fragments, viz. COI and 16S rRNA in five individual oysters. Analyses of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences from southern Black Sea coastlines suggest that all samples were Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas. In addition, this study provides the first analysis of length-weight relationships (LWR) for C. gigas collected from the southern Black Sea. The relationship between mean shell length (SL) and mean total weight (W) was SL = 0.0143W(1.6662) (r(2) = 0.6589). The specimens were morphometrically characterized as follows: mean shell length (SL) 59.57 +/- 13.65 mm (range: 24.09-98.17 mm), mean shell width (SWi) 28.05 +/- 6.91 mm (range: 10.50-50.87 mm), mean total weight (W), 13.62 +/- 5.03 g (range: 0.78-36.89 g), and mean meat weight of 1.5 +/- 0.90 g (range: 0.01-5.83 g). The relationships between the morphometric parameters suggested negative allometric growth. According to the results, C. gigas has created breeding populations on the Turkish Coasts, becoming the dominant species on some hard substrate, including rocky bottoms and large rocks used as fill locally to gain more land in the coastal area.

Pollen samples belonging to 54 plant taxa from 32 intervals in a 59 m thick lacustrine sequence in the Harami open pit lignite mine in Konya Province, Turkey, were studied to evaluate early Miocene (Aquitanian) changes in vegetation, climate, and environments in Central Anatolia. The regional vegetation consisted of forests, whose composition changed through time. An abundance of sub-tropical and warm-temperate, mainly deciduous trees in the lower part of Harami section indicates a warm and humid climate in the region during the earliest Miocene. A trend towards cooler and drier conditions, driven by a combination of regional and local factors, is reflected by the sequential establishment of two kinds of coniferous forests: a cedar (Cedrus) dominated forest in the middle part of the section, followed by a mixed cedar and pine (Pinus) forest in the upper part of the section. The high percentages of Cedrus in the middle and upper portions of the Harami section suggest that high-elevation coniferous forests were growing around mountain ranges. Although cedars have been a prominent part of the Anatolian flora since at least the early Miocene, in historical times their geographical range throughout the Mediterranean has been dramatically reduced by human activities.

Sedimentary earthquake records of the last 2400 a, including that of the devastating 17 August 1999 Izmit earthquake (Mw = 7.4), were studied in cores from the 210 m-deep central Karamursel Basin of the Izmit Gulf in the eastern Sea of Marmara, using laser grain-size, physical properties, stable O and C isotopes and XRF Core Scanner analyses, and dated by radionuclide and radiocarbon methods. The earthquake records are represented by turbidite–homogenite mass-flow units (THU) that commonly contain a basal coarse layer, a middle laminated silt layer and an overlying homogeneous mud layer. The coarse basal part has a sharp and sometimes scoured lower boundary, and includes multiple coarse (sand/silt) layers or laminae showing normal size grading. Multiple coarse layers and occasional bi-directional cross-bedding suggest deposition from a bed-load during water column oscillations, or seiche effect. The grain-size characteristics of the overlaying laminated silt and the homogeneous mud units indicate deposition from weak oscillating currents and homogeneous suspension, respectively. High Mn value just below the base of THUs suggests diagenetic enrichment at oxic/anoxic redox boundary before the mass-flow event. Sharp decrease in Mn with very low values within the THUs suggests transient redox conditions following the mass-flow. Variable geochemical compositions of the basal coarse layers indicate different sediment sources for different THUs. Eight sedimentary earthquake records observed in the last 2400 a in the Izmit Gulf can be confidently correlated with the historical earthquakes of 1999, 1509 AD (Ms = 7.2), 1296 AD (I = VII), 865 AD (I = VIII), 740 AD (I = VIII), 268 AD (I = VIII), 358 AD (I = IX), and 427 BC. This gives an earthquake recurrence time of ca. 300 a, with the interval between consecutive events ranging from 90 to 695 a.

Magnetic susceptibility, geochemistry, mineralogy and palynology of sediments from Lake Iznik in Northwestern Anatolia, Turkey, provide a 4700 year record of climatic trends and events. The measured proxies allow a reconstruction of variations in humid/dry periods and lake level changes. The Lake Iznik sedimentary sequence points to an oscillating trend of humid periods interrupted by rapid climate change (RCC) to arid periods. Especially abrupt lithologic and geochemical changes at 4.2 and 3.3 ka calBP may outline intense droughts, which extremely lowered the lake level. For the last 2000 years, the effects of the Roman warm period, Dark Age cold period, Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age are recorded within Lake Iznik sediments. Besides many similarities of local climatic periods with other records from the Eastern Mediterranean, there are also differences indicating the complex pattern of the climate in the region.

Chirp sub-bottom profiling, multibeam bathymetric mapping and a combination of faunal and isotopic analysis of molluscs and foraminifera in sediment cores on the northern shelf of the Sea of Marmara (SoM) provide evidence of sea-level excursions, water exchanges between the adjacent Mediterranean and Black Seas, and oscillating salinity over the last 160 ka bp. During the marine isotope stages MIS-2, MIS-3, MIS-4 and MIS-6 the SoM disconnected from the Mediterranean Sea and evolved into a lake. During MIS-1, MIS-5 and MIS-7, the SoM reconnected and became salty once again. Sapropels formed shortly after each invasion of Mediterranean saltwater observed in our cores. Concurrent suboxic–dysoxic conditions prevailed over quite shallow substrates on the shelf. Ancient shorelines are pervasive at − 85 m on the northern shelf and in the region of Prince Islands coincident with the elevation of the modern bedrock sill in the Canakkale (Dardanelles) Strait. At times when global (eustatic) sea level dropped below this sill, the surface of the SoM stabilized at its outlet and freshened. Thus this particular shoreline is interpreted as the edge of the most recent SoM lake that existed from about 75 ka bp to 12 ka bp. The freshening is observed in very light (− 6‰) values of δ 18 O measured on freshwater molluscs and the complete absence of foraminifera. Two brief lacustrine episodes during MIS-5 suggest that the level of the Canakkale outlet might have been as shallow as − 50 m in the past, a likelihood supported by submerged terraces along its margins bounding the modern central channel and the presence of an euryhaline biofacies in Unit L4.1 corresponding to MIS-5b. δ 18 O profiles and carbon-14 dating show that salinification of the SoM and the blossoming of bioherms evolved rapidly after the latest connection with the Mediterranean at 12 ka bp. However, freshening proceeded more slowly once the connection was severed.

North and South Anatolia areas are today refuge areas for plants that were previously widespread in the European and Mediterranean regions. Thirteen well-dated Anatolian pollen records spanning the last 23 million years allow for a reconstruction of the history of several plants that have disappeared from this region or are surviving in this refuge area. For example, in this study we show that Cedrus is an ancient element of the Anatolian flora. Tropical elements lived in this area until the early Pliocene. Subtropical elements became extinct in the Middle to Late Pleistocene, except for Glyptostrobus (Taxodiaceae swamp tree) and Carya (Juglandaceae, a warm-temperate tree), which may have persisted until recently in this area. In addition, a comparison of palaeofloras coming from different locations ranging from 36–38°N and 40–42°N latitudinal intervals in the northeastern Mediterranean (including Anatolian coastal regions) with those from Europe and North Africa has been done. This shows that the North and South Anatolia areas appear to have been separate refuges for thermophilous–hygrophilous plants since the early Pliocene ( ca . 5 million years). Today, Anatolia is a plant refuge area for warm-temperate species, which have almost completely ( Zelkova ) or completely ( Pterocarya , Liquidambar , Parrotia persica ) disappeared from other European and peri-Mediterranean regions. Taxodiaceae swamp ecosystems ( Glyptostrobus ) might have recently disappeared from the southern Black Sea shoreline. New pollen data from Anatolia also allowed us in calibrating the timing of floristic extinctions at a continental scale and helped us in clarifying the reasons of the different floral extinctions and dynamics (breaking up and shifting) in the refuge areas. Thanks to global warming there is a potential for the survival and expansion of thermophilous species ( Pterocarya fraxinifolia , Zelkova abelica , Liquidambar orientalis ) in this area.

International audience; The biostratigraphically calibrated long pollen record at DSDP Site 380 (southwestern Black Sea) displays a high-resolution continuous and contrasted evolution of the vegetation in the region for the entire Pliocene and Lower Pleistocene. An accurate correlation is established with the reference global oxygen isotopic curve and with the Northwestern European climatostratigraphy. Climatostratigraphic relationships are evident at the latitudinal and longitudinal scale of Europe, confirming the extensive strength of pollen analysis as a tool for correlations over large distances.

An intense controversy on chronostratigraphy of upper Miocene–lower Pliocene deposits and the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Dardanelles area led to a systematic investigation of calcareous nannoplankton content of 10 key-sections representative of the most relevant regional Kirazli and Alcitepe formations. Our study shows clearly that the Kirazli Formation deposits predate the Messinian Salinity Crisis while those of the Alcitepe Formation postdate this outstanding event, which severely impacted the region as widely known around the Mediterranean Basin. Fluvial canyon cutting or gap in sedimentation linked to the peak of the Messinian Salinity Crisis separates the two formations. Detailed palaeoenvironmental investigations (based on the fluctuation and distribution pattern of dinoflagellate cysts, pollen grains and calcareous nannoplankton) allow us to reconstruct the regional palaeogeography before, during and after the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The gathered data do not indicate any marine corridor between the Eastern Mediterranean Sea and Eastern Paratethys through the Marmara Sea region at the time of the Messinian Salinity Crisis.