New approaches in assessment of tsunami deposits in Dalaman (SW Turkey)

Abstract

Some earthquakes in the Eastern Mediterranean are tsunamigenic, and some of their tsunamis affected the coastal area of the Gulf of Fethiye, SW Turkey. Recent trenching surveys on the low-lying coastal areas of Dalaman delta beach across the Rhodes Pass revealed three probable tsunami impacts as a result of the historical earthquakes of 1303, 1481, and 1741. Yet there have been relatively few studies of the processes associated with tsunami sediment transport, their deposition, and nature in geological record. In addition to the interpretation of sedimentary features, accurate palaeo-environmental assessments might be possible by distinctive biogeochemical researches on marine-sourced organic matters, geochemical properties, quantitative amounts of marine biomarkers, and deterministic ratios. The identification of major lipid biomarkers (fatty acids and sterols) in the samples recovered from the sidewalls of the studied trench, for example, indicated biogenic contributions due to the presence of phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, and dinoflagellates. Quantitative estimation of biomarkers and deterministic ratios also indicated some evidences for marine-sourced organic matters, implying that biomarkers can be used to answer the open questions in tsunami and palaeo-tsunami researches.