Temporal and Spatial Variations in Rock Uplift From River-Profile Inversions at the Central Anatolian Plateau Southern Margin

In geodynamically active areas, spatio-temporal variations in rock uplift can provide key insights into the processes responsible for the evolution of topography. The Central Anatolian Plateau (CAP) southern margin experienced a rapid rock-uplift pulse with maximum rates of 3.5 m/kyr during the Quaternary, based on marine sediments dated to the middle Pleistocene that are now located at 1,500 m.a.s.l. Fluvial landscapes record elements that reflect temporal and spatial variations in rock-uplift rates, such as the normalized river steepness index, which is affected by rock-uplift rate, the erodibility of the underlying rock, and climate. Following the calibration of river profiles for an erosion coefficient value, which can be done using independent data (in our case, uplifted marine terraces and dated marine sediments), river profiles can be inverted for the rock-uplift histories that created them. Here, we demonstrate how it is possible to define the spatio-temporal rock-uplift history of the CAP southern margin by quantitative analysis of river profiles.