Pleistocene mammals from travertine deposits of the Denizli basin (SW Turkey)

Abstract

The Denizli basin, which is famous by its modern travertine accumulations such as that of Pamukkale is located at the eastern junction of Büyük Menderes and Gediz grabens in the western Anatolian extensional province. This basin contains large travertine formations, the origin and age of which are still debated. This study briefly recalls the tectonic and stratigraphic context of travertine occurrences and describes some vertebrate remains, which have recently been recorded in travertines. The material mainly consists of jaw fragments referred to Equus aff. suessenbornensis Wüst, 1901, lower teeth and antlers of Dama sp. and some lower teeth of Bos sp. The presence of E. aff. suessenbornensis, indicates a Middle Pleistocene age in agreement with thermoluminescense dating of the travertines. © 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.