Investigation of Uplift Rate History of the Yuksekova Basin (Southeast Turkey)

The 90 km long and N50 degrees-60 degrees W oriented right lateral Semdinli Yuksekova Fault Zone (SYFZ) is located at the southeast of the EACP. The most prominent morphotectonic structure of the SYFZ is the Yuksekova Basin that has a long axis striking in NW-SE direction with a length of 38 km and the maximum width of 10 km. In this study, morphometric indices were used to investigate the uplift characteristics of the basin. According to the Mountainfront sinuosity (S-mf) and the ratio of valley-floor width to valley-height index (V-f) calculations along the mountain fronts on the northern and southern margins of the Yuksekova Basin, the faults that delimit the basin margins have high activity, and the uplift rate is not less than 0.5 mm /yr. Spatial distribution of the m/n values of the drainage areas reveals that the SYFZ have driven the rock uplift around the basin rather than the large-scale lithospheric processes. The integral analysis (chi=chi) of the tributaries in the drainage areas located close to the faults that delimit the Yuksekova Basin indicate that the uplift rate of the basin changes over time regardless of the m/n ratio. The integral analyses of lithological units, which are resistant to erosion around the basin, reveal that uplift rate has been changed four times.