Tectonostratigraphic characteristics of the area between ？ayeli (Rize) and ？spir (Erzurum)

The study area is located in the Eastern Pontides between Rize, ？ayeli, Arhavi, ？spir and ？kizdere. In this area, Ma？ka Tectonic Slice (MTS) and Ta？k？prü Tectonic Slice (TTS) are exposed. MTS is composed from old to young; Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous limestone (Berdiga fm.); Turonian- Santonian conglomerate, sandstone, micritic limestone, siltstone, marl, basaltic, basaltic-andesitic lava, pyroclastites (？atak fm.); Santonian rhyolitic, dacitic lava, pyroclastites, sandstone, clayey limestone (K？z？lkaya fm.); late Santonian-Campanian basaltic, andesitic lava, pyroclastites, sandstone, clayey limestone (Caglayan fm.); Campanian-Mastrihtian rhyolitic, dacitic lava, pyroclastites, sandstone, clayey limestone (？ay？rba？ fm.);late Maastrichtian-Danian sandstone, claystone, tuff, marl, clayey limestone (Cankurtaran fm.). Sedimentary, volcanosedimentary units in the Late Paleocene-Quaternary range (Erenler, Kapl？ca, Melyat, Pazar, Hamidiye formations, and Handüzü, ？a？？rankaya volcanites) unconformably overlies the MTS. In the study area, Turonian- Maastrichtian basaltic andesitic lava？, pyroclastites and sandstone, micritic limestone, claystone units (Ya？murdere fm.) belonging to TTS are observed, and Early-Middle Eocene sedimentary and volcanosedimentary units (Yedig？ze, ？oruh formations) unconformably overlies the TTS. According to Ar/Ar dating, ？ay？rba？ formation was determined as 83.2±1.0 Ma, Melyat formation as 47.8±1.6 Ma, and Handüzü volcanics as 4.25±0.55 Ma for andesite level and as 3.93±0.46 Ma for dacite level. The MTS was intruded by Cretaceous-Paleocene Ka？kar granitoid I, Eocene Ka？kar granitoid II, Late Eocene Arde？en gabbro, while the TTS was intruded by Cretaceous-Paleocene Ka？kar granitoid-I, Late Eocene Güllüba？ monzonite