Biostratigraphy of some mollusc-bearing middle Miocene localities on the Karaman high plain (Turkey, Konya Province)

Several samples from the Miocene Tırtar Formation of the Karaman high plain in Turkey have been analysed in respect to nannoplankton and foraminifers. These sandy-clayey shallow marine deposits are famous for their mollusc assemblages, representing a key area for Mediterranean mollusc taxonomy and biostratigraphy. Previous datings based on benthic molluscs were vague, ranging from middle-to late Miocene. The new data clearly acknowledge a Serravallian age of these mollusc-bearing localities, as earlier demonstrated by pteropods.