Bivalvia biostratigraphy of Aksütlü region (Hekimhan, NW Malatya, Türkiye) and paleoclimatological interpretations

In this study, Early Miocene bivalve fauna obtained from Hekimhan Aksütlü locality is presented. Abundant and well-preserved ostreid samples are interesting in the area where molluscs have not been studied before. Within the community where ostreids are dominant, eight species have been identified; four species of the Ostreoidea, two Pectinoidea, one Arcoidea and one Cardioidea have been recorded. The Carbon (13C/12C) and Oxygen (18O/16O) isotope ratio results of the ostreids and sediments indicate the first findings related to the Miocene Climate Optimum (MCO) Event in Anatolia. Identified bivalves reveal that Akyar Formation was deposited in a shallow and warm sea in Early Miocene.