The detailed analysis of molluscan and planktonic foraminiferal fauna in the Oligocene Çardak-Dazkırı sub-basin, in northeastern Denizli provin ce (western Turkey) allowed accurate dating of the deposits, together with interpretation of their depositional environments. Gastropod, bivalve, scaphopod and planktonic foraminiferal assemblages identified in ten sections reveal a succession which was deposited between the Late Rupelian and Early Chattian. Planktonic foraminifera, documented for the first time in the basin, indicate the P19 Zone (Turborotalia ampliapertura Zone) of the Late Rupelian at the base of the succession whereas Molluscan fauna, determined for the first time in this study, assign the whole succession, to the Late Rupelian-Early Chattian. In addition to the precise dating, the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the studied Oligocene succession has been enabled by the use of integrated palaeontological data. Six sections from the southwest (Baklan) area, two from the southeast (Dazkırı) area and two from the north (Tokça) area indicate the varying depositional environments at different stages of basin evolution. The southwest area mainly represents a regime changing from deep to shallow marine facies during the Late Rupelian. The southeast area comprises shallow marine and brackish lagoonal facies deposited from the Late Rupelian to Early Chattian. Finally, exclusively brackish-shallow marine deposits cropping out in the northern area were deposited in the Early Chattian.

The detailed analysis of molluscan and planktonic foraminiferal fauna in the Oligocene Çardak-Dazkırı sub-basin, in northeastern Denizli provin ce (western Turkey) allowed accurate dating of the deposits, together with interpretation of their depositional environments. Gastropod, bivalve, scaphopod and planktonic foraminiferal assemblages identified in ten sections reveal a succession which was deposited between the Late Rupelian and Early Chattian. Planktonic foraminifera, documented for the first time in the basin, indicate the P19 Zone (Turborotalia ampliapertura Zone) of the Late Rupelian at the base of the succession whereas Molluscan fauna, determined for the first time in this study, assign the whole succession, to the Late Rupelian-Early Chattian. In addition to the precise dating, the palaeoenvironmental reconstruction of the studied Oligocene succession has been enabled by the use of integrated palaeontological data. Six sections from the southwest (Baklan) area, two from the southeast (Dazkırı) area and two from the north (Tokça) area indicate the varying depositional environments at different stages of basin evolution. The southwest area mainly represents a regime changing from deep to shallow marine facies during the Late Rupelian. The southeast area comprises shallow marine and brackish lagoonal facies deposited from the Late Rupelian to Early Chattian. Finally, exclusively brackish-shallow marine deposits cropping out in the northern area were deposited in the Early Chattian.