Neogene tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the outer Cilica Basin, Eastern Mediterranean Sea

Mansfield, Stacey L. (2005) Neogene tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the outer Cilica Basin, Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The Neogene structural and sedimentary evolution of the Outer Cilicia Basin is investigated using marine multi-channel seismic data collected during a 1992 survey. The Cilicia Basin is a relatively shallow Neogene basin, which is located on the Aegean-Anatolian microplate in the fore-arc region of the Cyprean Arc. The basin's evolution is recorded in four main stratigraphic units each separated by laterally extensive erosional unconformities. These units from youngest to oldest are: Unit 1- Pliocene-Quaternary aged siliclastics, Unit 2 - Messinian aged evaporites, Unit 3A - mid- to late-Miocene aged marls and chalks, and Unit 3B - Oligocene to mid-Miocene aged marls and turbidite deposits. The deformation of these sequences, throughout the basin's history, gives rise to both compressional and extensional structures, largely affected by the ductile salt layer. -- The structural evolution of the Outer Cilicia Basin can be separated into two main phases. The first is a compressional phase which began in Miocene time in association with convergence along the Cyprean Arc. During this phase, a south-verging thrust belt developed directly south of the Outer Cilicia Basin. Since the mid-late Miocene, the basin has evolved on the back limb of the thrust system. A second evolutionary phase began in Pliocene time, coinciding with the initiation of westward escape and rotation of the Aegean-Anatolian microplate. The Pliocene-Quaternary succession is primarily affected by two main types of structures: 1) Transtensional faults, which provide accommodation for strain induced in the basin by the westward escape of the microplate, and 2) Salt tectonic structures, which develop in association with the basin-ward flow of salt, driven by gravitational forces and sedimentary loading.

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