Date

2005-05-01

Author

Bozkurt, Erdin

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Western Anatolia (Turkey) is a region of widespread active N-S continental extension that forms the eastern part of the Aegean extensional province. The extension in the region is expressed by two distinct/different structural styles, separated by a short-term gap: (1) rapid exhumation of metamorphic core complexes along presently low-angle ductile-brittle normal faults commenced by the latest Oligocene-Early Miocene period, and; (2) late stretching of crust and, consequent graben evolution along Plio-Quatemary high-angle normal faults, cross-cutting the pre-existing low-angle normal faults. However, current understanding of the processes (tectonic quiescence vs N-S continental compression) operating during the short-time interval is incomplete. This paper therefore reports the results of recent field mapping and structural analysis from the NE of Kucuk Menderes Graben-Kiraz Basin-that shed lights on the processes operating during this short-time interval. The data includes the thrusting of metamorphic rocks of the Menderes Massif over the Mio-Pliocene sediments along WNW-ESE-trending high-angle reverse fault and the development of compressional fabrics in the metamorphic rocks of the Menderes Massif. There, the metamorphic rocks display evidence for four distinct phases of deformation: (1) south-facing top-N ductile fabrics developed at relatively high-grade metamorphic conditions, possibly during the Eocene main Menderes metamorphism (amphibolite facies) associated with top-N thrust tectonics (D-1); (2) top-S and top-N ductile gentle-moderatley south-dipping\ extensional fabrics formed at relatively lower-grade metamorphic (possibly greenschist facies) conditions associated with the exhumation of Menderes Massif along presently low-angle normal fault plane that accompanied the first phase of extension (D,); (3) moderately north-dipping top-S ductile-brittle fabrics, present configuration of which suggest a thrust-related compression (D-3); and (4) south-facing approximately E-W-trending brittle high-angle normal faults (D-4) that form the youngest structures in the region. It is interpreted that D-4 faults are time equivalent of graben-bounding major high-angle normal faults and they correspond to the second phase of extension in western Anatolia. The presence of thrust-related D3 compressional fabrics suggests N-S compression during the time interval between the two phases of extension (D-2 and D-4). The results of the present study therefore support the episodic, two-stage extension model in western Anatolia and confirm that a short-time, intervening N-S compression separated the two distinct phases. (c) 2005 Lavoisier SAS. All rights reserved.

Subject Keywords

Continental extension, Detachment faults, Normal faulting, Thrust faulting, Exhumation, Menderes Massif, Western Anatolia

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/37654

Collections

Department of Geological Engineering, Article