GNGTS 2023 - Atti del 41° Convegno Nazionale

Session 1.1 GNGTS 2023 Geometry And Kinematic Of The Cyprus Arc System N. Bertone 1 , L. Bonini 1,2 , A. Del Ben 1 , E. Colin 1 , G. Brancatelli 3 , A. Camerlenghi 3 , E. Forlin 3 , D. Klaeschen 4 G. A. Pini 1 1 Dipartimento di Matematica e Geoscienze – DMG, Università di Trieste, Italy 2 Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia – INGV, Rome, Italy 3 Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale – OGS, Trieste, Italy 4 Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research - GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany INTRODUCTION Convergent margins are areas where two or more plates collide. Their tectonic characteristics may depend on the type of plate involved. For example, a convergent margin where an oceanic plate collides with a continental plate has different structures, both in terms of the geometry of the structures and their kinematics, with respect to a convergent margin where two continental plates collide. In a general evolutionary scheme, a convergent margin may begin with intraoceanic subduction and end with a continent-continent collision that produces an orogen. The most common approach to studying these systems is to analyse an ancient convergent system, for example, by examining exposed rocks along an orogenic belt. However, the accuracy of paleogeographic reconstruction, which depends on the sequential restoration of tectonic phases, may be challenging, especially for ancient phases. One way to overcome this limitation is to select an area where different types of convergent margins are active today, i.e., an area where one can study convergent ocean-ocean, ocean-continent, and continent-continent margins. The Cyprus Arc system in the eastern Mediterranean is an example of the coexistence of different convergent margins. In this area, oceanic subduction to continent-continent collision takes place from west to east. This makes it possible both to study the recent evolution of the area and to gain general insights to better understand the evolution of convergent margins. GEOLOGICAL SETTING The present architecture of the eastern Mediterranean basin is the result of the tectonic interplay between the African, Arabian, and Eurasian plates (Fig.1).