GNGTS 2023 - Atti del 41° Convegno Nazionale

Session 1.1 GNGTS 2023 All these different movements are now linked to the tectonic escape of the Anatolian microplate, and present-day tectonics is mainly controlled by the strong uplift of the margins and the sinistral strike-slip movement. In recent decades, hydrocarbon exploration and re-evaluation of vintage seismic reflection data from research projects have improved our knowledge of the tectonic evolution of the area (Gardosh et al., 2008; Peace et al., 2012; Montadert et al., 2014). In this framework, the Levant Basin, i.e., an extensional basin in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea between the Nile Delta, the Israeli-Lebanese coast, and the Eratosthenes Continental Block, has received much attention due to its richness in hydrocarbon plays. Consequently, its tectonostratigraphic setting is now well known, at least in comparison with other basins in the central and northern part of the area. As the northern area is tectonically active, a detailed analysis of earthquake events and their relocation could be helpful, but the sparse seismic network does not allow this. Therefore, the geometry of the main structures and their kinematics is still controversial, as previous studies agree that the Cretaceous convergence phase created accretionary wedges and is responsible for the obduction of the ophiolites. Later deformation is explained by different models that can be summarised into four main scenarios. ● Continuous thrusting onshore and offshore Cyprus since the Eocene and a transition to strike-slip tectonics during the Pliocene-Pleistocene(Calon et al., 2005; Hall et al., 2005). ● The first phase of compression in the Late Cretaceous created the accretionary prism and obduction of the ophiolites, followed by Miocene extension triggered by plate rollback and subsequent uplift and strike-slip tectonics following the Pliocene continental collision (Robertson, 1998). ● After Cretaceous compression, strike-slip tectonics set in, and the Cenozoic evolution is associated with oblique kinematics (Harrison et al., 2008). ● Neogene shortening is partitioned between the Latakia Ridge and the Margat Ridge (i.e., a smaller ridge between the Latakia and Larnaka Ridges). Then, since the Pliocene, tectonic escape dominates. Symeou et al. (2018) also postulated the importance of the different types of crust involved in the convergence and how these differences influenced the deformation patterns and timing. DATA & METHODS The study of new data or re-evaluating existing data can help to clarify some of these contentious issues and improve knowledge of the geometries and timing of the major structures in this sector of the Mediterranean basin. To this aim, we have used three regional seismic reflection profiles crossing the main structure of the area. They offer new insights into the geological history of the region and a new example of how convergent margins evolve when different plate types are involved.