Tethyan rifting in the Levant Region and its role in Early Mesozoic crustal evolution

Abstract

At the time of the opening of the Tethys Ocean the northern edge of Gondwana was affected by several rifting events. In this study, we used data from deep exploration wells, seismic profiles, and seismic depth maps to reconstruct the pattern of Tethyan rifting in the Levant region and to investigate its effects on the evolution of the Levant crust.The results show a several hundred kilometre wide deformation zone, comprised of graben and horst structures that extend from the inner part of the Levant to the marine basin offshore Israel. The structures are dominated by sets of NE–SW and NNE–SSW oriented normal faults with vertical offsets in the range of 1–8 km. Rifting was associated with a NW–SE direction of extension, approximately perpendicular to the present-day Mediterranean coast. Faulting activity progressed over a period of 120 Ma and took place in three main pulses: Late Palaeozoic (Carboniferous to Permian); Middle to Late Triassic; and Early to Middle Jurassic. The last, and the most intense, tectonic phase post-dates the activity in other rifted margins of northern Gondwana.Rifting was associated with the modification and stretching of the Levant crust. Our results demonstrate an extension discrepancy between the brittle deformation in the upper crust and the amount of total crustal thinning. Seismic reflection data shows that the Levant Basin lacks the characteristics of typical rifted margins, either volcanic or non-volcanic. The evolution of the basin may be explained by depth-dependant stretching, associated with the upwelling of divergent mantle flow and removal of lower crustal layers by decoupling along deep detachment faults.

Newly developed paleomagnetic map of the EasternmostMediterranean joined with tectono-structural analysis unmaskgeodynamic history of this region

“…Analysis of geophysical data testi es to the absence of Lower Paleozoic strata in the Levant Basin and in the Pleshet terrane [11] (Figure 2). Devonian and Carbon deposits have not been detected in the borehole sections of Israel.…”

“…of Israel, maps of the Moho discontinuity for the EMM [8,27], the geothermal gradient map of Israel [28], a map of the Curie discontinuity for Israel [27], and maps of earthquakes epicenters [19,29,30]. In addition we drew on the results of regional analyses of seismic, gravity, magnetic and thermal data in this region [1,2,4,6,9,15,[31][32][33][34][35], seismostratigraphic examinations [10,11,[36][37][38][39][40][41], paleomagnetic reconstructions and data examination [42][43][44][45], GPS constraints [46,47] as well as detailed geophysicalgeological studies in separate areas [48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59].…”

“…Hermon). Data on borehole sections and outcroppings were taken from numerous publications and reports [9,11,18,33,[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70][71][72][73][74][75]. Among the employed materials were geological maps of Israel [76], Jordan [77], Egypt [72] and photomaps of Israel and adjacent areas [78].…”

“…However, even sophisticated seismic data analysis [e.g. [9][10][11][12][13]] fails to identify the full complex structural-tectonic mosaic of this region, and more importantly, is unable to clarify its ba ing complex tectonic evolution. This highlights the need for combined analysis of geophysical data associated with the paleomagnetic and paleobiogeographic conditions that can yield deep paleotectonic criteria for unmasking the complex geodynamic pattern of this region.…”

Depositional Environment and Source‐rock Characterisation of Organic‐matter Rich Upper Santonian – Upper Campanian Carbonates, Northern Lebanon

“…1a) is thought to have developed as a result of Triassic to mid-Jurassic rifting associated with the fragmentation of the northern margin of Gondwana and the opening of the NeoTethys, with subsequent subsidence and sediment deposition during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (Gardosh et al, 2010). A change in the regional tectonic regime occurred in the Late Cretaceous, and extension was replaced by compression due to the collision of the Eurasian and Afro-Arabian plates (Robertson, 1998).…”