All the geological constraints for an exhaustive reconstruction of the Triassic to Tertiary tectonic history of the southern Dinaric-Hellenic belt can be found in Albania and Greece. This article aims to schematically reconstruct this long tectonic evolution primarily based on a detailed analysis of the tectonic setting, the stratigraphy, the geochemistry, and the age of the ophiolites. In contrast to what was previously reported in the literature, we propose a new subdivision on a regional scale of the ophiolite complexes cropping out in Albania and Greece. This new subdivision includes six types of ophiolite occurrences, each corresponding to different tectonic units derived from a single obducted sheet. These units are represented by: (1) subophiolite me ´lange, (2) Triassic ocean-floor ophiolites, (3) metamorphic soles, (4) Jurassic fore-arc ophiolites, (5) Jurassic intra-oceanic-arc ophiolites, and (6) Jurassic backarc basin ophiolites. The overall features of these ophiolites are coherent with the existence of a single, though composite, oceanic basin located east of the Adria/Pelagonian continental margin. This oceanic basin was originated during the Middle Triassic and was subsequently (Early Jurassic) affected by an east-dipping intra-oceanic subduction. This subduction was responsible for the birth of intra-oceanic-arc and back-arc oceanic basins separated by a continental volcanic arc during the Early to Middle Jurassic. From the uppermost Middle Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous, an obduction developed, during which the ophiolites were thrust westwards firstly onto the neighboring oceanic lithosphere and then onto the Adria margin.
The Coloured Mélange Complex is part of the North Makran domain (SE Iran) and consists of an assemblage of\ud
metric- to decametric-thick slices mainly represented by volcanic rocks, locally stratigraphically associated\ud
with radiolarian cherts. In this paper, we present new geochemical data on volcanic rocks and biochronological\ud
data on the associated cherts. Our data indicate the occurrence of awide range of volcanic rocks-types,which are:\ud
1) normal-typemid-ocean ridge basalts (N-MORB); 2) oceanic plateau basalts (OPB); 3) alkaline basalts; 4) calcalkaline\ud
basalts, basaltic andesites, and andesites; 5) volcanic arc tholeiitic basalts and andesites, and high pressure\ud
- low temperature metabasalts formed in deep levels of an accretionary wedge. The volcanic arc tholeiites\ud
range fromEarly (lateHauterivian - early Aptian) to Late (latest Cenomanian - lower late Campanian) Cretaceous,\ud
whereas the calc-alkaline rocks and OPBs are Late Cretaceous in age (early Coniacian - Santonian and early\ud
Turonian - early Campanian, respectively). Alkaline basalts, OPBs, and N-MORBs represent remnants of the\ud
Mesozoic Neo-Tethys oceanic branch located between the Arabian plate and the Lut block. In this paper we\ud
document that this oceanic sector was characterized by the development of an oceanic plateau in the Late\ud
Cretaceous. In contrast, calc-alkaline and volcanic arc tholeiitic rocks represent remnants of a continental volcanic\ud
arc and forearc, respectively, developed onto the southernmost realm of the Lut block. The petrogenesis and age\ud
of volcanic rocks allow us to propose a newtectono-magmaticmodel for the evolution of the convergent margin\ud
developed in the northern sector of the Neo-Tethys from Early to Late Cretaceous. This model is basically\ud
constrained by the collision of the oceanic plateau with the continental arc, which led to the jump of the subduction\ud
toward the south, as well as to the formation of the imbricate pile of different units today observed in the North\ud
Makran area
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