Summary
Widespread orogenic volcanic activity has continued in the Aegean area from the Oligocene to present. Two main phases of activity are recognized. One developed in the North Aegean area from Oligocene to Middle Miocene times and a second started in the Pliocene, building the active South Aegean volcanic arc. Between these two phases, Upper Miocene to Quaternary volcanism of variable petrogenetic affinity occurred to a limited extent, essentially on the margins of the Aegean microplate.
The products erupted during the Oligo-Miocene phase consist mainly of calc-alkaline and shoshonitic intermediate lavas and pyroclastics with minor acidic and basic rock types. The volcanic activity started in the northernmost part of the North Aegean area with mostly calc-alkaline intermediate and acidic volcanics. The volcanism shifted successively southwards becoming progressively enriched in potassium. This evolution is interpreted as being related to an increase in the dip of the Benioff zone under the Eurasian plate, resulting from a reduction in the plate convergence rate after continental collision.
The volcanic products of the active south Aegean arc are mainly andesites with minor basalts and rhyolites which display the chemical character typical of calc-alkaline series erupted on thin continental margins. The South Aegean arc is believed to be the surface expression of active subduction of the African plate.
Scattered Upper Miocene to Quaternary activity is interpreted as occurring in zones of tensional strain along the borders of the Aegean microplate.
The evolution of Neogene volcanic activity in the Central Taurus is investigated; stratigraphical and radiometric age data from the Orgup (Kayseri) basin idicate that volcanism in the area began at least as early as Upper Miocene, lasting up to prehistoric times. The volcanism maintained throughout this time interval a calcalkaline character. The diachronous end of calcalkaline volcanism along the Taurus margin is tentatively related to the differential collision between the Afro-Arabian and the Anatolian plates, probably due to an original irregular shape of the Anatolian continental margin.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.