Core Complex Segmentation in North Aegean, A Dynamic View

Abstract

The core complexes of the North Aegean result from the gravity spreading of a thrust wedge, driven by the Hellenic slab rollback, since middle Eocene.

Variscan ultra‐high‐pressure eclogite in the Upper Allochthon of the Rhodope Metamorphic Complex (Bulgaria)

“…Although the allochthons were originally stacked by thrusting, most of their present tectonic contacts are Eocene to Miocene extensional detachment faults (e.g. Brun & Sokoutis, 2018). Findings of microdiamond in metamorphic rocks established the RMC as an UHP metamorphic terrane (Collings et al., 2016; Mposkos & Kostopoulos, 2001; Perraki et al., 2006; Petrík et al., 2016; Schmidt et al., 2010).…”

Is there a Speed Limit for the Thermal Steady-State Assumption in Continental Rifts?

“…This causes the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) to move upwards and hot material to be advected to shallower depths. Rifts can generally be categorized into narrow and wide rifts: Narrow rifts consist of a pronounced rift valley less than 100 km wide, such as large parts of the East African Rift System [Ebinger and Scholz, 2012] or the Rhine graben [Brun et al, 1992], while wide rifts are characterized by several smaller horsts and grabens distributed over a larger area, as e.g., the Basin and Range Province or the Aegean [Hamilton, 1987;Rey et al, 2009;Brun and Sokoutis, 2018]. Numerical thermo-mechanical simulations show that narrow rifts form in strong crustal configurations, while deformation in wide rifts is less localized due to a weaker crustal rheology [Buck, 1991].…”

Is There a Speed Limit for the Thermal Steady‐State Assumption in Continental Rifts?

“…This causes the lithosphere‐asthenosphere boundary (LAB) to move upwards and hot material to be advected to shallower depths. Rifts can generally be categorized into narrow and wide rifts: Narrow rifts feature pronounced rift valleys less than 100 km wide, as in large parts of the East African Rift System (Ebinger & Scholz, 2012) or the Rhine graben (Brun et al., 1992), while wide rifts are characterized by several smaller horsts and grabens distributed over a larger area, as for example, the Basin and Range Province or the Aegean (Brun & Sokoutis, 2018; Hamilton, 1987; Rey et al., 2009). Numerical thermo‐mechanical simulations show that narrow rifts form in strong crustal configurations, while deformation in wide rifts is less localized due to a weaker crust and associated crust‐mantle decoupling (Buck, 1991).…”