Crustal-scale structure of the South Caspian Basin revealed by deep seismic reflection profiling

Knapp, C. C.; Knapp, J. H.; Connor, John A.

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2003.04.002

Cited by 96 publications

(61 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…1 for location), propose that the main phase of opening of the SCB occurred during the Eocene (Kazmin 1991) or that there was opening of a southern trough near the Alborz at this time (Mamedov 2004). It has also been suggested that the SCB could be a remnant of the Palaeotethys Ocean (Berberian 1983) and that its relatively great depth is a result of subduction of continental crust during the mid -late Cenozoic (Knapp et al 2000(Knapp et al , 2004. The age of the oldest deposits in the deep central basin are not known.…”

Section: Geological Background and Evolution Of The South Caspian Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The age of the oldest deposits in the deep central basin are not known. Part of the sedimentary sequence has been determined from onshore drilling in Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan where shallow-water sediments ranging from Late Jurassic to Pleistocene age have been found (Shikalibeily et al 1988;Mamedov 1992;Ali-Zade et al 1999;Knapp et al 2004). The majority of the sedimentary infill of the SCB is Oligocene and younger.…”

Section: Geological Background and Evolution Of The South Caspian Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some authors consider this seismicity to be caused by bending and faulting of the SCB lithosphere as it subducts beneath the Apsheron Sill (Priestley et al 1994). Mangino & Priestley (1998) and Knapp et al (2004) also suggest that shallow-thrust events along the Apsheron Sill and folding of the sedimentary basin fill indicate that the Apsheron Sill is overriding the subducting crust of the SCB basement. It has also been proposed that the SCB is under-thrusting along its southwestern margin beneath the Talesh and Alborz mountains based on evidence from shallow-angle thrusting (Berberian 1983;Allen et al 2003).…”

Section: Geological Background and Evolution Of The South Caspian Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It has been suggested, however, that the SCB crust is oceanic (e.g. Brunet et al 2003;Knapp et al 2004), or a remnant of lower continental crust (Mangino & Priestley 1998), which means that it may have a density of 3000 kg m 23 or greater. The model presented in Figure 12 is based on the same parameters and assumption as that in Figure 11; however, the thinned crust beneath the SCB has an increased density of 3000 kg m 23 that is compatible with oceanic-type crust.…”

Section: Model Scenario 3 -Enhanced Subsidence Due To Oceanic Crustmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Priestley et al 1994;Knapp et al 2004;Granath et al 2007). This tectonic scenario has been modelled using the kinematic modelling approach described above.…”

Section: Model Scenario 4 -Subduction Of South Caspian Crustmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subsidence and uplift mechanisms within the South Caspian Basin: insights from the onshore and offshore Azerbaijan region

Egan

Mosar²,

Brunet

et al. 2009

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A combination of fieldwork, basin analysis and modelling techniques has been used to try and understand the role, as well as the timing, of the subsidence -uplift mechanisms that have affected the Azerbaijan region of the South Caspian Basin (SCB) from Mesozoic to Recent.Key outcrops have been studied in the eastern Greater Caucasus, and the region has been divided into several major tectonic zones that are diagnostic of different former sedimentary realms representing a complete traverse from a passive margin setting to slope and distal basin environments. Subsequent deformation has caused folds and thrusts that generally trend from NW-SE to WNW-ESE.Offshore data has been analysed to provide insights into the regional structural and stratigraphic evolution of the SCB to the east of Azerbaijan. Several structural trends and subsidence patterns have been identified within the study area. In addition, burial history modelling suggests that there are at least three main components of subsidence, including a relatively short-lived basin-wide event at 6 Ma that is characterized by a rapid increase in the rate of subsidence.Numerical modelling that includes structural, thermal, isostatic and surface processes has been applied to the SCB. Models that reconcile the observed amount of fault-controlled deformation with the magnitude of overall thinning of the crust generate a comparable amount of subsidence to that observed in the basin. In addition, model results support the tectonic scenario that SCB crust has a density that is compatible with an oceanic composition and is being under-thrust beneath the central Caspian region.

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Section: Geological Background and Evolution Of The South Caspian Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Background and Evolution Of The South Caspian Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Background and Evolution Of The South Caspian Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Model Scenario 3 -Enhanced Subsidence Due To Oceanic Crustmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Priestley et al 1994;Knapp et al 2004;Granath et al 2007). This tectonic scenario has been modelled using the kinematic modelling approach described above.…”

Section: Model Scenario 4 -Subduction Of South Caspian Crustmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Subsidence and uplift mechanisms within the South Caspian Basin: insights from the onshore and offshore Azerbaijan region

Egan

Mosar²,

Brunet

et al. 2009

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Accelerated middle Miocene exhumation of the Talesh Mountains constrained by U‐Th/He thermochronometry: Evidence for the Arabia‐Eurasia collision in the NW Iranian Plateau

et al. 2017

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The Talesh Mountains at the NW margin of the Iranian Plateau curve around the southwestern corner of the South Caspian Block and developed in response to the collision of the Arabian‐Eurasian Plates. The timing, rates, and regional changes in late Cenozoic deformation of the Talesh Mountains are not fully understood. In this study, we integrate 23 new apatite and zircon bedrock U‐Th/He ages and structurally restored geologic cross sections with previously published detrital apatite fission track data to reconstruct the deformation history of the Talesh Mountains. Our results reveal that slow rock exhumation initiated during the late Oligocene (~27–23 Ma) and then accelerated in the middle Miocene (~12 Ma). These events resulted in the present‐day high‐elevation and curved geometry of the mountains. The spatial and temporal distribution of cooling ages suggest that the Oligocene bending of the Talesh Mountains was earlier than in the eastern Alborz, Kopeh Dagh, and central Alborz Mountains that initiated during the late Cenozoic. Late Oligocene and middle Miocene deformation episodes recorded in the Talesh Mountains can be related to the collisional phases of the Arabian and Eurasian Plates. The lower rate of exhumation recorded in the Talesh Mountains occurred during the initial soft collision of the Arabian‐Eurasian Plates in the late Oligocene. The accelerated exhumation that occurred during final collision since the middle Miocene resulted from collision of the harder continental margin.

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Relict basin closure and crustal shortening budgets during continental collision: An example from Caucasus sediment provenance

et al. 2016

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Comparison of plate convergence with the timing and magnitude of upper crustal shortening in collisional orogens indicates both shortening deficits (200–1700 km) and significant (10–40%) plate deceleration during collision, the cause(s) for which remains debated. The Greater Caucasus Mountains, which result from postcollisional Cenozoic closure of a relict Mesozoic back‐arc basin on the northern margin of the Arabia‐Eurasia collision zone, help reconcile these debates. Here we use U‐Pb detrital zircon provenance data and the regional geology of the Caucasus to investigate the width of the now‐consumed Mesozoic back‐arc basin and its closure history. The provenance data record distinct southern and northern provenance domains that persisted until at least the Miocene. Maximum basin width was likely ~350–400 km. We propose that closure of the back‐arc basin initiated at ~35 Ma, coincident with initial (soft) Arabia‐Eurasia collision along the Bitlis‐Zagros suture, eventually leading to ~5 Ma (hard) collision between the Lesser Caucasus arc and the Scythian platform to form the Greater Caucasus Mountains. Final basin closure triggered deceleration of plate convergence and tectonic reorganization throughout the collision. Postcollisional subduction of such small (102–103 km wide) relict ocean basins can account for both shortening deficits and delays in plate deceleration by accommodating convergence via subduction/underthrusting, although such shortening is easily missed if it occurs along structures hidden within flysch/slate belts. Relict basin closure is likely typical in continental collisions in which the colliding margins are either irregularly shaped or rimmed by extensive back‐arc basins and fringing arcs, such as those in the modern South Pacific.

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Crustal-scale structure of the South Caspian Basin revealed by deep seismic reflection profiling

Cited by 96 publications

References 30 publications

Subsidence and uplift mechanisms within the South Caspian Basin: insights from the onshore and offshore Azerbaijan region

Subsidence and uplift mechanisms within the South Caspian Basin: insights from the onshore and offshore Azerbaijan region

Accelerated middle Miocene exhumation of the Talesh Mountains constrained by U‐Th/He thermochronometry: Evidence for the Arabia‐Eurasia collision in the NW Iranian Plateau

Relict basin closure and crustal shortening budgets during continental collision: An example from Caucasus sediment provenance

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