Kinematics of Cretaceous subduction and exhumation in the western Rhodope (Chalkidiki block)

Amethyst Occurrences in Tertiary Volcanic Rocks of Greece: Mineralogical, Fluid Inclusion and Oxygen Isotope Constraints on Their Genesis

“…The colors of amethyst The Hellenide orogen formed as a result of the collision between the African and Eurasian plates above the north-dipping Hellenic subduction zone from the Late Jurassic to the present [19]. From north to south, it consists of three continental blocks (Rhodopes, Pelagonia, and Adria-External Hellenides) and two oceanic domains (Vardar and Pindos Suture Zones) [19,20], (Figure 1a). In the Aegean region, continuous subduction of both oceanic and continental lithosphere beneath the Eurasian plate since the Early Cretaceous resulted in a series of magmatic arcs from the north (Rhodope massif) to the south (Active South Aegean Volcanic Arc) [19,21], (Figure 1a).…”

The two-stage Aegean extension, from localized to distributed, a result of slab rollback acceleration

“…In summary, the exhumation of core complexes (high-temperature metamorphism) and blueschists (high-pressure metamorphism) results from significantly different mechanisms of development, primarily controlled by temperature-dependent rheology of the crustal units. Therefore, their location in the Aegean, as well as their relative timing of development, has an important mechanical significance: • The SRCC started to develop in Middle-Late Eocene in North Aegean when the CBU started to exhume in central Aegean, • The CCCC developed in central Aegean in lower Miocene almost synchronous with the onset of HP-LT PQN exhumation in Peloponnese and Crete.• The sense of shear and detachment dip in core complexes and sense of shear in highpressure rocks, is top to SW in North Aegean (SRCC), to NE in central Aegean (CBU The high-pressure to ultrahigh-pressure metamorphic units of the Southwest Rhodope(Kydonakis et al 2015b) and the North Rhodope(Mposkos and Kostopoulos 2001, Liati 2005) developed during the Cretaceous, and were exhumed before Eocene, prior to the onset of back-arc extension in the Aegean(Kydonakis et al 2014, Kydonakis et al 2015band 2015c) controlled by the Hellenic slab rollback. Therefore, they are outside the scope of the present paper.Stage 2: Neogene basins, segmentation of metamorphic units and dextral transtensional faultingThe Neogene basins(Fig.…”

Core Complex Segmentation in North Aegean, A Dynamic View

“…North Rhodopia, located to the north of the Nestos Thrust (Figure ), recorded a long and complicated tectonic history resulting from the superposition of one or several events of thrusting and extensional exhumation of ultrahigh pressure metamorphic rocks during Mesozoic and Aegean extension during early Tertiary, leading to the development of the NRCC (Figure ), with associated sedimentation and volcanism (Burg, ; Fytikas et al, ). In strong contrast with this, the metamorphic units of the Southwest Rhodopia (Chalkidiki peninsula; Figure ) that are comparable to those of North Rhodope (Kydonakis, Brun, Sokoutis, & Gueydan, ) were exhumed in Eocene (Kydonakis et al, ) and, since then, have been only slightly affected by Tertiary extension, mainly by the Mygdonian graben (Figure ) whose development started in middle Miocene (Kydonakis, Brun, Sokoutis, & Gueydan, ).…”

“…Of particular interest is the component of late Jurassic magmatism that is made of I‐type granitoids generated at an active continental margin—that is, magmatic arc—and that has never been found in the Pangeon‐type unit. This magmatic arc component can likely be correlated with the Chortiatis magmatic suite that makes the southern border of Southwest Rhodopia (Chalkidiki peninsula; Figure ; Kydonakis, Brun, Sokoutis, & Gueydan, ).…”

“…However, because the tectonic history of this contact is long and complicated, involving reactivation during the Tertiary, some authors call it in more neutral ways, for example, “Nestos Fault” by Dinter () or “Nestos Shear Zone” by Nagel et al () or Gautier et al (). Before SRCC exhumation the Southern and Northern Rhodopia (Figures a and c) constituted a single continental block below which Pelagonia has been subducted (Brun & Sokoutis, ; Kydonakis, Brun, Sokoutis, & Gueydan, ). Therefore, the Nestos Thrust was likely dipping at lower angle before Tertiary extension.…”