Quaternary neotectonics of the South Aegean arc

Strike slip tectonics and transtensional deformation in the Aegean region and the Hellenic arc: Preliminary results

“…Figure 7 shows a re-interpreted seismic profile (modified after Mascle & Martin, 1990) through the southern tectonic boundary of Mirtoon Basin and the NE-SW trending ridge southwest of Milos. Note that, with the exception of Antimilos, all volcanic centers of Milos field are aligned in NE-SW direction, parallel to the trend of the shear proposed by Piper & Perissoratis (2003). In that sense, Mirtoon Basin may have formed within a transtensional regime and is bounded by NE-SW strike slip and NW-SE normal faults.…”

“…Piper & Perissoratis (2003) have mapped pronounced 040°-trending set of faults in the area from Kos and Nisyros through Amorgos and Astypalea to Santorini with narrow basement ridges and abrupt basin inversion, which strongly suggests a strike-slip regime. Figure 6 shows the structure of the Amorgos Basin depocenter on the In early nineties Papazachos and Panagiotopoulos (1993) have observed five clusters of strong, shallow and intermediate, earthquake epicentres corresponding to 060° trending faults, which coincide with the volcanic fields at Sousaki, Methana, Milos, Santorini and Nisyros.…”

“…In accordance to that, Sakellariou et al (2010) have proposed that the Santorini-Koloumbo volcanic field has developed within and along the transtensional NE-SW trending Anydros basin and that the volcanic centers of Christiana, Kameni and Koloumbo are aligned along a major strike-slip fault-zone. Piper & Perissoratis (2003) have shown that the offshore area north and south of Milos is strongly offset by prominent N-S faults and at least one major NE-trending active fault and argue that this fault pattern is a consequence of NE-trending sinistral shear. Figure 7 shows a re-interpreted seismic profile (modified after Mascle & Martin, 1990) through the southern tectonic boundary of Mirtoon Basin and the NE-SW trending ridge southwest of Milos.…”

“…They suggested that the Aegean Sea can be viewed as a stretching continental domain cut into several ENE-WSW trending and elongated crustal terranes, all more or less independent of each other and moving progressively towards the southwest. Piper & Perissoratis (2003) proposed that much of the deformation resulting from the interaction of the Eurasian, African and AnatolianAegean plates is taken up at the southern margin of the Aegean microplate, in the South Aegean arc. This deformation may have played an important role in the creation and distribution of volcanism along the Hellenic Volcanic Arc.…”

Seismicity and active tectonics at Coloumbo Reef (Aegean Sea, Greece): Monitoring an active volcano at Santorini Volcanic Center using a temporary seismic network

“…Especially in the Santorini region changes in faulting pattern during Early Pleistocene may be related to the initiation of volcanism (Piper and Perissoratis, 2003;Piper et al, 2004). NE-trending strike-slip faulting that initiated in the latest Pliocene or early Quaternary triggered the Akrotiri volcanic center directly on Santorini Island.…”