The Levantine Basin—crustal structure and origin

Abstract

The origin of the Levantine Basin in the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea is related to the opening of the Neo-Tethys. The nature of its crust has been debated for decades. Therefore, we conducted a geophysical experiment in the Levantine Basin. We recorded two refraction seismic lines with 19 and 20 ocean bottom hydrophones, respectively, and developed velocity models. Additional seismic reflection data yield structural information about the upper layers in the first few kilometers. The crystalline basement in the Levantine Basin consists of two layers with a P-wave velocity of 6.0-6.4km/s in the upper and 6.5-6.9 km/s in the lower crust. Towards the center of the basin, the Moho depth decreases from 27 to 22km. Local variations of the velocity gradient can be attributed to previously postulated shear zones like the Pelusium Line, the Damietta-Latakia Line and the Baltim-Hecateus Line. Both layers of the crystalline crust are continuous and no indication for a transition from continental to oceanic crust is observed. These results are confirmed by gravity data. Comparison with other seismic refraction studies in prolongation of our profiles under Israel and Jordan and in the Mediterranean Sea near Greece and Sardinia reveal similarities between the crust in the Levantine Basin and thinned continental crust, which is found in that region. The presence of thinned continental crust under the Levantine Basin is therefore suggested. A β-factor of 2.3-3 is estimated. Based on these findings, we conclude that sea-floor spreading in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea only occurred north of the Eratosthenes Seamount, and the oceanic crust was later subducted at the Cyprus Arc.

Technological fingerprints of the Early Bronze Age clay figurines from Tell Mardikh-Ebla (Syria)

“…Syria is part of the Levantine Basin, representing the south eastern most sector of the Mediterranean Sea and occurs in a complex geodynamic setting between the Arabian and Levantine plates [10,11] separated by the Dead Sea transform fault. The Levantine Basin, a thinned continental crust, originated during the opening of the Neo-Tethys [10,12] and comprises a wide range of geological formations assigned to Phanerozoic sedimentary successions overlying an igneous-metamorphic basement.…”

Neogene volcanic activity of western Syria and its relationship with Arabian plate kinematics

“…Its origin has been related to the opening of the Neo-Tethys and its composition is now considered to be thinned continental crust (e.g., Netzeband et al, 2006). Geological and geophysical data show that the Levantine crust is mostly made up of ∼10 km thick Phanerozoic sedimentary successions (mostly carbonates) overlying a transitional igneous-metamorphic basement ∼12 km thick (e.g., Ben-Avraham and Ginzburg, 1990;Khair and Tsokas, 1999;Aksu et al, 2005;Netzeband et al, 2006). During the Mesozoic, passive continental margin-related igneous activity occurred at several localities (e.g., Mouty et al, 1992;Stein and Hofmann, 1992;Abdel-Rahman, 2002).…”

Update on the Cetacean Fauna of the Mediterranean Levantine Basin

“…These regions hold particular interest, as in addition to species prevalent in the Mediterranean as a whole, they are more likely to be inhabited or visited by Lessepsian migrants from the Red Sea [2]. While geophysicists ascribe the term 'Levantine Basin' (LB) to the southeastern-most corner of the Mediterranean, within the confines of the Israeli and Egyptian shorelines, Cyprus and Eratosthenes Sea Mount [3], in this report we chose to use this term for a wider geographical division, namely: the part of the Mediterranean east of an imaginary line connecting the westernmost point of Crete and the northernmost point of Cyrenaica on the Libyan coast, excluding the Aegean Sea and the eastern horn of the Hellenic Trench (Fig. 1).…”