Collision Tectonics of the Mediterranean Region: Causes and Consequences
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The Geology of England – Critical Examples of Earth History – an Overview
The Geology of England – critical examples of Earth history – an overview Mark A. Woods*, Jonathan R. Lee British Geological Survey, Environmental Science Centre, Keyworth, Nottingham, NG12 5GG *Corresponding Author: Mark A. Woods, email: [email protected] Abstract Over the past one billion years, England has experienced a remarkable geological journey. At times it has formed part of ancient volcanic island arcs, mountain ranges and arid deserts; lain beneath deep oceans, shallow tropical seas, extensive coal swamps and vast ice sheets; been inhabited by the earliest complex life forms, dinosaurs, and finally, witnessed the evolution of humans to a level where they now utilise and change the natural environment to meet their societal and economic needs. Evidence of this journey is recorded in the landscape and the rocks and sediments beneath our feet, and this article provides an overview of these events and the themed contributions to this Special Issue of Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, which focuses on ‘The Geology of England – critical examples of Earth History’. Rather than being a stratigraphic account of English geology, this paper and the Special Issue attempts to place the Geology of England within the broader context of key ‘shifts’ and ‘tipping points’ that have occurred during Earth History. 1. Introduction England, together with the wider British Isles, is blessed with huge diversity of geology, reflected by the variety of natural landscapes and abundant geological resources that have underpinned economic growth during and since the Industrial Revolution. Industrialisation provided a practical impetus for better understanding the nature and pattern of the geological record, reflected by the publication in 1815 of the first geological map of Britain by William Smith (Winchester, 2001), and in 1835 by the founding of a national geological survey. -
Implications for the Kinematic Evolution of the Carpathian and Aegean Arcs
Earth and Planetary Science Letters 273 (2008) 345–358 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Earth and Planetary Science Letters journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/epsl No significant post-Eocene rotation of the Moesian Platform and Rhodope (Bulgaria): Implications for the kinematic evolution of the Carpathian and Aegean arcs Douwe J.J. van Hinsbergen a,⁎, Guillaume Dupont-Nivet a, Radoslav Nakov b, Karen Oud a, Christian Panaiotu c a Paleomagnetic Laboratory ‘Fort Hoofddijk’, Utrecht University, Budapestlaan 17, 3584 CD Utrecht, The Netherlands b Geological Institute, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev St., Bl. 24, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria c University of Bucharest, Paleomagnetic Laboratory, Balcescu 1, Bucharest, Romania article info abstract Article history: The region located between the Carpathian–Balkan and Aegean arcs, the Moesian Platform and Bulgarian Received 25 February 2008 Rhodope, is generally assumed to have been stably attached to the East European craton during the Cenozoic Received in revised form 26 June 2008 evolution of these arcs. The kinematic evolution of this region is, however, poorly constrained by paleomagnetic Accepted 29 June 2008 analysis. In this paper we provide new paleomagnetic data (800 volcanic and sedimentary samples from 12 Available online 15 July 2008 localities) showing no significant post-Eocene rotation of the Moesian platform and Rhodope with respect to Editor: C.P. Jaupart Eurasia, therefore confirming the stability of this region. We compare this result to a provided review of paleomagnetic data from the South Carpathians (Tisza block) and the Aegean region. The Tisza block underwent Keywords: 68.4±16.7° of middle Miocene (∼15–10 Ma) clockwise rotation with respect to the Moesian Platform, in line with Paleomagnetism previous rotation estimates based on structural geology. -
Geology and Petroleum Systems of the Eastern Meseta and Atlas Domains of Morocco
258 Paper 22 Geology and petroleum systems of the Eastern Meseta and Atlas Domains of Morocco FATIMA CHARRAT\ MOHAMAD ELALTI\ MoHO HAMIDI M. NOR2, NG TONG SAN2, SUPIAN SUNTEK2 AND TJIA, H.D.2 10ttice National de Recherches et d'Exploitations Petrolieres Rabat, Maghreb 2PETRONAS Carigali, Tower 1, Petronas Twin Towers 50088 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Morocco (Maghreb), located in Northwest Africa, has three main structural domains: The (a) RifDomain, the (b) Atlas Domain comprising two different structural regions, the relatively stable eastern and western Meseta, (characterized by mildly deformed Mesozoic strata) and the active Middle-High Atlas Belts, where the Meso Cenozoic section was highly folded during the Alpine orogeny; and finally, the (c) Sahara-Anti Atlas Domain at the south, marks the stable margin of the West African Craton. The eastern Meseta, with the Middle and the High Atlas chains (Atlas Domain ss.) is the objective of our study; it extends eastward through Algeria. The Middle Atlas and the High Atlas tectonic belts frame the Meseta. The Cambrian marine transgression over the northwestern African continental platform allowed deposition of shales, silts and sands over a faulted land surface. Folding at the Late Cambrian generated an irregular angular unconformity with the Ordovician sequence. This sequence, dominantly argillaceous at the beginning, ended with a regressive phase of glacio-marine sedimentation that developed coarse sandstones and micro-conglomerate. Volcanic eruptions caused localised metamorphism. The Ordovician ended with regression due to the emergence of the area (Taconic phase). Glacio-eustatism followed, leading to the widespread Silurian deposits of graptolite bearing black clays in shallow marine, confined (euxinic) troughs. -
Alpine Orogeny the Geologic Development of the Mediterranean
Alpine Orogeny The geologic development of the Mediterranean region is driven by the Alpine-Himalayan orogeny, a suturing of Gondwana-derived terranes with the Eurasion craton. In broad terms, this is a Mesozoic and Cenozoic convergent zone that extends from the Spain to Southeastern Asia and may extend along the southwest Pacific as far as New Zealand (Rosenbaum and Lister, 2002). The Alpine orogeny was caused by the convergence of the African and European plates (Frisch, 1979; Tricart, 1984; Haas et al., 1995) with peak collisional phases occurring at different times: Cretaceous in the Eastern Alps and Tertiary in the Western Alps (Schmid et al., 2004). Note: prior to the opening of the Paleotethys sea, the Variscan orogenic belt developed in central Europe then the Laurussian and Gondwana converged in the Devonian and Late Carboniferous. Although the location of the suture Extent of the Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt is not clear, the orogenic belt was extensive, (Rosenbaum and Lister, 2002). running from the Bohemian Massif to the Alpine-Carpathian-Dinarides belt (). The Paleotethys sea existed in the Triassic but closed in the early Mesozoic due to convergence along the Cimmerian (and Indosinian) suture zone. The Paleotethys (or Tethys I) has been described as a wedge- shaped ocean that opened to the east, separating Eurasia from Africa, India, and Australia (Laurasia and Gondwana). Very little evidence of the Paleotethys exists today which has caused some to question its existence (Meyerhoff and Eremenko, 1976) The Tethys opened as Pangea broke up in the Early Jurassic and Africa moved east relative to Europe. -
Paleomagnetic Implications on the Stability of the Moesian Platform and the Bulgarian Rhodope Since the Paleogene: Surviving in Between Two Major Rotating Systems
Paleomagnetic implications on the stability of the Moesian Platform and the Bulgarian Rhodope since the Paleogene: surviving in between two major rotating systems Karen Oud MSc Geology student, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University July 2008 Abstract To investigate whether or not the Moesian Platform and the Bulgarian Rhodope accommodated for the major clockwise rotation of both the Carpathian and Aegean systems since 13 Ma, paleomagnetic analysis was done on Paleogene sediments and volcanics from the Moesian Platform and volcanics from the Bulgarian Rhodope. The mean paleomagnetic direction for the overall Bulgarian region shows a declination of 11 o ± 10 o N at 30 Ma. Hence, with respect to the overall rotation of the Eurasian continent, the Bulgarian region is a stable block with a negligible rotation of 4.3 o ± 10.9 o counterclockwise since 30 Ma. 1. Introduction systems. Schmid et al (1998) state that during the Late Cretaceous, the western The Moesian Platform in northern part of the Rhodope moved northwards, Bulgaria lies in between two domains past the Moesian Platform. They also that have shown a clear rotation since state that the stable Moesian Platform the Middle Miocene, which is proven in served as a corner, around which several studies. The southern Carpathian oroclinal bending (arc formation) of the foreland in Romania, north of the Southern Carpathians occurred during Moesian Platform, rotated from 13 to 8 the Eocene. This bending would cause Ma by 30 o clockwise (CW) (Dupont-Nivet major dextral wrenching and clockwise et al, 2005). During the same period, the rotations in the Southern Carpathian Greek Rhodope massif in the northeast units relative to the Moesian Platform. -
Oracles of Dionysos in Ancient Thrace
UDK 398.3:25(398 Trakija) Haemus Journal, vol. 2, 2013, 61-70, ISSN: 1857- 841161 Oracles of Dionysos in Ancient Thrace Jordan Iliev Independent Researcher, Sofia, BG [email protected] Abstract: The focus of the article is the available information about the oracles of Dionysos in ancient Thrace. After a careful analysis of the currently know sources the author states that in the ancient Thracian lands there was not only one or two (as most modern scholars assume) but several oracles of Dionysos. The author proves this point by giving a special attention to some details in the ancient information, such as the localization of the different oracles, the features of the mantic session, the officials etc. In conclusion is summed up that although the provided by the ancient writers’ more or less detailed information, oracles of Dionysos in Thrace are not yet localized. Key words: Ancient divination, Dionysos, oracles, Thrace. Dionysos, the famous ancient Greek god of vines and wine, was strongly connected with the Thracian lands.1 In the following lines is paid attention to only one aspect of this connection – the available information about his oracles by the Thracians. The essential sources on this issue are only a few passages in the ancient literature, presented below.2 They are repeatedly discussed by the modern scholars, which bring together all sources with only one or two oracles of that god in Thrace.3 However, here is suggested a new interpretation, based on a careful analysis of the ancient sources with a special attention over some important details neglected by the researchers, such as the localization of the different oracles, features of the mantic session, the officials etc. -
Federal Register/Vol. 79, No. 11/Thursday, January 16, 2014/Rules and Regulations
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 11 / Thursday, January 16, 2014 / Rules and Regulations 2781 The Commission finds, pursuant to § 300.400 [Amended] Nations Educational, Scientific and section 3(e)(2)(D) of SIPA, that the ■ 2. Section 300.400 is amended by: Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proposed rule change is in the public ■ a. In paragraph (b), adding the phrase Convention on the Means of Prohibiting interest and consistent with the ‘‘except to the extent that the trustee, and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export purposes of SIPA. First, as noted above, with SIPC’s consent, or SIPC as trustee, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural SIPC has determined that allowing SIPA as the case may be, has arranged or is Property. The final rule amends CBP trustees the flexibility, subject to SIPC able promptly to arrange, a transfer of regulations by adding Bulgaria to the list approval, to transfer customers’ options some or all of such positions to another of countries for which a bilateral positions or to liquidate their positions, SIPC member’’ after the phrase agreement has been entered into for would be beneficial to the investing ‘‘accounts of customers’’; imposing cultural property import public and consistent with the customer ■ b. In paragraph (e), adding the phrase restrictions. The final rule also contains protection purposes of SIPA. The ability ‘‘except to the extent that such positions the designated list that describes the to transfer Standardized Options have been transferred as provided in types of archaeological and positions to another brokerage instead of paragraph (b) of this section’’ after the ecclesiastical ethnological material to being required to close them out gives phrase ‘‘section 7(b)(1) of the Act’’; and which the restrictions apply. -
Harttimo 1.Pdf
Beyond the River, under the Eye of Rome Ethnographic Landscapes, Imperial Frontiers, and the Shaping of a Danubian Borderland by Timothy Campbell Hart A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Greek and Roman History) in the University of Michigan 2017 Doctoral Committee: Professor David S. Potter, Co-Chair Professor Emeritus Raymond H. Van Dam, Co-Chair Assistant Professor Ian David Fielding Professor Christopher John Ratté © Timothy Campbell Hart [email protected] ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8640-131X For my family ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Developing and writing a dissertation can, at times, seem like a solo battle, but in my case, at least, this was far from the truth. I could not have completed this project without the advice and support of many individuals, most crucially, my dissertation co-chairs David S. Potter, and Raymond Van Dam. Ray saw some glimmer of potential in me and worked to foster it from the moment I arrived at Michigan. I am truly thankful for his support throughout the years and constant advice on both academic and institutional matters. In particular, our conversations about demographics and the movement of people in the ancient world were crucial to the genesis of this project. Throughout the writing process, Ray’s firm encouragement towards clarity of argument and style, while not always what I wanted to hear, have done much to make this a stronger dissertation. David Potter has provided me with a lofty academic model towards which to strive. I admire the breadth and depth of his scholarship; working and teaching with him have shown me much worth emulating. -
A Funerary Relief of a 'Barbarian' from Soufli In
doi: 10.2143/AWE.16.0.3214934 AWE 16 (2017) 63-95 A FUNERARY RELIEF OF A ‘BARBARIAN’ FROM SOUFLI IN THE ALEXANDROUPOLIS COLLECTION (GREECE)* DIMITRA ANDRIANOU Abstract Relief no. 4 from the Alexandroupolis Collection is an exceptional relief in many ways. It is part of a register-stele (Stockwerkstele), now partially preserved. The lower and better preserved register depicts a rider hunting in the heroic fashion; a smaller figure stands above the legs of the horse. Certain details allow us to identify the rider as a soldier in the Roman auxilia and the smaller figure as his clerk. The relief is important not only for its iconogra- phy, but also because it provides evidence for the presence of auxilia in the Hebros region in the late 2nd or 3rd century AD. Aegean Thrace, a modern, conventional designation, is the south-western and small- est section of ancient Thrace, bordered by the Nestos river to the west, the Hebros river to the east, Mt Rhodope to the north and the Aegean Sea to the south, all natural borders.1 Being a fruitful plain, it was already inhabited in the Palaeolithic period and according to the literary sources and the rapidly emerging archaeological evidence, various Thracian tribes dwelt in the area before Greek colonisation and lived side-by-side with the Greek colonists. The literary sources clearly state that Thracians resided on Thasos and Samothrace before the arrival of the Greeks and were their adversaries at Abdera and in the Strymon valley.2 The first Greek settlers arrived before the middle of the 7th century. -
Investigating the Plate Kinematics of Continental Blocks and Their Role On
EGU21-1402 https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1402 EGU General Assembly 2021 © Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Investigating the plate kinematics of continental blocks and their role on the deformation experienced along the Iberia-Eurasia plate boundary using deformable plate tectonic models Michael King1, Kim Welford2, Patricia Cadenas3, and Julie Tugend4 1Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada ([email protected]) 2Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada ([email protected]) 3Marine Sciences Institute (ICM), Barcelona Center for Subsurface Imaging (BCSI), Barcelona, Spain ([email protected]) 4Institut des Sciences de la Terre Paris, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France ([email protected]) The kinematics of the Iberian plate during Mesozoic extension and subsequent Alpine compression and their implications on the partitioning of strain experienced across the Iberia- Europe plate boundary continue to be a subject of scientific interest, and debate. To date, the majority of plate tectonic models only consider the motion of rigid tectonic plates. In addition, the lack of consideration for the kinematics of intra-continental domains and intervening continental blocks in-between has led to numerous discrepancies between rigid plate kinematic models of Iberia, based mainly on tight-fit reconstruction of M-series magnetic anomalies, and their ability to reconcile geological and geophysical observations. To address these discrepancies, deformable plate tectonic models constrained by previous plate reconstructions, geological, and geophysical studies are built using the GPlates software to study the evolution of deformation experienced along the Iberia-Eurasia plate boundary from the Triassic to present day. -
The Moroccan Anti-Atlas: the West African Craton Passive Margin with Limited Pan-African Activity
Precambrian Research 112 (2001) 289–302 www.elsevier.com/locate/precamres The Moroccan Anti-Atlas: the West African craton passive margin with limited Pan-African activity. Implications for the northern limit of the craton Nasser Ennih a, Jean-Paul Lie´geois b a Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, BP 20, 24000 El Jadida, Morocco b Departement de Ge´ologie, Section de Ge´ologie, Muse´e Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Leu6ensesteenweg 13, B-3080 Ter6uren, Belgium Received 6 October 2000; accepted 18 April 2001 Abstract The Moroccan Anti-Atlas region, located south of the South Atlas Fault, has been viewed traditionally as containing two segments separated by the Anti-Atlas Major Fault. These two segments are said to consist of: (a) 600–700 Ma Pan-African segment located in the northeast; and (b) 2 Ga Eburnian segment situated to the southwest. On the basis of observations in the Zenaga and Saghro inliers and of a recent literature review, we suggest that this subdivision is inappropriate in that Eburnian and Pan-African materials occur throughout the Anti-Atlas region: the entire Anti-Atlas is underlain by Eburnian crust, unconformably overlain by a lower Neoproterozoic passive margin; allochthonous Pan-African ocean crustal slices were thrust onto the West African craton (WAC) passive margin sequence 685 Ma ago as a result of Pan-African accretion tectonics; high-level high-K calc-alkaline and alkaline granitoids locally intruded the Anti-Atlas sequence as a whole at the end of the Pan-African orogeny at 585–560 Ma; the intervening 100 m.y. interval was marked by quiescence. -
On the Tectonic Origin of Iberian Topography
On the tectonic origin of Iberian topography A.M. Casas-Sainz a,?, G. de Vicente b a Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain b Grupo de Tectonofísica Aplicada UCM. F.C. Geológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t Article history: The present-day topography of the Iberian peninsula can be considered as the result of the MesozoicCenozoic– Received 28 January 2008 tectonic evolution of the Iberian plate (including rifting and basin formation during the Mesozoic and Accepted 26 January 2009 compression and mountain building processes at the borders and inner part of the plate, during the Tertiary, Available online xxxx followed by Neogene rifting on the Mediterranean side) and surface processes acting during the Quaternary. The northern-central part of Iberia (corresponding to the geological units of the Duero Basin, the Iberian Chain, Keywords: and the Central System) shows a mean elevation close to one thousand meters above sea level in average, some Iberia Planation surface hundreds of meters higher than the southern half of the Iberian plate. This elevated area corresponds to (i) the Landscape top of sedimentation in Tertiary terrestrial endorheic sedimentary basins (Paleogene and Neogene) and Meseta (ii) planation surfaces developed on Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks of the mountain chains surrounding the Crustal thickening Tertiary sedimentary basins. Both types of surfaces can be found in continuity along the margins of some of the Tectonics Tertiary basins. The Bouguer anomaly map of the Iberian peninsula indicates negative anomalies related to thickening of the continental crust.