bulletin de l'institut royal des sciences naturelles de belgique sciences de la terre, 69-supp. a: 147-159, 1999 bulletin van het koninklijk belgisch instituut voor natuurwetenschappen aardwetenschappen, 69-supp. a: 147-159, 1999
Santonian to Palaeocene tectonics of the East-European craton and adjacent areas
by Anatoly M. NIKISHIN, Peter A. ZIEGLER, Randell A. STEPHENSON & Maria A. USTINOVA
Abstract aKTHBLBaiIMM HHBepCHOHHBIX CTpVKTVp B OCHOBHOM BflOJIb najieopH
Résumé Introduction
Du Sénonien au Paléocène, le Craton ou Plate-forme est-européen a The Late Cretaceous to Palaeocene tectonic history of subi des contraintes de compression régionale polyphasée. Il en est Western Europe has been described in detail by Ziegler résulté différents types de tectoniques de compression intracratoniques incluant un plissement faible de la lithosphère ("buckling") à une (1990), but for Eastern Europe it was briefly discussed in distance proche de 500-600 km, l'origine (ou la réactivation) de Arkhangelsky (1922), Shatsky (1964), Gerasimov et structures d'inversion principalement le long d'anciens bassins d'ef¬ al. (1962), E. V. Milanovsky (1940) and E. E. Mila- fondrement, une subsidence syncompressionaire rapide de certains novsky bassins d'effondrement anciens comme le Bassin du Dnieper, une (1987), without detailed analysis of tectonic accélération du diapirisme lié au sel dans le Bassin de la Caspienne events. There is disagreement between authors on the (Peri-Caspian Basin), un effondrement possible lié à la compression palaeotectonic reconstruction of Europe at the Creta¬ (impactogène) dans le Bassin ukrainien. La aux compression liée ceous/Palaeocene tectoniques intracratoniques a coïncidé avec des collisions le long de boundary (Ziegler, 1990; Dercourt la ceinture téthysienne, des Pontides et d'autres zones. L'orogenèse et al, 1993; Yilmaz et al., 1997, Stampfli et al., Laramide s'est fait largement ressentir sur la Terre et a pu conduire à 1998). In this paper we will try to combine ail available des changements globaux d'environnements à la limite Crétacé/Paléo¬ data and reconstruct the tectonic gène. history of Eastern Eur¬ ope at the Cretaceous/Palaeocene (K/T) boundary in Mots-clefs: Craton est-européen, limite Crétacé/Paléocène, tectonique connection with régional tectonic events. d'inversion (inversion tectonique?), orogenèse Laramide, déforma¬ From the Senonian to the Palaeocene, Subhercynian tions, reconstructions paléotectoniques. and Laramide inversion tectonics affected large parts of the northern Alpine and Carpathian foreland of Europe (Fig. 1; Ziegler, 1990; Ziegler et al., 1995; Nikishin et Pe3H)Me al., 1997a) as well as the Alpine and Taurides foreland in Africa and Arabia, respectively (Guiraud & Bosworth, B ceHOHe-najieoiteHe BocTOHHo-EBponeitcKHH KpaTOH Hcnbiran 1997). Subhercynian and Laramide inversion structures nojm(J)a3Hoe pernona.iBHoe OKarne. 3to cacaTHe npuBe.io k on the pa3HBIM THnaM KOMnpeCCHOHHOH TeKTOHHKH: K IIOJIOrOH East-European Craton and its margins were de¬ scribed in JiHTOctJiepHOH CKJiaflHaTOCTH c paccTosnoieM Meamy ochmh detail by E. V. Milanovsky (1940) and are CKJiaflOK okojio 500-600 km ; k (Jx)pMnpoiiainno mm shown on the published rnaps of Bogdanov & Khain 148
Anatoly M. NIKISHIN et al. Santonian to Palaeocene tectonics 149
(1981). Classical examples of tensional basins that were the Late Triassic to Early Cretaceous the rifted basin inverted during the latest Cretaceous and Palaeocene are underwent postrift subsidence accompanied by stress the Donets Basin [Donbass] - that formed part of the Mid- events. The Late Cretaceous history of the basin was very Late Devonian Dnieper-Donets-Karpinsky rift belt (E. E. complicated (Ziegler, 1990; Dadlez et al., 1995; E. Milanovsky, 1987; Stovba et al., 1996), the Mid-Polish Gazdzicka, personal communication, 1998): during Trough (Kutek, 1994; Dadlez et al., 1995), the Pre- Cenomanian-Turonian times the basin underwent rapid Volga belt (e.g. Don-Medveditsa, Saratov dislocations; syn-compressional subsidence which was followed by E. V. Milanovsky, 1940; E. E. Milanovsky, 1987), and polyphasé inversion of the basin. The timing of the the Pachelma aulacogen (Oka-Tsna, Kerensk-Chembar inversion is not precisely known, but it has been sug- and Sura-Moksha swells; Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; E. gested that the local uplift started in the Coniacian-San- E. Milanovsky, 1987). Additional similar features, tonian, was more active in the Campanian, and that including the Soligalich, Sukhona and Vyatka swells, the main inversion phase with an amplitude of the uplift have also been described (Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; E. up to 2-3 km, took place in the Maastrichtian-early Pal¬ E. Milanovsky, 1987; Nikishin et al.. 1997a; Ustinova aeocene. et al, 1998). On the East-European Craton (EEC), the The Pripyat-Dnieper-Donets (PDD) Basin is located main problem is to precisely date the déformation âge of in the southem part of the EEC (Fig. 2). The history these intraplate compressional features, since most of of this basin is discussed in E. E. Milanovsky (1987), them were deeply tmncated during Cenozoic times, and Nikishin et ai (1996), Stovba et al. (1996) and Stovba were deformed both in pre-Cretaceous times and during & Stephenson (1999). The PDD Basin was a rift basin the Late Cenozoic Alpine orogeny. In any case, the in the Late Devonian and underwent post-rift subs¬ European continent was affected by important phases of idence in the Carboniferous to Cenozoic times, com¬ intraplate compression during Senonian to pre-Eocene plicated by numerous stress events. The PDD Basin times. has three segments: the Pripyat Basin, the Dnieper (or Dnieper-Donets) Basin, and the Donets Basin (or Don¬ bass). Late Cretaceous to Palaeocene inversion structures of During the Early Cretaceous the Dnieper Basin in the the EEC and its margins Ukraine had a very low subsidence rate (Gerasimov et al., 1962; Kaptarenko-Chernousova, 1971; Ivannikov The Mid-Polish Trough is located along the western et al, 1991). During the Late Cretaceous the subsidence margin of the EEC (Fig. 2). For the history of this basin rate was higher; we can recognize two epochs of sub¬ we follow data from Ziegler (1990), Kutek (1994), sidence: Cenomanian to Coniacian (relatively low sub¬ Dadlez et al., (1995) and E. Gazdzicka (personal com¬ sidence rate with up to 280 meters sediment thickness), munication, 1998). The basin was formed as a rift belt and Santonian to Maastrichtian (relatively high subs¬ during the Late Permian-Early-Middle Triassic. During idence rate with 700 meters sediment thickness). As we will see below the Campanian-Maastrichtian (or even Cenomanian to Maastrichtian) subsidence took place in a régional compressional tectonic environment; and we suggest that the compressional stress caused the rapid subsidence [as was discussed for the Mid-Polish Fig. 1 — Tectonic scheme of Europe for the Senonian to Trough in Dadlez et al., (1995)]. An erosional event Palaeocene time (mainly at the time close to the took place in the Dnieper Basin at the Maastrichtian/ K/T boundary). Map of Western Europe is prepared Palaeocene boundary: late Maastrichtian to early Danian after Ziegler (1990), mainly. 1 - active orogen, 2 - deposits are missing (Morroz, 1970; Ivannikov et al., remnant deep-water mainly flysch basin, 3 - rem- 1991), and late Danian(?)- Thanetian marine to continen¬ nant deep-water back-arc basin, 4 - oceanic basin, 5 tal - deposits cover Maastrichtian sediments (Morroz, Palaeocene intraplate sedimentary basin, 6 - Pa¬ 1970). laeocene eroded land in stable Europe, 7 - Palaeo¬ The Donbass in the Ukraine and Russia underwent a cene subduction zone, 8 - Late Cretaceous subduc¬ few inversion events between the Permian and earliest tion zone, 9 - thrust belt of the Great Caucasus
Basin, 10 - Senonian to Palaeocene inversional Jurassic times (E. E. Milanovsky, 1987; Stephenson,
swell, 11 - intracontinental topographie arch (pro- 1997; Nikishin et al., 1998b; Stovba & Stephenson, posed gentle lithospheric anticline), 12 - intra¬ 1999). It was a relatively uplifted area mainly during continental topographie dépression (proposed the Early Cretaceous (Gerasimov et al., 1962). For the gentle lithospheric syncline), 13 - Late Cretaceous Late Cretaceous history of the Donbass we used data magmatic arc. R - Rhodope Block, KB - Kirsehir from Gerasimov et al. (1962), Naidin (1960, 1969), Block, H - Hellenides, MTB - Menderes-Taurus Blank & Gorbenko (1968), Kaptarenko-Chernouso¬ Block, SAS - Srednogorie-Strandzha Basin (hypo- va (1971), Savchinskaya (1982), E. E. Milanovsky thetical), IAB - Izmir-Ankara Basin, MPT - Mid- et et Polish Trough, D - Dnieper Basin, SS - Simbirsk- (1987), Ivannikov al. (1991) and Stovba al. Saratov Basin, PC - Peri-Caspian Basin. Remnant (1996). During the Cenomanian to Coniacian the Don¬ Tethys Océan is shown not to scale. bass was part of a large, shallow water to continental 150 Anatoly M. NIKISHIN et al.
"VwL •%
Fig. 2 — Location map for the main Late Cretaceous swells of the EEC and cross-sections for Fig. 3. 1-1 location of the cross
section. KL - Klaypeda-Lokno Swell, OT - Oka-Tsna Swell, SM - Sura-Moksha Swell, KCH - Kerensk-Chembar Swell, DM-S - Don-Medveditsa-Saratov Swell belt, M - Millerovo Swell, KYM - Konka-Yaly-Molochnaya Basin, PB - Pripyat Basin.
sedimentary basin with minor evidence of local uplifting Donbass (Blank & Gorbenko, 1968; E. E. Milanovsky, (in the Cenomanian). During the Santonian the Donbass 1987; Ivannikov et al., 1991; Stovba & Stephenson, started to uplift slowly: clastic sédiments were supplied 1999). from the Donbass to the basin along the southern margin In the Pripyat Basin in Byelorussia only the youngest of the Donbass. An important change occurred in the Turonian sediments are found. Post-Turonian Late Cre¬ Campanian (Naidin, 1960; Gerasimov et al., 1962; taceous marine sediments were eroded. Régional uplift of Blank & Gorbenko, 1968; Savchinskaya, 1982; Ivan- the Pripyat Basin région took place at the K/T boundary- nikov et al., 1991): large scale clastic sédiments were Palaeocene (Gerasimov et al., 1962; Beniamovsky, per- supplied by the uplifted Donbass both to the North and sonal communication, 1998). At these times, minor re- the South of the Donbass into the carbonate platforms. verse faulting occurred along sorne former rift faults (R. The maximum of this clastic supply was during the Late Garetsky, personal communication, 1998). Campanian-Maastrichtian. Folding inside the Donbass The Konka-Yaly Basin is located inside the Ukrai- and thrusting along its northern margins began at the nian Shield in the Ukraine to the South of the Donbass Santonian/Campanian boundary with a maximum at the (Fig. 2) (Gerasimov et al., 1962; Kaptarenko-Chernou- Cretaceous/Palaeocene transition; latest Maastrichtian sova, 1971; Ivannikov et al., 1991), and is oriented deposits are missing along the northern margin of the nearly orthogonally to the Donbass. The Molochnaya Santonian to Palaeocene tectonics 151
(or Melitopol) Basin lies directly to the South of the tory, starting in the Carboniferous but its youngest de¬ Konka-Yaly Basin. The Konka-Yaly and Molochnaya formed strata are of Santonian age (Sazonov, 1953). An basins have a graben-like configuration (Kaptarenko- inversion phase took place possibly as early as the San- Chernousova, 1971; Chekunov et al., 1976); they were tonian/Campanian transition, but it was definitely not infilled by Cretaceous sédiments (Chekunov et al., 1976; younger than pre-Neogene. Ivannikov et al., 1991). Using the data of Chekunov The Kerensk-Chembar Swell is located along the north¬ et al. (1976) and Ivannikov et al. (1991) we can recog- ern margin of a central segment of the Riphean Pachelma nise two main minor rift events: an Albian (or Aptian- rifted basin. The Sura-Moksha Swell is parallel to the Albian) event with a subsidence close to 100 meters, Kerensk-Chembar Swell 70-100 km to the north, and it and a Santonian-Maastrichtian event with a subsidence is not connected with a rifted basin (E. V. Milanovsky, close to 200-350 meters. During these tectonic events 1940; Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; E. E. Milanovsky, mainly Precambrian faults were reactivated (Kapta- 1987) (Fig. 3). The swells have a polyphasé déformation renko-Chernousova, 1971; Chekunov et al., 1976). history. Late Cretaceous sediments are the youngest de¬ The Aptian-Albian tension event could have been formed strata. The available data show déformations at connected with a rifting related with the Black Sea pre-Santonian, and also at the Santonian/Campanian and Basin opening (Nikishin et al., 1998b). We assume that Campanian/Maastrichtian boundaries; they lasted until during the Santonian-Maastrichtian times the Konka- the Palaeocene (Chibrikova, 1951; Senchenko, 1951; Yaly-Molochnaya Basin was a graben-like tension struc¬ Sazonov, 1953; Khokhlov, 1955; Dashevsky, 1996). ture of impactogen syn-compressional origin: it origin- The main unconformity in the Sura-Moksha Swell is near ated mainly along the axis of Late Cretaceous compres- the Santonian/Campanian boundary (A. Olferiev, Perso¬ sional stress, coinciding with the time of the Donbass nal communication, 1998). uplift. The Vyatka Swell is located above the Vyatka (or The Rostov High is located just to the south of the Kirov, or Kazhim) Riphean and Devonian rifted basin Donbass along the southern margin of the EEC. In this in the eastern part of the EEC (E. V. Milanovsky, 1940; High the Early Eocene marine sediments cover gently Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; E. E. Milanovsky, 1987). folded Cretaceous strata including those of Maastrichtian The swell had a polyphasé inversion history, but age (Ulanovskaya, 1988). The Rostov High was part of Albian strata are the youngest deformed ones. The défor¬ the Donbass fold zone at the K/T boundary. mations occurred in post-Albian times (Arkhipov & The Don-Medveditsa-Saratov Swell belt is located Vysotsky, 1996), and latest Cretaceous to Palaeocene along the boundary between the Peri-Caspian Basin and âges are most likely. The Sukhona Swell is located the Russian Platform (Voronezh High), above the Devon- above the Soligalich aulacogen in the Moscow Basin ian Don-Medveditsa rifted basin (E. V. Milanovsky, (Bogdanov & Khain, 1981). The youngest deformed 1940; Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; E. E. Milanovsky, strata are of Albian age. And we assume as we did for 1987). The cross-section of this swell is shown on Figure the Vyatka Swell that the inversion occurred near the K/T 3. The swell underwent many inversion events since boundary. the Carboniferous. An important inversion took place The Klaypeda - Lokno Swell belt trends in the Pre- during the Late Cretaceous. Data summarised in Morro- Baltic région almost from Klaypeda (Lithuania), along zov (1962), Senyukov (1949), Senchenko (1951) and the Lithuanian-Latvian boundary to the town of Pskov in Ivanov (1995) show that uplift inversion events took Russia (Bogdanov & Khain, 1981). This swell belt had a place in mid-Santonian, and at the Santonian-Campa- complicated inversion history. The Cretaceous strata are nian, Campanian/Maastrichtian, Maastrichtian/Danian also deformed (Fig. 3). The swell belt is located not far boundaries. Sedimentological data show that in Campa- from the Mid-Polish Trough and we suggest a Late nian-Maastrichtian-Danian the Don-Medveditsa Swell Cretaceous to Palaeocene age for the inversion. New data was a source région for clastic sediments to the South show that compressional events took place in Lithuania at and the East of the swell (Morrozov, 1962), which the Santonian/Campanian and Campanian/Maastrichtian means that the swell was an uplifted belt. Late Palaeocene boundaries at least (Sliaupa, 1997, and personal commu¬ deposits cover deformed Cretaceous strata (Ivanov, nication, 1999). 1995). The Timan Swell underwent many inversion events The Millerovo Swell is parallel to the Don-Medveditsa in pre-Cretaceous times (E. E. Milanovsky, 1987). It Swell, 200 km to the west. It is a local anticline-like did not generally separate Early Cretaceous basins (E. structure with an uplift of Late Cretaceous strata up to Baraboshkin, personal communication, 1998) and was 40-50 meters (Morrozov, 1962). It could have the same uplifted in post-early Cretaceous epochs. It is not ex- age as the Late Cretaceous déformations of the Don- cluded that an inversion event took place at the Creta- Medveditsa Swell. ceous/Palaeogene boundary because some data show that The Oka-Tsna Swell belt is located above the northern compression déformations in the Polar Urals and Pay- part and northern margin of the Riphean Pachelma aula- Khoy lasted until the end of the Cretaceous (Yudin, cogen (rifted basin) in its northern prolongation (E. V. 1994). Milanovsky, 1940; Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; E. E. The palaeogeography of the Urals is badly known for Milanovsky, 1987) (Fig. 3). The swell had a long his- the time of the K/T boundary. Data for the Polar Urals 152 Anatoly M. NIKISHIN et al.
show (Oreshkina et al., 1998) that Coniacian to Campa- 500-600 km which is typical for intracratonic lithospheric nian shallow-water marine deposits are located along the folding (buckling) (Ziegler et al., 1995; Nikishin et al., western margin of the recent Urals and that they were 1997b) formed in the former West Siberia Basin united with the Pechora Basin. Campanian deposits are covered with mid-Palaeocene marine sédiments. An uplift of the Polar Main types of the compression-related tectonics inside Urals could be suggested for the K/T transition. Detailed the EEC facial analysis demonstrates that the southern Urals (the Mugodzhary) were an uplifted area during Santonian to As discussed above, the following compressional-related Danian (Naidin & Kotelnikov, 1998): sandstones and structures can be recognized inside the EEC from the gravelites are found between Mugodzhary and the carbo¬ Senonian to the Palaeocene: gentle lithosphère folding nate platform of the Peri-Caspian Basin. Generally we (buckling), origin of inversion structures, syn-compres- can assume that the Uralian foldbelt underwent uplift sional rapid subsidence of former rifted basins, accéléra¬ events near the K/T boundary, but an uplift event also tion of sait diapirism, compression-related (impactogen) took place at the Santonian/Campanian boundary (Naidin rifting. & Kotelnikov, 1998). The Peri-Caspian Basin has numerous sait diapirs containing Kungurian salts (Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; Late Cretaceous to Palaeocene tectonics in the Scy- E. E. Milanovsky, 1987). Uplift of the diapirs oc- thian Platform-Caucasus-Black Sea-Pontides-Moe- curred at irregular time intervals. Detailed data on the sian area distribution of depositional thicknesses, facies and fossils show (Beniamovsky et al., 1973) that a rapid uplift of The Scythian Platform is located to the South of the EEC. the diapirs took place in the Senonian to Palaeocene, Seismic proftling data show that minor inversion features mainly during régressive phases: at the Santonian/Cam¬ developed on the Scythian Platform at the Cretaceous/ panian, the Campanian /Maastrichtian, the Maastrichtian/ Palaeocene boundary (Nikishin et al., 1998a, b). In the Danian, the Danian/Thanetian, and the Thanetian/Ypre- Crimea, minor unconformities are evident at an intra- sian boundaries and also inside the Late Campanian; a Santonian level, at the Maastrichtian/Danian boundary maximum diapiric uplift took place at the Danian/Tha¬ as well as at the transition from the Thanetian to the netian boundary. We can assume that the uplift events Danian and Ypresian to Thanetian (Muratov, 1969; of the diapirs coincided with régional compressional Mazarovich & Mileev, 1989a, b). Relatively, the pre- events because similar compression events occur in the Ypresian unconformity is the most important. The devel- EEC. opment of these unconformities is probably related to compression phases (Nikishin et al., 1998b). Field data
Late Cretaceous to Palaeocene gentle lithosphère folds in the EEC
Figs 3a, 3b and 3c — Cross sections for some swells which During the Senonian to Palaeocene times the EEC under¬ were active during Senonian to Palaeo¬ went long-wave déformations of its topography (Fig. 1). cene times. Location of the cross-sec- This can be seen mainly from palaeogeographical maps tions is shown on Fig. 2. Abbrevia- tions: of Naidin in Gerasimov et al. (1962) and from our own Q - Quaternary, Ne - Neogene,
Pa - more recent data. During Cenomanian to Santonian times Palaeogene, K - Cretaceous, Ku - Upper Cretaceous, KI - Lower Creta¬ nearly the complete southern part of the EEC was a ceous, Cmp - Campanian, San - Santo¬ marine sedimentary basin; on the other hand from the nian, Con - Coniacian, Tur - Turonian, Campanian to the Palaeocene an arching of the topogra¬ Cen - Cenomanian, Alb - Aibian, Apt - phy took place. Three main arches began to rise - the Aptian, Brm - Barremian, Nc - Neoco- Ukrainian Shield together with the Byelorussian High mian, Vlg-Brm - Valanginian-Barre- (the Ukrainian-Byelorussian High), the Voronezh High, mian, Ju - Upper Jurassic, Jm - Middle and the Karna High between the Simbirsk-Saratov and Jurassic, J1 - Lower Jurassic, Clv -
Peri-Caspian basins. These highs were separated by sub- Callovian, Bth - Bathonian, Baj - Ba- sidence beits: the Dnieper Basin between the Ukrainian- jocian, Tr - Triassic. Tl - Lower Trias- sic, Tat - Byelorussian and Voronezh highs, and the Simbirsk-Sa¬ Tatarian, P - Permian, Pu - ratov Basin between the Voronezh and Kama highs. The Upper Permian, PI - Lower Permian, C - Carboniferous, Cu - Upper Carboni- amplitude of the arching was not more than 150-300 ferous, Cl - Lower Carboniferous, Fam meters (today the top of the Cenomanian deposits is at - Famennian, Frs - Frasnian, Du - Up¬ the topographical level +220 meters on the Voronezh per Devonian, Dm - Middle Devonian, High, but the is at -500 to - 550 meters Dnieper Basin Ou+m - Middle and Upper Ordovician,
(Blank et al., 1992)). The distance between the axes of - Cmb Cambrian, Vu - Upper Vendian, the arches (proposed lithospheric anticlines) is close to R - Riphean. Santonian to Palaeocene tectonics 153
Oka-Tsna Swell ( SAZONOV, 1953) (2 - 2)
Oka-Tsna swell (Nikitin S. N,, 1985, unpublished) (2a - 2a) metres
0 -
-100-
-200-
-300-
-400-
Sura-Mokcha Swell ( AFANASIEV, 1970) (5 -5)
métrés 400 400 mètres 0 0
-400 -400
-800 -800
-1200 -1200 -1600 -1600
-2000 -2000 15 0 15 30 km i i i i
Fig. 3a 154 Anatoly M. NIKISHIN et al.
Telshav - Loknov Swcll ( GEISLER, 1956) (4 - 4)
Sukhona Swell ( Bembinova, 1998, unpublishcd ) (6 - 6)
mètres () - 0 métrés -50(1 - -500
-1000 --1000
-500 -1500
-2000 h--2000
-2500 --2500
-3000 - -3000
-3500 - -3500 -4000 J *- -4000
Fig. 3b Santonian to Palaeocene tectonics 155
Ilovlinski height of Don-Medveditsa swell (SMJRNOV, 1962) (1 - 1)
mètres mètres
°1 c ■0 . Sait -150- Tur -150
. Cen
-300 - Kl -300 " Clv -450- Bth -450 * Baj -600- J -600
-750- -750
Don-Medveditza Swell (Kolosov et al» 1973, unpublished) (la - la)
Jm-U JM-U » K. KL KU
mètres mctrcs
-1000- 1000 -1500- 1500 -2000- 2000 -2500- 2500 -3000- 3000 -3500- 3500 -4000- -4000 -4500- —4500
Shorokopolski swell of the Kcrensk-Tchcmbar s> stem (Dasltevskii et al., 1996, unpublished ) (3a - 3a)
N+O mètres 200 -200 métrés
0
-200- -200
-400 -400
-600 -600
-800
-1000
-1200
-1400- — -1400
Fig. 3c 156 Anatoly M. NIKISHIN et al. for the north-western part of the Alpine Great Caucasus Late Cretaceous to Palaeocene inversion structures in (L. Rastsvetaev, 1998, personal communication) show the Africa-Arabian and other areas that possible compression tectonism took place at the Maastrichtian to Palaeocene transition, because there Guiraud & Bosworth (1997) discussed inversion struc¬ are unconformities below the Eocene and inside(?) the tures in régions of Africa and Arabia. They recognised Maastrichtian, and furthennore there are facial changes two main compressional events: in the Santonian (or in the Maastrichtian deposits. In the north-eastern Cau¬ Santonian/Campanian boundary) and at the Cretaceous/ casus in Dagestan gravitational olistostromes origin- Palaeocene boundary. Close to the Santonian/Campanian ated along the northern margin of the Great Caucasus boundary the inversion tectonics took place along the Trough in Santonian to Maastrichtian times (Moskvin, northern margin of the Africa-Arabia continent: Tellian 1962; Markus & Sharafutdinov, 1989); their genesis Atlas, High Atlas, Tunisia, Egypt, Palmirides, Oman could be connected with thrusting events and local inver¬ (start of emplacement of ophiolites); and also in rifted sion tectonics along the deep-water basin northern mar¬ basins inside the continent - Benue, Termit, S. Chad, S. gin. Sudan, Blue Nile Rift, Anza Rift, Lugh Mandera. At the Data on the Pontides (Okay & Sahinturk, 1997; Cretaceous/Palaeocene boundary, main inversion tec¬ Ustaomer & Robertson, 1997; Yilmaz et al., 1997) tonics took place along the northern margin of the Afri- show that collision tectonics occurred in Maastrich- ca-Arabia continent: Egypt, Palmirides, Oman (ophio¬ tian(?)-Palaeocene-pre-Lutetian times. The maximum lites). Generally the timing of inversion tectonic events collision took place in the Early Eocene, but the tim¬ in the Africa-Arabia continent and in Europe was very ing of these collision events is badly known. It was similar (Ziegler, 1990; Guiraud & Bosworth, 1997) the collision of the Pontides and of the Gondwana-de- but better stratigraphie control is needed for more précisé rived Kirsehir block-Menderes-Taurus Platform and the conclusions. Numerous data show that inversion tectonics main closing of the Ankara-Erzincan suture (ophiolitic occurred also in the Tethys belt during the Senonian to melange) (Okay & Sahinturk, 1997; Yilmaz et al., Palaeocene (Dercourt et al., 1993; Khain & Balu- 1997). khovsky, 1993). Data on the Lesser Caucasus région show that the Recent investigations summarised in Khain & Balu- Ankara-Erzincan ophiolite suture of Turkey reaches the khovsky, (1993) show that near the K/T boundary oro¬ Sevan-Akera suture in Armenia-Azerbaijan (Llordkipa- geny affected many areas: the Laramide orogeny was nidze, 1980; Bogdanov & Khain, 1981; Monin & Zo- very important f.i. in Northern and Southern America nenshain, 1987; E. E. Milanovsky, 1991). The geologi- and in the Asian Far East. cal structure of the région (Knipper & Sokolov, 1974; E. E. Milanovsky, 1991; Gasanov, 1996) shows that colli¬ sion of the European continent with the South Armenian Origin of the Late Cretaceous to Palaeocene compres¬ (Nakhichevan) Gondwana-derived terrane occurred in sion stress in Eastern Europe Late Cretaceous times; collision tectonics started in the Cenomanian-Coniacian and ended in mid-Santonian. A The origin of the Late Cretaceous to Palaeocene compres¬ remnant flysch basin existed along the suture at the sion stress is a controversial problem. These important Cretaceous/Palaeocene transition. phases of intraplate compression of Senonian to Palaeo¬ Data on the Bulgarian shelf for the Balkan thrust cene âge affected both the northern and southern Peri- wedge show (Sinclair et al., 1997) that according to Tethyan continents and were probably controlled by the offshore seismic stratigraphy the first evidence of short- accelerated counter-clockwise rotational convergence of ening was the réactivation of deep-level normal faults at Africa-Arabia with Eurasia (Livermore & Smith, 1985; the end of the Cretaceous. A régional uplift event took Westphal et al, 1986; Le Pichon et al., 1988). The place, certainly at least in the eastern part of the Moesian Santonian/Campanian boundary coincided almost with Platform near the Cretaceous/Palaeogene boundary a change of motion of Africa relative to Europe: oblique (mainly inside the Danian) (Harburg & Cohen, 1997). convergency was followed by more direct collision It could have occurred in connection with a compression (Guiraud & Bosworth, 1997) with f.i. changes in sub¬ phase. duction systems. We suggest three main reasons for such Data on the Scythian-Caucasus-Pontides-Moesian ré¬ inversion tectonics: global plate kinematic reorganisation gion demonstrate that Subhercynian and Laramide inver¬ in the Senonian-Palaeocene, collisional tectonics along sion tectonics in Europe were probably connected with the Tethyan margins, and changes in subduction Systems collision tectonics and orogeny along the southern mar- after accretions of new terranes. gins of the European continent (Ziegler et al., 1998). We can add as further evidence that the inner Dinarides- Hellenides and Taurides started to collide with the Eur¬ Latest Cretaceous-Palaeocene global orogeny and bio- opean margin during the Senonian. With the final closure logical crisis at the K/T boundary of the Vardar Océan, this collision became important during Maastrichtian-Palaeocene times (Stampfli et al., New data show that the Laramide orogeny was very 1998). widely spread on the Earth. This led to changes in global Santonian to Palaeocene tectonics 157
topographical distribution of continents and océans and basins; syn-compressional rapid subsidence of former f.i. also to changes in oceanic water currents and so on. In rifted basins; accélération of sait diapirism; compres- total, this could have led to a global environmental crisis. sion-related (impactogen) rifting. This could have been one of the main reasons for the 3. The compression tectonics inside the EEC coincide biological crisis during the latest Cretaceous to Palaeo¬ with the orogenic epoch along the Tethyan belt. cene with a climax at the K/T boundary.
Conclusions Acknowledgements
We are very grateful to Prof. D. P. Naidin for numerous discussions and 1. Senonian to Palaeocene compressional polyphasé ré¬ help in our research. We would also like to thank E. Milanovsky, V. gional stresses affected the East European Craton as well Khain, A. Alekseev, Ludmila Kopaevich, E. Baraboshkin, S. Bolotov, as the whole European palaeocontinent. This led to pa- A. Ershov, V. Beniamovsky, A. Olferiev, V. Dashevsky, L. Rastsve- laeogeographical changes and compressional tectonics taev, A. Morozov, Annie Dhondt, S. Cloetingh, R. Guiraud. Marie- Françoise Brunet, J. Dercourt, S. Stovba, S. Sliaupa and R. Garetsky for inside the EEC. fruitful discussions and support. This work was sponsored by DWTC 2. We can recognise the following types of compres¬ grant, INTAS (grant 97-0743) and Peri-Tethys Programme. The prin¬ sional tectonics inside the EEC: gentle lithospheric fold- cipal investigators were funded by the Russian Geological Survey and RFFI (RBFI). ing (buckling) with wave-length around 500-600 km; This is Netherlands Research School of Sedimentary Geology Con¬ origin of inversion structures mainly above former rifted tribution No. 99-304.
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