Along‐strike consistency of an extensional detachment system, West Cyclades, Greece

Abstract

AbstractThe Lavrion district of the Attica Peninsula, Greece, exposes the West Cycladic Detachment System (WCDS), a low‐angle crustal‐scale extensional fault system separating tectonostratigraphic units of the Cycladic Blueschist Unit. New multiple single‐grain fusion and step‐heated white mica 40Ar/39Ar ages integrated with existing (U–Th)/He ages and independent paleothermometry resolves a syn‐ to post‐orogenic deformation history. A structurally higher unit records Oligocene greenschist facies deformation that evolved into brittle conditions by the middle Miocene, and shares a similar history to Serifos at the southern end of the detachment system. The structurally lowest unit remained ductile until the late Miocene, preserving pervasive post‐orogenic structures, similar to along‐strike structures at the centre, deepest part of the fault. The similarities of structural styles and the timing of deformation across > 150 km of strike length of the detachment system indicates tens of kilometers of offset and extraordinary potential for correlating observations along Cycladic‐style detachment systems.