Geometry and kinematics of the active structures along the Latakia Ridge (Cyprus Arc)

Abstract

  The eastern Mediterranean has been the locus of catastrophic earthquakes and related tsunamis (e.g., the 365 Crete and 1222 Cyprus earthquakes). The primary sources of these seismic events are structures related to the subduction of the Nubian Plate along the Hellenic and Cyprus arcs.  A detailed identification and description of the potential tsunamigenic sources are required as part of an assessment of earthquake and tsunami hazards. Here we focus on the Cyprus Arc region, in which the oceanic crust is still subducting beneath the Anatolian Plate in the west, whereas in the eastern sector, the oceanic crust has been completely subducted, and the lower plate consists of thinned continental crust. The rates of shortening are higher in the western sector than in the east. During recent decades, new data from extensive hydrocarbon exploration have allowed us to image structures that deform the seafloor and influence the shape of the recent basins in the eastern sector. The Latakia Ridge is the most prominent tectonic structure in the area. The present-day architecture of this ridge is the result of Meso-Cenozoic convergence followed by a transpressive phase related to the northward migration of the Arabian Plate. Therefore, the present geometry of the tectonic structure results from a complex interplay between reverse and strike-slip faults. Our reinterpretation of previously published seismic reflection profiles crossing the Latakia Ridge allows us to reconstruct the geometry of the main active faults and suggests their recent kinematics. Our findings could be crucial for the reassessment of seismic and tsunami hazards in the eastern sector of the Cyprus Arc.