Tectono‐sedimentary evolution of the Plio‐Pleistocene Corinth rift, Greece

Robert L Gawthorpe,Julian E Andrews,Michael Stamatakis,Emmanuel Skourtsos,Jenni A Turner,Martin Muravchik,Mike R Leeder,Gijs A Henstra,Haralambos Kranis,Greg H Mack

doi:10.1111/bre.12260

Abstract

AbstractThe onshore central Corinth rift contains a syn‐rift succession >3 km thick deposited in 5–15 km‐wide tilt blocks, all now inactive, uplifted and deeply incised. This part of the rift records upward deepening from fluviatile to lake‐margin conditions and finally to sub‐lacustrine turbidite channel and lobe complexes, and deep‐water lacustrine conditions (Lake Corinth) were established over most of the rift by 3.6 Ma. This succession represents the first of two phases of rift development – Rift 1 from 5.0–3.6 to 2.2–1.8 Ma and Rift 2 from 2.2–1.8 Ma to present. Rift 1 developed as a 30 km‐wide zone of distributed normal faulting. The lake was fed by four major N‐ to NE‐flowing antecedent drainages along the southern rift flank. These sourced an axial fluvial system, Gilbert fan deltas and deep lacustrine turbidite channel and lobe complexes. The onset of Rift 2 and abandonment of Rift 1 involved a 30 km northward shift in the locus of rifting. In the west, giant Gilbert deltas built into a deepening lake depocentre in the hanging wall of the newly developing southern border fault system. Footwall and regional uplift progressively destroyed Lake Corinth in the central and eastern parts of the rift, producing a staircase of deltaic and, following drainage reversal, shallow marine terraces descending from >1000 m to present‐day sea level. The growth, linkage and death of normal faults during the two phases of rifting are interpreted to reflect self‐organization and strain localization along co‐linear border faults. In the west, interaction with the Patras rift occurred along the major Patras dextral strike‐slip fault. This led to enhanced migration of fault activity, uplift and incision of some early Rift 2 fan deltas, and opening of the Rion Straits at ca. 400–600 ka. The landscape and stratigraphic evolution of the rift was strongly influenced by regional palaeotopographic variations and local antecedent drainage, both inherited from the Hellenide fold and thrust belt.

Highlights

Extension across the Gulf of Corinth (Fig. 1) is fast and young – it is one of the planet’s most rapidly extending continental rifts – and geodetic extension rates reach 15 mm year 1, with maximum Holocene rift flank uplift approaching 3 mm year 1 (e.g. Davies et al, 1997; Clarke et al, 1998; Briole et al, 2000; Avallone et al, 2004; Pirazzoli et al, 2004; Bernard et al, 2006)
This paper presents new field observations of stratigraphy, sedimentology and structure from the relatively understudied central onshore Corinth rift
In the following discussion we focus on aspects of the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the Corinth rift that can be applied to rift basins globally

Summary

Introduction

Extension across the Gulf of Corinth (Fig. 1) is fast and young – it is one of the planet’s most rapidly extending continental rifts – and geodetic extension rates reach 15 mm year 1, with maximum Holocene rift flank uplift approaching 3 mm year 1 (e.g. Davies et al, 1997; Clarke et al, 1998; Briole et al, 2000; Avallone et al, 2004; Pirazzoli et al, 2004; Bernard et al, 2006). Evrostini and Ilias fan deltas in the west of the study area (Rohais et al, 2007a; Leeder et al, 2012) and, based on the palaeocurrent azimuths, it must be from these more proximal depositional systems that the majority of the Rethi-Dendro Formation sediment was derived.

Results

Conclusion