Abstract
Caucasus region is located in the center of Alpine-Himalayan orogenic belt. It is made of two Great and Lesser Caucasus fold thrust belts and an intramountain area called Trans caucasus or Mid caucasus. This region contains a system of oceanic crust subduction, island arcs, volcanic arcs, back arc basins and rifts. The earthquakes of 60 km in depth are the evidences of deep brittle zone under Great Caucasus. Without considering Prototethys, Paleotethys and Neotethys Oceans, the tectonic situation of this region is not possible to study. The oceanic lithosphere under oceanic lithosphere subduction made Trans caucasus containing a trans crust. The subduction of Prototethys under Baltic made Great Caucasus and the subduction of Paleotethys under Iran, made Lesser Caucasus. The earth sutures caused by the closure of Prototethys and Paleotethys Oceans are clear in the region. The direction of Paleotethys subduction in lesser Caucasus is a considerable issue. Most of the existing evidences prove the southward direction which is different from Paleotethys subduction in Alborz of Iran. The lithospheric type of Midcaucasus is different from Caspian. Midcaucasus plays the role of determining collision type in the region.
Highlights
According to lots of authors, Middle East region contains 10 unites: 1) Helmend and Farah in Afghanistan; 2) Southwest Pakistan and southeast Turkmenistan; 3) Alborz; 4) Central Iran; 5) Sanandaj-Sirjan; 6) Northwest Iran; 7) Pontides (Turkey); 8) Taurides (Turkey); 9) Great Caucasus; 10) Lesser Caucasus
The great ocean located between Baltic and Arabia-Africa is named Prototethys, Paleotethys is used for the ocean between Africa-Arabia and Trans Caucasus and recent ocean located in Zagros-Bitlis is named Neotethys
For the creation of Trans Caucasus with old basement rocks, we suggest a subduction inside Prototethys Ocean and using Adamia et al [14] studies, a south direction is assumed for the subduction (Figure 2)
Summary
According to lots of authors, Middle East region contains 10 unites: 1) Helmend and Farah in Afghanistan; 2) Southwest Pakistan and southeast Turkmenistan; 3) Alborz; 4) Central Iran; 5) Sanandaj-Sirjan; 6) Northwest Iran (probably up to east of turkey); 7) Pontides (Turkey); 8) Taurides (Turkey); 9) Great Caucasus; 10) Lesser Caucasus. Middle East is an obvious sample of mosaic tectonic. Most of these terranes are highly deformed and are involved in a wide tectonic belt between Eurasia, Arabia and India. Northwest of Iran, east of turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and around have different structural units related to their middle east tectonic. The tectonically differences between Gharedagh and Moghan with other parts of Iran, made us to study the history of Caucasus which later can be used in reclassification of structural unites of this country. According to some of the researchers believing Caspian oceanic lithosphere and Black Sea are trapped, more study on Midcaucasus is required since it seems to have an important effect on lithospheres trapping
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