The effect of movement on high-angle faults on stratigraphy and structure: the Attico-Cycladic Massif, Greece

Abstract

The topography of the Attico-Cycladic massif has previously been assumed to be primarily the result of erosion. However, detailed field work has shown that the topography is largely tectonically controlled and is the result of small, dip-slip displacements on two sets of high-angle faults. In order to account for the juxtaposition of the various rock types in the region, previous workers have invoked the existence of nappe structures and major unconformities. While accepting that such structures do exist in the Attico-Cycladic massif, it is suggested that many of these juxtapositions can be accounted for by relatively small movements on numerous high-angle faults and that the recognition of these important fault sets considerably simplifies the structural and stratigraphical interpretation of the region.