SW Cyprus Research Articles

The Eastern Mediterranean fish fauna from the Piacenzian deposits of Polis Graben (Cyprus Island)

Marine Piacenzian deposits are extremely rare in the eastern Mediterranean region, resulting in a stratigraphic gap in our knowledge of the late Pliocene evolution of the marine ecosystem and its fauna. Fish assemblages moreover are scant throughout the Pliocene. We present here the teleost fish fauna of the Piacenzian Polis basin (SW Cyprus) based on otolith assemblages, and we use them to reconstruct the paleoenvironment. Twenty-six teleost fish taxa are identified, placed under sixteen genera and five families. Planktonic foraminifera biostratigraphy places the studied outcrop within the subzones MPL4a and MPL5a (early–middle Piacenzian). Four species and two genera of fish are reported for the first time in the Piacenzian of the Mediterranean. The studied otolith assemblage from Androlykou section consists of very shallow-water fish mixed with mesopelagic taxa indicating topographical steepness with easy access to the open ocean. In addition, the fish assemblages mainly include representatives of subtropical taxa suggesting a climate warmer than today. These data provide new information on the composition of the ichthyofauna of the eastern Mediterranean during the Piacenzian, paving the way for new studies in the Cyprus area.

The radiolarian age and petrographic composition of a block of the Lower Jurassic volcaniclastic breccia and chert of the Mamonia Complex, SW Cyprus

An exceptional exposure of volcaniclastic breccia intercalated with radiolarian cherts and limestones was studied which constitutes a unique block within the Upper Cretaceous Mamonia Mélange in the Akamas Peninsula of southwestern Cyprus. This breccia, represents the lower part of the sedimentary cover of the Upper Triassic Phasoula Formation volcanics. The breccia mainly consists of clasts of metabasalts, diabases, metagabbros, hyaloclastites and quartz-albite-chlorite-epidote aggregates, which have been metamorphosed at greenschist facies, and subordinate siltstones. The thin-bedded cherts intercalated between breccia levels, yielded radiolarian assemblages, which indicate an Early Jurassic age (Sinemurian to Pliensbachian) for the sequence.

Radiolarian evidence for Middle Bathonian radiolarites in the Episkopi Formation (Ayios Photios Group, Mamonia Complex, SW Cyprus).

The Ayios Photios Group in SW Cyprus represents a deep-water slope or base of slope sequence that was accumulated on a Mesozoic margin of the Mediterranean Tethys. The Episkopi Formation is an essentially radiolaritic sequence, the age of which was previously considered to range between the Callovian and the Valanginian. A moderately well preserved (PI 4-5) radiolarian assemblage was extracted after laboratory leaching with diluted hydrofluoric acid of a radiolarian chert bed south of the village of Episkopi. Based on the co-occurrence of Bernoullius rectispinus leporinus Conti & Marcucci, Hexasaturnalis tetraspinus (Yao) and Theocapsommella cucurbiformis (Baumgartner), the assemblage is correlated with the Middle Bathonian (Unitary Association Zone 6). Our results extend downwards the known age range of radiolarites of the Episkopi formation and reduce the previously known range of depositional hiatus with the underlying Upper Triassic formations of the Ayios Photios Group.

The Kyrenia Terrane (Northern Cyprus): Detrital Zircon Evidence for Exotic Elements in the Southern Neotethys

AbstractThe Kyrenia terrane of northern Cyprus comprises a tectonic stack of Triassic to Eocene rock units interleaved with basic and acid volcanics and minor metamorphic inliers, alongside an Oligocene‐Miocene flysch. Our U‐Pb‐Hf detrital zircon investigation in the Kyrenia Triassic to Eocene section reveals Precambrian, Silurian (∼430 Ma), Carboniferous (∼300 Ma), Triassic (∼240 Ma), and Upper Cretaceous (∼85 Ma) zircons. The presence of 300 Ma zircons, as early as in Triassic sediments, is enigmatic because Carboniferous magmatism is confined to the Paleotethyan realm which is traced north of the Taurides. Deposition of the Kyrenia sequence closer to a Northern Tethyan province would better fit its detrital zircon signal. The detrital signal of the Kyrenia, indicative for derivation from areas north of the Mediterranean, also differs significantly from that of the Mamonia Complex (SW Cyprus) in which only Afro‐Arabian sources are distinguished. Thus, in view of its unusual detrital zircon content, the Kyrenia sequence stands out in the Eastern Mediterranean as an exotic rock pile that cannot be straightforwardly correlated with its neighboring geologic environment. We defined the metamorphic inliers of Kyrenia as an ophiolitic mélange and recognized blueschist‐greenschist facies metamorphism to which we infer an Upper Cretaceous age. A U‐Pb zircon age of 555 ± 9 Ma (Cadomian) was obtained for the crystallization of a metabasic rock in the mélange. These findings support the geodynamic linkage of the Kyrenia with the Alanya and Bitlis massifs that were also affected by Upper Cretaceous HP‐LT metamorphism and accreted to the southern Tauride.

New evidence and interpretation of facies, provenance and geochemistry of late Triassic-early Cretaceous Tethyan deep-water passive margin-related sedimentary rocks (Ayios Photios Group), SW Cyprus in the context of eastern Mediterranean geodynamics

The late Triassic-early Cretaceous deep-sea sedimentary succession exposed in western Cyprus is used here to help understand the wider context of continental break-up and seafloor spreading in the easternmost Mediterranean region. The restored sequence begins with late Triassic, base-of-slope sandstone turbidites and mudrocks, and fines upwards into mudrocks, distal calciturbidites and metalliferous sediments. After a hiatus, late Jurassic-early Cretaceous non-calcareous mudstones and radiolarites accumulated beneath the carbonate compensation depth, together with redeposited shallow-water-derived carbonates, including calcirudites. The succession culminates in late Jurassic-early Cretaceous very thickly bedded and highly mature quartzarenites that accumulated by mass-flow processes. The fine-grained siliciclastic sediments are terrigenous in origin, as indicated by whole-rock, trace element and REE analysis. Fe, Mn and trace metal enrichment in the late Triassic represents hydrothermal input related to submarine volcanism that was probably triggered by the nearby onset of seafloor spreading. The late Triassic sandstones were derived from a low to intermediate-grade metamorphic source terrane. The late Jurassic-early Cretaceous sandstones reflect extreme physical and chemical maturity in the source area, followed by transport and mass flow to a deep-water base-of-slope setting. Regional facies variation and locally available palaeocurrent data suggest sediment supply, originally from a continental block, no more than tens of km to the west or north. Similar successions are exposed in W Turkey, represented by the Antalya Complex. In the light of alternatives, the sedimentary succession is restored as the base-of-slope apron of a rifted microcontinental block, adjacent to the northern margin of the S Neotethys. The overall succession indicates (unstable) passive margin development after regional latest Triassic-early Jurassic continental break-up, with implications for plate reconstructions and hydrocarbon exploration.

Proving a landslide: ground behaviour problems at Pissouri, Cyprus

The residential area of Limnes in Pissouri, SW Cyprus has experienced significant ground behaviour problems since heavy winter rainfall in 2011/2012. These problems have comprised cracking and displacement to the ground, pavements, roads, walls and buildings, leading to the abandonment of the most seriously-affected houses. Nicosia marl comprises the underlying lithology, a material that is associated with volume change upon wetting and drying and has led to foundation problems elsewhere in the country. Various explanations have been given to account for the observed phenomena at Limnes, including the effects of underground water , settlement, slope instability, cyclical shrink–swell, seepage erosion and dissolution. Raised water tables, caused by residential waste-water discharges, applied loads from residential buildings, and inadequate ground investigation and foundation design, are other contributory or causal factors that have been cited. A geomorphological study was undertaken in 2017 and early 2018 that combined field observations with aerial photograph interpretation, and a review of available ground investigation data, to yield an explanation and develop a preliminary ground model. The conclusion drawn was that the Limnes area had been affected by ancient (possibly late Pleistocene–early Holocene) deep-seated failure and that slope instability had subsequently been reactivated at a shallower depth within the failed material as a result of loss of material strength and high water tables. The properties of the Nicosia marl, while important in controlling the behaviour of the ground on a site-by-site basis, were considered to be aggravating factors in the context of the landslide displacement(s) affecting the slope as a whole. InSAR satellite movement monitoring data were analysed for the Limnes area and the outcome vindicated the geomorphological interpretation and helped strengthen the ground model that embodied slope failure as the underlying cause of damage.

Tsunami hazard in the Eastern Mediterranean: geological evidence from the Anatolian coastal area (Silifke, southern Turkey)

Tsunami deposits are used worldwide to provide a record of past offshore earthquakes and submarine landslides, which is essential for tsunami hazard evaluation. This work shows for the first time geological evidence of tsunamis along the coast of southern central Turkey. The occurrence of onshore, m-scale out-of-place boulders at 2.6 m a.s.l. in the Silifke district (southern Anatolia) is here interpreted as transported by tsunami waves with a minimum run-up of 3.0 m. AMS 14C dating on vermetids (Bivonia triquetra) from those boulders point to a tsunami event younger than 1950 AD. From the Eastern Mediterranean tsunami catalog, the only tsunamigenic event within the chronicles that is supposed to have impacted southern Anatolia after 1950 AD is the 10 September 1953 M = 6.2 earthquake, which resulted from activity along the SW Cyprus subduction zone and Paphos transform fault. However, given the low magnitude of the 10 September 1953 earthquake which could have been insufficient to generate a tsunami with minimum run-up of 3.0 m, a local tsunami triggered by a marine landslide from the southern margin of the southern Anatolia cannot be ruled out. Considering the proximity of earthquake tsunamigenic zones (e.g., Hellenic and Cyprean arc subduction zones) and the potential for local landslide-generated tsunamis, tsunami waves with run-ups higher than 3.0 m could be expected to have struck the southern Anatolian coast in the past and will likely strike in the future. Evidence for past tsunamis that affected the Mediterranean coast of southern Turkey has to be taken into account for tsunami risk assessment, particularly in areas where strategic infrastructure has been planned (e.g., Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant).

Timing of uplift of the Troodos Massif (Cyprus) constrained by sedimentary and magnetic polarity evidence

Abstract: Plio-Pleistocene sediments exposed around the ophiolitic Troodos Massif document spectacular uplift from below sea level to a maximum height of c . 2000 m. Sedimentation reflects a dominant control of focused tectonic uplift, modified by the effects of glacio-eustatic sea-level change and climatic change. Understanding the uplift and controls on deposition has been hindered by an inadequate age model. Here, we present a preliminary investigation of the polarity of remanent magnetizations recorded within the upper part of the Pliocene succession in the Pissouri and Mesaoria basins and from the Pleistocene marine terrace deposits that border the Troodos Massif. When integrated with available lithostatigraphic and biostratigraphic data, the main results are as follows. Focused uplift of the Troodos Massif began during the Late Pliocene, either between 2.14 and 1.95 Ma or immediately prior to 1.77 Ma. Shallow-marine, ophiolite-derived clastic and bioclastic sediments accumulated in both the Mesaoria and Pissouri basins, implying that the Troodos Massif was uplifted as a single tectonic entity. Non-marine, deltaic and fluvial facies prograded into both of the basins during the Pleistocene (1.77 Ma–recent). Marine terraces in SW and south Cyprus were cut and covered by littoral sediments from <0.78 Ma, suggesting that high rates of uplift of the Troodos Massif persisted into mid- and late Pleistocene time.

GEOCHEMICAL AND PETROLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF LATE TRIASSIC BASIC VOLCANIC ROCKS FROM THE KOCALI COMPLEX; SE TURKEY: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE TRIASSIC EVOLUTION OF SOUTHERN TETHYS

The Kocali Complex in SE Anatolia is mainly composed of tectonically imbricated slices of pelagic rock suits (pelagic limestones; cherts; etc); platform carbonates; clastics; serpentinites and basic volcanics. It can be subdivided into four main parts as the Tarasa Unit; the Konak Unit; the Cilo Limestones and the Kale Ophiolite. In this paper; geochemical characteristics of basic volcanic rocks associated with pelagic sediments (radiolarian cherts; pelagic limestones; etc) have been studied along four stratigraphical sections (the Tarasa; the Bulam-2; the Korun-1 and the Korun-2) in the Konak and the Tarasa Units. The age of the volcanic sequences have been assigned to Late Triassic (middle Carnian to Rhaetian) based on the radiolarian data from the associated pelagic rock units. Geochemical data indicates the presence of two different types of Late Triassic volcanic rock groups characterized by E-MORB-type (Group-1 volcanites from the Tarasa Unit formed by mixing of OIB and MORB-type melts) and OIB-type (Group-2 volcanites from the Konak Unit) mantle sources. None of the samples from the Kocali Complex has characteristics of N-MORB type mantle source and was affected by crustal contamination. Based on these data; it can be suggested that all these volcanic rocks formed in a marginal oceanic basin away from the ocean ridge. The presence of Radiolaria and Bivalvia-bearing pelagic limestones and cherts associated to the basic volcanic rocks in the Kocali Complex also emphasize that they all formed in deep marine basin. Geochemical characteristics of Late Triassic volcanics in the Kocali Complex have great similarities and well-correlative to the coeval volcanics previously studied in the Southern Tethyan Belt (e.g. the Baer-Bassit region in NW Syria; the Mamonia Complex in SW Cyprus and the Antalya Nappes in SW Turkey). Taking into the consideration of the geochemical data obtained from Late Triassic basic volcanics in the Kocali Complex and geochemical characteristics of the coeval volcanics in the adjacent units in the Southern Tethyan Belt; it can be suggested that rifting age of the Southern Tethyan Oceanic Basin in SE Anatolia is probably earlier than early Late Triassic (middle Carnian time).

LATE TRIASSIC FORAMINIFERA IN REEFAL LIMESTONES OF SW CYPRUS

Research Article| July 01, 2009 LATE TRIASSIC FORAMINIFERA IN REEFAL LIMESTONES OF SW CYPRUS Rossana Martini; Rossana Martini 4 1Department of Geology and Paleontology, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland. 4Correspondence author. E-mail: Rossana.Martini@unige.ch Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Bernard Peybernés; Bernard Peybernés 2Geosciences Montpellier (Basin team), University of Montpellier 2, CNRS, 34095 Montpellier and 17 rue A. de Gargas, 31500 Toulouse, France. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Patrice Moix Patrice Moix 3Institute of Geology and Paleontology, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Journal of Foraminiferal Research (2009) 39 (3): 218–230. https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.39.3.218 Article history first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Rossana Martini, Bernard Peybernés, Patrice Moix; LATE TRIASSIC FORAMINIFERA IN REEFAL LIMESTONES OF SW CYPRUS. Journal of Foraminiferal Research 2009;; 39 (3): 218–230. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gsjfr.39.3.218 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyJournal of Foraminiferal Research Search Advanced Search Abstract The objective of this study is to assess Late Triassic (late Carnian-Norian to Rhaetian) foraminiferal faunas relative to carbonate textures in reefal limestones cropping out in SW Cyprus. The fauna is a highly diversified, facies-controlled association comprising 32 species in 27 genera. There are two important relationships between reefal genera and host sediments: Hydrania and Cucurbita are very abundant in bio-floatstone to rudstone, and Ophthalmidiidae Ophthalmidium, Densophthalmidium and Paraophthalmidium) are very abundant in skeletal-peloidal packstone. In addition, the genera Kaeveria, Bispiranella, and Miliolipora have only been recorded in the skeletal-peloidal packstone of Aphrodite’s Rock in the Petra tou Romiou area.The microfauna is typical of shallow, high-energy tropical carbonate platforms where reefal structures provide a variety of microenvironments for abundant and diverse foraminifera. Foraminifera disperse rapidly in these environments, which were very common during the Late Triassic; hence, the Late Triassic Cypriote fauna has both European and Asian affinities. Indeed, many of the species that are common in Cyprus are also found in other parts of Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Thaliacean distribution and abundance in the northern part of the Levantine Sea (Crete and Cyprus) during the eastern Mediterranean climatic transient, and a comparison with the western Mediterranean basin

First results are presented on the composition, abundance and vertical distribution of the thaliacean fauna in the Levantine basin obtained from stratified tows at three deep-sea sites in 1993: SE off Crete, and SW and NE off Cyprus. Samples with a 10 m2-MOCNESS (mesh size 1.67 mm) were poor in species and specimens as compared to samples with a 1 m2-double-MOCNESS (0.333 mm). Of the 12 species identified, six species belonged to the most abundant Doliolida, predominated by the phorozooids of Doliolum nationalis, five species belonged to the Salpida and one to the Pyrosomatida. Thaliaceans, most abundant by species and numbers SE off Crete, comprised ≤0.2% of the local mesozooplankton standing stocks. Presumably, they did not contribute substantially to the vertical flux generating the locally increased biomass and activity of the microbial benthos at the 4,300 m deep Cretean site. Most doliolids and salps were collected from the epipelagic and upper mesopelagic layers, and appeared to be most abundant close to the deep maximum of chlorophyll-a. Samples below 150 m were rarely rich in specimens, although two species performed diel migrations from the mesopelagic zone into the surface layers where some vertical segregation was evidenced. The aspect of niche separation is discussed.

Nature and origin of the Triassic volcanism in Albania and Othrys: a key to understanding the Neotethys opening?

AbstractTriassic volcanic rocks, stratigraphically associated with pelagic or reef limestones, are tectonically juxtaposed with Mesozoic ophiolites in the Tethyan realm. From the central (Dinarides, Hellenides) and eastern Mediterranean (Antalya, Troodos, Baër Bassit) to the Semail nappes (Oman), they occur either associated to the tectonic sole of the ophiolitic nappes or as a distinct tectonic pile intercalated between the ophiolites and other underthrust units. In the Dinaro-Hellenic belt, the Pelagonian units represent the lower plate, which is underthrust beneath the ophiolites. Middle to Late Triassic volcanic sequences are interpreted as the eastern flank of the Pelagonian platform and are therefore considered as a distal, deep-water part of the Pelagonian margin.The Triassic volcanics from Albania and Othrys are made up of basaltic pillowed and massive flows, associated locally with dolerites and trachytes. New elemental, Nd and Pb isotopic data allow to recognize four types of volcanic suites: (1) intra-oceanic alkaline and tholeiitic basalts, (2) intra-oceanic arc-tholeiites, (3) back-arc basin basalts, (4) calc-alkaline mafic to felsic rocks. Nd and Pb isotopic initial ratios suggest that the within-plate volcanic rocks were derived from an enriched oceanic island basalt type mantle source, devoid of any continental crustal component. The lower εNd value of the trachyte could be due to assimilation of oceanic altered crust or sediments in a shallow magma chamber. Island arc tholeiites and back-arc basin basalts have a similar wide range of εNd. The absence of Nb negative anomalies in the back-arc basin basalts suggests that the basin floored by these basalts was wide and mature. The high Th contents of the island arc tholeiites suggest that the arc volcanoes were located not far away from the continental margin.Albania and Othrys volcanics contrast with the Late Triassic volcanism from eastern Mediterranean (SW Cyprus, SW Turkey), which displays solely features of oceanic within plate suites. The presence of back-arc basin basalts associated with arc-related volcanics in Central Mediterranean indicates that they were close to a still active subduction during the Upper Triassic, while back-arc basins developed, associated with within-plate volcanism, leading to the NeoTethys opening.

Magmatism associated with Gondwanaland rifting and Neo-Tethyan oceanic basin development: evidence from the Mamonia Complex, SW Cyprus

Volcanic and intrusive rocks of the Dhiarizos Group, occurring within the Mamonia Complex of SW Cyprus, comprise mainly tholeiitic basalts, ocean island tholeiites (OIT) and other alkalic varieties, with minor alkaline lamprophyre intrusive rocks. These rocks were highly tectonized and dismembered during the collision with the Troodos oceanic lithosphere. Trace element data for the most primitive mafic igneous rock samples suggest that the tholeiitic basalts are derived from a depleted mantle source whereas the OIT and the alkalic basalts originated from variable degrees of partial melting of a spinel peridotite mantle. Alkaline lamprophyres are products of a small degree of partial melting of a deep-seated garnet lherzolite. The bulk of the tholeiites and alkalic varieties are Late Triassic in age and are interpreted as having formed during Neo-Tethyan sea-floor spreading and associated seamount volcanism. Amphibole separates from a lamprophyre intrusion have 40 Ar– 39 Ar ages of 140.7 ± 0.4 Ma. In this paper, we report for the first time an Early Cretaceous alkaline lamprophyric magmatism, which is probably associated with a renewed episode of Gondwanaland rifting. These results show that the development of the Neo-Tethyan oceanic basin in the Eastern Mediterranean was largely controlled by a two-phase rifting–drifting process.

Characterization of the Ezousas aquifer of SW Cyprus for storage–recovery purposes using treated sewage effluent

Ahydrogeological characterization of the Ezousas alluvial aquifer, located in SW Cyprus, has been conducted to assess its suitability for groundwater recharge with 5 Mm 3 a −1 of chlorinated disinfected tertiary treated sewage effluent from the Paphos Municipality Wastewater Treatment Plant. We present results from a 3 year field study conducted to establish the regional groundwater regime and to define the aquifer hydrology. New drillings at selected locations were made to provide reliable information about the aquifer dimensions and boundaries. Pumping and constant-head permeability tests were used to estimate the key hydraulic properties of the aquifer system. The storage capacity was assessed to be 4.2 Mm 3 . The bedrock of the aquifer, in its approach to the sea, was found to be some 40 m below sea level, thus indicating the potential for seawater intrusion. A monitoring programme consisting of recording piezometric heads and electrical conductivities was used to observe the position of the seawater–freshwater interface, so that rates of abstraction and recharge could be determined, to maintain a stable interface. The quality of the treated sewage effluent, and of native and abstracted groundwater, was continuously assessed in terms of salinity, heavy metals, persistent organic compounds and microbiota, to optimize the quality of the downstream groundwater used for local irrigation.

Timing of subduction zone metamorphism during the formation and emplacement of Troodos and Baer–Bassit ophiolites: insights from 40Ar–39Ar geochronology

The Troodos ophiolite in Cyprus and Baer–Bassit ophiolite in Syria together form part of the Tethyan ophiolite belt. They were generated in a supra-subduction zone setting in Late Cretaceous times. As with many of the ophiolite occurrences in this belt, the sequences are closely associated with tectonic ‘coloured mélange’ zones, which contain, among a variety of lithologies, metre- to kilometre-size blocks of metamorphic rocks. Precise 40Ar–39Ar laser step-heating experiments performed on four amphibolites from SW Cyprus and six from NW Syria, yield plateau ages ranging from 75.7±0.3 Ma to 88.9±0.8 Ma in Cyprus and 71.7±0.5 to 88.4±0.4 Ma in Syria. The older limits of these time spans are coeval with the age of the formation of the associated ophiolites. Unlike other metamorphic sole rocks which seem to form in relatively short time spans, these metamorphic rocks found in Cyprus and Syria are interpreted to have formed in Late Cretaceous times by accretion below the overriding Troodos and Baer–Bassit crust for a period of 15–18 Ma. The metamorphic complexes were exhumed by extension and crustal thinning associated with subduction roll-back and the rotation of the overriding plate until the cessation of subduction in Maastrichtian times. In Cyprus, the exhumed metamorphic complex was incorporated into an accretionary prism constructed primarily of the collapsed Mamonia passive margin sequence intercalated with rocks of the Troodos ophiolite during plate collision in the Maastrichtian. Concomitantly, in Syria, the Baer–Bassit ophiolite and subcreted metamorphic complex were emplaced onto the Arabian passive margin and fragmented into blocks and knockers, forming the Baer–Bassit mélange.

The Mamonia Complex (SW Cyprus) revisited: remnant of Late Triassic intra-oceanic volcanism along the Tethyan southwestern passive margin

Upper Triassic volcanic and sedimentary rocks of the Mamonia Complex in southwestern Cyprus are exposed in erosional windows through the post-Cretaceous cover, where the Mamonia Complex is tectonically imbricated with the Troodos and Akamas ophiolitic suites. Most of these Upper Triassic volcanic rocks have been considered to represent remnants of Triassic oceanic crust and its associated seamounts. New Nd and Pb isotopic data show that the whole Mamonia volcanic suite exhibits features of oceanic island basalts (OIB). Four rock types have been distinguished on the basis of the petrology and chemistry of the rocks. Volcanism began with the eruption of depleted olivine tholeiites (Type 1) and oceanic island tholeiites (Type 2) associated with deep basin siliceous and/or calcareous sediments. The tholeiites were followed by highly phyric alkali basalts (Type 3) interbedded with pelagic Halobia-bearing limestones or white reefal limestones. Strongly LREE-enriched trachytes (Type 4) were emplaced during the final stage of volcanic activity. Nd and Pb isotopic ratios suggest that tholeiites and mildly alkali basalts derived from partial melting of heterogeneous enriched mantle sources. Fractional crystallization alone cannot account for the derivation of trachytes from alkaline basalts. The trachytes could have been derived from the partial melting at depth of mafic material which shares with the alkali basalts similar trace element and isotopic compositions. This is corroborated by the rather similar isotopic compositions of the alkali basalts and trachytes. The correlations observed between incompatible elements (Nb, Th) and εNd and Pb isotopic initial ratios suggest that the Mamonia suite was derived from the mixing of a depleted mantle (DMM) and an enriched component of High μ (μ = 238U/204Pb, HIMU) type. Models using both Nd and Pb isotopic initial ratios suggest that the depleted tholeiites (Type 1) derived from a DMM source contaminated by an Enriched Mantle Type 2 component (EM2), and that the oceanic tholeiites (Type 2), alkali basalts (Type 3) and trachytes (Type 4) were derived from the mixing of the enriched mantle source of the depleted tholeiites with a HIMU component. None of the Mamonia volcanic rocks show evidence of crustal contamination. The Upper Triassic within-plate volcanism likely erupted in a small southerly Neotethyan basin, located north of the Eratosthenes seamount and likely floored by oceanic crust.

Tectonics of the Akamas and Mamonia ophiolites, Western Cyprus: magnetic petrofabrics and paleomagnetism

The Akamas ophiolite is shown to be a distal, off-axis extension of the main outcrop of Cretaceous ophiolite in the Troodos complex of Cyprus. Mantle-sequence harzburgites of both ophiolites share similarly oriented mantle-flow fabrics and the same Tertiary magnetizations acquired during exhumation. However, compared with the Troodos mantle sequence rocks, the Akamas ferromagnetic mineralogy is more oxidized and remanences with lower blocking temperatures were acquired chemically. Paleopoles calculated from published vectors and our own new data define an apparent polar wander path (APWP) for the Troodos microplate. The APWP shows that between 88 and ∼50 Ma the Troodos microplate was equatorial and the vertical axis for its 60° anticlockwise rotation was located within the microplate. Subsequently, the microplate drifted northward to 34°N with minor anticlockwise rotation at a reduced rate. That requires microplate-rotation about a vertical axis located to the west of Cyprus in the last ∼50 Ma. The allochthonous Triassic Mamonia terrane docked with the Cretaceous Troodos terrane in SW Cyprus. Within it, disrupted tectonized ophiolite has been regarded as part of a Triassic ocean floor or as sheared fragments of Cretaceous Troodos ophiolite, incorporated into the Mamonia terrane when it docked with the Troodos terrane. Whatever their provenance, their paleomagnetic signals postdate their penetrative deformation and metamorphism and their paleopoles may still be used to track their post-strain motion. Our calculations of paleopoles from published vectors for the Mamonia terrane smear along an extension of the APWP for the Troodos microplate that is, moreover, concentric with the Troodos microplate. This suggests that the paleopole dispersion of the Triassic Mamonia rocks and their post-magnetization disruption occurred during their accretion onto the anticlockwise-spinning Troodos microplate.

The sigillata manufactories of Pergamon and Sagalassos

The Late Hellenistic period saw the intensification of pottery mass-production processes, of which Eastern Sigillata may be considered the pearl in the crown. Reddish tableware had a long tradition in the Levant and its evolution culminated around 150 B.C., in the region between Tarsos and Laodikeia, with the production of Eastern Sigillata A (ESA). More or less simultaneously, but independently, the manufacturing of Eastern Sigillata C (ESC) was initiated at Pergamon. Within a couple of decades the new range of tableware would establish itself in both regions of production, and other pottery production centres picked up the trend with, for instance, the production of Eastern Sigillata D (ESD) in SW Cyprus and the Late Hellenistic predecessor of Sagalassos red slip ware (SRSW) at Pisidian Sagalassos. No doubt, many more regional centres followed suit.The new tableware only gradually made its way, starting to replace other common Late Hellenistic types of fine ware. Only by the end of the Hellenistic period did sigillata become common on most Eastern tables. ESA was clearly in a league of its own, predominating through out the E Mediterranean and beyond. ESD was mainly restricted to Cyprus and the Levant, whereas ESC and Late Hellenistic SRSW remained of regional importance. More research is needed to evaluate the supra-regional demand for ESA in a social context, how this demand may have formed part of wider-ranging commercial activities of Levantine merchants in the E Mediterranean, how the geo-political shifts orchestrated by Rome may have influenced the exchange patterns, and how the other types of Eastern Sigillata and Late Hellenistic tablewares fit into this pattern and relate to prototypes in precious metal, For instance, the island emporion of Delos, handed over to Athens in 167 B.C. and especially favoured by the Romans after the destruction of Corinth in 146 B.C., may have been of crucial importance in establishing the distribution pattern of early ESA. Delos catered to the needs of Italy, which had grown powerful and rich in the 2nd c. B.C., by funnelling large numbers of slaves and a wide variety of luxury products, mainly from the Near East, to Rome. Levantine merchants contributed greatly to the success of Delos by controlling the supply mechanisms. As a result, ESA may have grown into a desirable surrogate for Eastern precious metal plate and thus acquired an esteemed position in the tableware market (cf. Cic, ad Att. 115 [VI.1] 13, dated 50 B.C., on vasa Rhosica).

Kinematic history of a reactivated oceanic suture: the Mamonia Complex Suture Zone, SW Cyprus

The Mamonia Complex Suture Zone in SW Cyprus marks an arcuate tectonic suture between an Upper Cretaceous, oceanic microplate of supra-subduction zone origin (Troodos Complex) and a deformed Triassic passive margin sequence (Mamonia Complex). Mapping of the serpentinite-filled fault zones that define the suture zone, combined with microstructural studies of its constituent fault rocks, has revealed evidence of three main tectonic events of Upper Cretaceous age: (1) high temperature ( c . 600°C), transform-related, dextral strike-slip and localized metamorphism of Mamonia Complex units ( c . 90–83 Ma); (2) retrograde hydration (<400°C) during dextral transtension associated with the rotation of the Troodos microplate and the shallow-level emplacement of serpentinite ( c . 83–73 Ma); (3) regional contractional reactivation at low temperatures, which ceased by the latest Maastrichtian ( c . 65 Ma). The present day structural geometries are interpreted as the result of Maastrichtian contractional reactivation of a pre-existing, steep and irregular structural architecture that formed during transtension. The resultant orientation of finite strain axes and thrust displacements display a radial distribution, documenting near fault normal contraction along the whole length of the arcuate suture zone. This pattern of displacements suggests a model whereby the Troodos microplate impinged on the Mamonia Complex during westerly- to southwesterly-directed plate motion, contractionally reactivating the mechanically weak suture zone.

Multiple tectonic rotations and transform tectonism in an intraoceanic suture zone, SW Cyprus

New palaeomagnetic data from the Late Cretaceous, Neotethyan Troodos ophiolite and related units in SW Cyprus provide compelling evidence that transform tectonism is recorded outside the main outcrop of the fossil Southern Troodos Transform Fault Zone (STTFZ). High-level intrusive and extrusive sequences were sampled along the SW margin of the Troodos massif and in ophiolitic slivers preserved along arcuate fault lineaments further to the south and west. These units show cross-cutting relationships with corresponding differences in remanent magnetisation directions, characteristic of syn-magmatic rotation in an active transform setting. Net tectonic rotation analyses allow decomposition of the total rotation at these sites into early and late components. Early transform-related rotations are consistently clockwise, in agreement with all other studies of rotations associated with the STTFZ further to the east. Late rotations and the net rotations derived at localities where cross-cutting relationships were not present are regarded as composite in origin. The composite rotation axes closely relate to the orientation of observed regional structures. In these circumstances, additional constraints are used to attempt geologically viable interpretations. The overall distribution of transform-related rotations (steeply and shallowly plunging rotation axes) and spreading axis-related rotations (sub-horizontal rotation axes) is comparable with that along the STTFZ and adjacent parts of the Troodos massif. This is most readily explained by simple along-strike extension of the primary spreading axis and transform fabrics into SW Cyprus, with minor late disruption by high-angle dextral shear zones and neotectonic graben systems.