Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Hadi Shafaii Moghadam, Robert J. Stern
Summary: Subduction initiation leads to plate sinking and extensional stress on the overriding plate. The Late Cretaceous forearc ophiolites in Iran demonstrate that subduction initiation can cause strong extension over a wider region than previously thought.
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Mathieu Rodriguez, Maelis Arnould, Nicolas Coltice, Mathieu Soret
Summary: The head of a mantle plume weakens oceanic lithosphere through buoyancy forces and excess temperature, leading to intra-oceanic subductions. During the Late Cretaceous, the Neotethys subduction records suggest that plume-triggered subduction retreated towards the continental margins of Arabia and India. The sequential segmentation and diachronous deactivation of this subduction drove plate reorganization events in the Indian Ocean from the Late Cretaceous to the Eocene.
EARTH AND PLANETARY SCIENCE LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hossein Azizi, Motohiro Tsuboi
Summary: Magmatic activity in northwestern Iran occurred during three main intervals, with the last phase showing similarities to postcollisional magmatism. The Van microplate and surrounding ocean played a crucial role in the evolution of magmatic activity in the region since the Cretaceous.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Geology
Wenchao Yu, Giacomo Oggiano, Giovanni Mongelli, Jintao Zhou, Roberto Buccione, Lingtong Xu, Paola Mameli, Yuansheng Du
Summary: Bauxite deposits in Italy are mainly found in the Sardinia and Adria regions within Cretaceous carbonate sequences. The parental affinity of these deposits has long been disputed, with four potential sources proposed. This study analyzed the detrital zircon U-Pb ages and Hf isotope values of Cretaceous bauxites in these regions, along with published geochemical data, to discuss their provenances. The results showed that the bauxite deposits in Sardinia originated from the Variscan metasedimentary basement, while those in Adria were mainly supplied by coeval volcanic materials.
ORE GEOLOGY REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Alexandre Boutoux, Arthur Briaud, Claudio Faccenna, Paolo Ballato, Federico Rossetti, Eric Blanc
Summary: This study investigates the back-arc region of the Central Neotethys subduction zone, where alternating pulses of extension and compression, related to trench retreat and advance, are observed. Numerical models suggest that these events emerge spontaneously through slab folding and penetration into the mantle transition zone. The proposed model reconciles back-arc deformation and short-lived pulses of upper-plate vertical motion, providing insights into the dynamic evolution of deep mantle subduction in the Central Neotethys slab.
Article
Geology
H. S. Moghadam, Q. L. Li, R. J. Stern, W. L. Griffin, S. Y. O'Reilly
Summary: Geochronological and geochemical data suggest that Late Cretaceous Zagros ophiolites in southwestern Iran were formed through forearc seafloor spreading. These ophiolites span a belt of approximately 3000 km from Cyprus to Oman, passing through Turkey, Syria, Iran, and the UAE. The U-Pb zircon magmatic ages of samples from the Kermanshah ophiolite indicate ophiolite formation occurred between 98 and 96 million years ago. The presence of zircon xenocrysts in the Kermanshah ophiolite suggests its formation adjacent to the Iranian continent during Late Cretaceous subduction initiation.
INTERNATIONAL GEOLOGY REVIEW
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Luca Pandolfi, Edoardo Barbero, Michele Marroni, Morteza Delavari, Asghar Dolati, Maria Di Rosa, Chiara Frassi, Antonio Langone, Federico Farina, Christopher S. MacDonald, Emilio Saccani
Summary: This study focuses on the geological structural features of the Makran area, discussing the origin and evolutionary history of related rocks. It highlights the significance of the Bajgan Complex and provides explanations for its formation period.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Lydian M. Boschman
Summary: The Andes, the longest continental mountain range on Earth, started forming in the Late Cretaceous with highly diachronous uplift in different regions. Reconstructing the timing of surface uplift is crucial for understanding continental-scale moisture transport, the origin and evolution of the Amazon River and Rainforest, and the coevolution of solid Earth, landscapes, climate, and life in South America.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Guohui Chen, Alastair H. F. Robertson
Summary: Late Cretaceous and Paleogene volcanic rocks in the Kyrenia Range of North Cyprus consist of felsic and basaltic rocks, each with distinct geological and chemical characteristics. These rocks are inferred to have formed during stages of development of the active continental margin in the Northern Neotethys.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Benxun Su
Summary: Compiled global ophiolite data suggests that compositional variations in Cretaceous ophiolites are primarily attributed to a Cretaceous meteorite impact model. This impact disrupted the oceanic lithosphere and initiated subduction, resulting in changes in the composition of peridotites and chromitites. The impact also produced high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, causing melting of meteorites and surrounding rocks, and the distribution of fragments throughout the mantle.
JOURNAL OF EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Alastair Harry Forbes Robertson, Osman Parlak, Timur Ustaomer, Kemal Tasli, Paulian Dumitrica
Summary: The eastern Taurus region showcases a variety of geological processes including continental rifting, passive margin development, melange genesis, and ophiolite emplacement. Distinct rock formations and tectonic events during different geological periods interacted to create a complex geological structure in the area.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elham Ghasidian, Anooshe Kafash, Martin Kehl, Masoud Yousefi, Saman Heydari-Guran
Summary: The study of cultural materials associated with Neanderthal remains from the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Siberian Altai reveals two distinct techno-complexes - Micoquian and Mousterian. Least-cost-path modeling based on topography and paleoclimate data identifies two dispersal routes: a northern route from the Greater Caucasus associated with the Micoquian techno-complex to Siberian Altai, and a southern route from the Lesser Caucasus associated with Mousterian to Siberian Altai via the Southern Caspian Corridor. The southern dispersal route, located in the Southern Caspian corridor, is considered a potential place of admixture of different hominin species including Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
Review
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Randell Stephenson, Sergiy Stovba
Summary: This study investigates the geological history of the Black Sea basin and reveals the importance of the Cretaceous rifting and Cenozoic compressional tectonics in the formation and present-day structure of the basin. The results suggest that the present crustal and lithosphere architecture in the Black Sea area is largely influenced by extensional tectonic events in pre-Cretaceous times.
JOURNAL OF GEODYNAMICS
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Levan Mumladze, Tatia Kuljanishvili, Bella Japoshvili, Giorgi Epitashvili, Lukaes Kalous, Lorenzo Vilizzi, Marina Piria
Summary: Invasive non-native fish species pose a significant threat to freshwater ecosystems, especially in developing countries where knowledge and legislation regarding biological invasions are limited. This study conducted a risk screening of 32 non-native fish species in the South Caucasus region under current and predicted climate conditions. The results showed an increase in the number of high-risk species under predicted climate conditions, including already established species such as gibel carp and topmouth gudgeon. Future research in this region should consider both the high biodiversity and the geopolitical situation.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Melek Ural, Kaan Sayit, Osman Ersin Koralay, Mehmet Cemal Goncuoglu
Summary: During the Late Cretaceous in the Eastern Mediterranean, the closure of the northern branch of the southern Neotethys was caused by multiple northward subductions. This resulted in the formation of the Baskil continental arc and the Yuksekova Complex, representing different tectonic settings and sources.
ACTA GEOLOGICA SINICA-ENGLISH EDITION
(2021)
Review
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Randell Stephenson, Sergiy Stovba
Summary: This study investigates the geological history of the Black Sea basin and reveals the importance of the Cretaceous rifting and Cenozoic compressional tectonics in the formation and present-day structure of the basin. The results suggest that the present crustal and lithosphere architecture in the Black Sea area is largely influenced by extensional tectonic events in pre-Cretaceous times.
JOURNAL OF GEODYNAMICS
(2022)
Article
Geology
Maud J. M. Meijers, Ferhat Kaya, Ahmet A. Peynircioglu, Faysal Bibi, Cesur Pehlevan, Andreas Mulch, Cor G. Langereis
Summary: This study presents a new magnetostratigraphy for the late Miocene period in the Sivas Basin, Turkey. The findings suggest that the Pikermian chronofauna thrived under stable hydrological and climatic conditions in the basin, and it shares high faunal similarities with the European Mammal Neogene.
NEWSLETTERS ON STRATIGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Vahram Serobyan, Taniel Danelian, Catherine Cronier, Araik Grigoryan, Bernard Mottequin
Summary: Based on newly collected material from Central Armenia, this study introduces two new genera of cyrtospiriferid brachiopods and documents their type species and intraspecific variability. It also documents epibionts attached to the brachiopods for the first time in the Upper Devonian of Armenia.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jon Mosar, Jeremiah Mauvilly, Kakhaber Koiava, Irakli Gamkrelidze, Nikolay Enna, Vladimir Lavrishev, Vera Kalberguenova
Summary: The Greater Caucasus doubly-vergent orogenic system originated from the collision between the Neotethys Ocean and the Eurasian continent, forming a bivergent orogenic wedge. The pro-wedge is located in the Transcaucasian Kartli foreland fold-and-thrust belt, while the retro-wedge is located in the North Caucasian Terek-Sunzha foreland fold-and-thrust belt.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Taniel Danelian, Mathias Meunier, Martin Tetard, Elisavet Skampa, Maria Triantaphyllou, Spyros Stavrakakis, Alexandra Gogou
Summary: The presence and diversity of polycystine radiolarians in the North-Eastern Mediterranean Sea are explored for the first time. The study provides insights into the species composition and diversity differences among three open marine sites and enhances the paleobiogeographic knowledge of two species.
REVUE DE MICROPALEONTOLOGIE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Thomas Gusmeo, Andrea Schito, Sveva Corrado, Victor Alania, Onise Enukidze, Massimiliano Zattin, Paolo Pace, William Cavazza
Summary: This study investigates the subsidence and exhumation patterns generated by structural interference along the boundaries of adjacent tectonic domains. The focus is on a key segment of the convergence zone between the south-verging Greater Caucasus and north-verging Lesser Caucasus. The study area comprises the transition between the Adjara-Trialeti back-arc basin and the Kura foreland basin in eastern Georgia. The results reveal multiple phases of rapid subsidence and outline the burial history of the western Kura Basin, shedding light on the complex tectonic processes in the region.
JOURNAL OF ASIAN EARTH SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Paleontology
Mathias Meunier, Taniel Danelian
Summary: This article reports the discovery of new species in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean and provides their stratigraphic distribution data and orbitally tuned ages. It is of great importance for the classification and paleoecological study of middle Eocene radiolarians in this region.
JOURNAL OF PALEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Victor Alania, George Melikadze, Paolo Pace, Istvan Forizs, Tamar Beridze, Onise Enukidze, Anzor Giorgadze, Alexander Razmadze
Summary: This study presents the deformation structural style of the Rioni foreland fold-and-thrust belt, one of the important examples of far-field deformation in the Arabia-Eurasia convergence zone. The main deformation style in this area includes fault-propagation folds, duplexes, and triangle zone. The study also reveals the existence of thrust-top basins controlled by thrust sequences. These findings contribute to a better understanding of collision-driven deformation in the region.
FRONTIERS IN EARTH SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Anna Kudriavtseva, Edward R. Sobel, Alexandru T. Codilean, Maud J. M. Meijers, Andreas Mulch, Gregory D. Hoke, David Fink, Alexander Mikolaichuk, Reka-H. Fulop, Klaus M. Wilcken, T. Gabriel Enge
Summary: This study shows that the uplift of the Tian Shan range altered the regional climate in Central Asia during Cenozoic aridification. The growth of the mountain range changed the wind patterns and led to increased aridity in the Issyk-Kul basin, resulting in the formation of lakes. Changes in the river systems and tectonic activities also played a role in the formation of lakes.
Article
Geology
Donna L. Whitney, Jonathan R. Delph, Stuart N. Thomson, Susan L. Beck, Gilles Y. Brocard, Michael A. Cosca, Michael H. Darin, Nuretdin Kaymakci, Maud J. M. Meijers, Aral I. Okay, Bora Rojay, Christian Teyssier, Paul J. Umhoefer
Summary: Escape tectonics is a mechanism for the formation of new plates, in which lithospheric fragments move laterally along strike-slip faults in response to collision. Analysis of thermochronology data and seismic images near the East Anatolian fault zone provides insights into the development of the Anatolian plate and escape system. The younger ages of rocks in and near the EAFZ, as well as the presence of strong Arabian lithospheric mantle beneath the Anatolian crust, suggest that thermal activity and underthrusting of Arabian lithosphere played a fundamental role in the formation of the Anatolian plate and escape system.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Mulky Winata, Chris Elders, Vittorio Maselli, Randell A. Stephenson
Summary: The post-rift succession of the Northern Carnarvon Basin in north-western Australia shows significant vertical and lateral variation in seismic facies, indicating a complex depositional history of the margin. The sedimentary sequences above the Valanginian breakup unconformity exhibit various marine depositional environments, including fine-grained pelagic/hemipelagic deposition, energetic bottom currents, and clinoforms and mass-transport complexes (MTCs). The development of bottom currents may be related to changes in ocean circulation, while the presence of MTCs suggests increased seismic activity and slope instability.
MARINE AND PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geology
Vahram Serobyan, Taniel Danelian, Vachik Hairapetian, Araik Grigoryan, Catherine Cronier, Carine Randon, Bernard Mottequin
Summary: This study examines seven brachiopod species from Central Armenia and provides insights into the diversity of Frasnian brachiopods in that region. The findings contribute to our understanding of the northern margin of Gondwana preserved within the South Armenian Block.
RIVISTA ITALIANA DI PALEONTOLOGIA E STRATIGRAFIA
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Francisco Pinto, Veronica Carlsson, Mathias Meunier, Bert Van Bocxlaer, Hammouda Elbez, Marie Cueille, Pierre Boulet, Taniel Danelian
Summary: This study presents various approaches to distinguish two middle Eocene species, Podocyrtis chalara and Podocyrtis goe-theana, using traditional morphological variables and machine learning methods. The results indicate that neural network approaches can achieve high accuracy in morphological classification.
MARINE MICROPALEONTOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Laura Petrescu, Felix Borleanu, Emanuel Kaestle, Randell Stephenson, Anica Placinta, Oleksandr Ivanovich Liashchuk
Summary: This study investigates the seismic structure of the Eastern European lithosphere and the transition from Precambrian to Phanerozoic Europe. The results show that the crust thickens across the Trans European Suture Zone boundary and the mantle is seismically faster beneath younger terranes. The Precambrian building blocks exhibit contrasting seismic fabrics, with the Baltic orogens characterized by uniform crust and the Sarmatia region showing alternating high and low velocity layers.
Article
Geology
Donna L. Whitney, Jonathan R. Delph, Stuart N. Thomson, Susan L. Beck, Gilles Y. Brocard, Michael A. Cosca, Michael H. Darin, Nuretdin Kaymakci, Maud J. M. Meijers, Aral I. Okay, Bora Rojay, Christian Teyssier, Paul J. Umhoefer
Summary: This study provides insights into the development of the new plate and escape system by using thermochronology data and seismic images. It is found that the rocks near the East Anatolian fault zone are significantly younger, indicating thermal activity triggered by strike-slip faulting. The images also reveal that the underthrusting of the strong Arabian lithosphere played a crucial role in the localization of the fault zone and the formation of the Anatolian plate and escape system.
