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Nubia-Arabia-Eurasia plate motions and the dynamics of Mediterranean and Middle East tectonics.
- Source :
-
Geophysical Journal International . Sep2011, Vol. 186 Issue 3, p971-979. 9p. 1 Graph, 5 Maps. - Publication Year :
- 2011
-
Abstract
- SUMMARY We use geodetic and plate tectonic observations to constrain the tectonic evolution of the Nubia-Arabia-Eurasia plate system. Two phases of slowing of Nubia-Eurasia convergence, each of which resulted in an ∼50 per cent decrease in the rate of convergence, coincided with the initiation of Nubia-Arabia continental rifting along the Red Sea and Somalia-Arabia rifting along the Gulf of Aden at 24 ± 4 Ma, and the initiation of oceanic rifting along the full extent of the Gulf of Aden at 11 ± 2 Ma. In addition, both the northern and southern Red Sea (Nubia-Arabia plate boundary) underwent changes in the configuration of extension at 11 ± 2 Ma, including the transfer of extension from the Suez Rift to the Gulf of Aqaba/Dead Sea fault system in the north, and from the central Red Sea Basin (Bab al Mandab) to the Afar volcanic zone in the south. While Nubia-Eurasia convergence slowed, the rate of Arabia-Eurasia convergence remained constant within the resolution of our observations, and is indistinguishable from the present-day global positioning system rate. The timing of the initial slowing of Nubia-Eurasia convergence (24 ± 4 Ma) corresponds to the initiation of extensional tectonics in the Mediterranean Basin, and the second phase of slowing to changes in the character of Mediterranean extension reported at ∼11 Ma. These observations are consistent with the hypothesis that changes in Nubia-Eurasia convergence, and associated Nubia-Arabia divergence, are the fundamental cause of both Mediterranean and Middle East post-Late Oligocene tectonics. We speculate about the implications of these kinematic relationships for the dynamics of Nubia-Arabia-Eurasia plate interactions, and favour the interpretation that slowing of Nubia-Eurasia convergence, and the resulting tectonic changes in the Mediterranean Basin and Middle East, resulted from a decrease in slab pull from the Arabia-subducted lithosphere across the Nubia-Arabia, evolving plate boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0956540X
- Volume :
- 186
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Geophysical Journal International
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 65013863
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-246X.2011.05133.x