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oa Structural analogies and homologues of the West Mediterranean and circum-Black Sea regions tectonic tailoring: Re-evaluating the uniform tectonic development model
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, Geoinformatics: Theoretical and Applied Aspects 2020, May 2020, Volume 2020, p.1 - 5
Abstract
An analysis of comparative tectonic evolution of two entailing regions of the Alpine belt - Black Sea and Western Mediterranean - reveals profound analogies and homologues in their structure and development. Though both back-arc basins under comparison have many distinctions and differ each from other due to their linear dimensions (nearly twofold), a certain time shift for the lithological spectra during some epochs, present state of volcanic activity etc., they, nevertheless, reveal a striking morphological coincidence and notable genetic analogy in their spatial, kinematic, undercrustal, palaeogeographic, and other features.
The above comparison allows consideration of the circum-Black Sea region as a minor and simplified tectonic copy of the Western Mediterranean area being evolved in similar way and caused by similar tailoring of its structural units that stipulated by uniform stress/fault pattern inherited from the Meso-Tethys tectonic realm demonstrating kind of self-similarity or crustal scaling effect. Two prominent mega-sutures, the Teisseyre-Tornquist Zone and South Armorican Shear zone, represent axial alignments along which a distorted symmetry could be traced for both basins under comparison. The above similarities can help elaborate new trends for oil and gas exploration in the circum-Black Sea basin using geological knowledge on the Western Mediterranean and vice versa.