Distributed transpressive continental deformation: The Varto Fault Zone, eastern Turkey

Sançar, Taylan; Zabcı, Cengiz; Akyüz, H.S.; Sunal, Gürsel; Villa, Igor Maria (2015). Distributed transpressive continental deformation: The Varto Fault Zone, eastern Turkey. Tectonophysics, 661, pp. 99-111. Elsevier 10.1016/j.tecto.2015.08.018

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The convergence between the Eurasian and Arabian plates has created a complicated structural setting in the Eastern Turkish high plateau (ETHP), particularly around the Karlıova Triple Junction (KTJ) where the Eurasian, Arabian, and Anatolian plates intersect. This region of interest includes the junction of the North Anatolian Shear Zone (NASZ) and the East Anatolian Shear Zone (EASZ), which forms the northern border of the westwardly extruding Anatolian Scholle and the western boundary of the ETHP, respectively. In this study, we focused on a poorly studied component of the KTJ, the Varto Fault Zone (VFZ), and the adjacent secondary structures, which have complex structural settings. Through integrated analyses of remote sensing and field observations, we identified a widely distributed transpressional zone where the Varto segment of the VFZ forms the most northern boundary. The other segments, namely, the Leylekdağ and Çayçatı segments, are oblique-reverse faults that are significantly defined by uplifted topography along their strikes. The measured 515 and 265 m of cumulative uplifts for Mt. Leylek and Mt. Dodan, respectively, yield a minimum uplift rate of 0.35 mm/a for the last 2.2 Ma. The multi-oriented secondary structures were mostly correlated with “the distributed strike-slip” and “the distributed transpressional” in analogue experiments. The misfits in strike of some of secondary faults between our observations and the experimental results were justified by about 20° to 25° clockwise restoration of all relevant structures that were palaeomagnetically measured to have happened since ~ 2.8 Ma ago. Our detected fault patterns and their true nature are well aligned as being part of a transpressional tectonic setting that supports previously suggested stationary triple junction models.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geological Sciences

UniBE Contributor:

Villa, Igor Maria

Subjects:

500 Science > 550 Earth sciences & geology

ISSN:

0040-1951

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Igor Maria Villa-Toscani

Date Deposited:

08 Feb 2016 10:51

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:51

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.tecto.2015.08.018

Web of Science ID:

000365364400007

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Varto Fault Zone, Eastern Turkish high plateau, Transpression, Oblique convergence, Karlıova Triple Junction

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.75174

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/75174

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