1. General Assembly, Vienna EGU2011-4015
6 April 2011
Tracing the closure of Neotethys from the Alps to Western Turkey I: The Sava-Izmir-Ankara suture zone
Kamil Ustaszewski1, Daniel Bernoulli2, Bernhard Fügenschuh3, Liviu Matenco4, Roland Oberhänsli5, Senecio Schefer2, Stefan M. Schmid6
1) GFZ Potsdam
2) University Basel
3) University Innsbruck
4) VU Amsterdam
5) University Potsdam
6) ETH Zürich
See also: Poster XL 310, EGU
Stefan M. Schmid et al.:
Tracing the closure of Neotethys from the Alps to Western Turkey II: Similarities and differences between Dinarides, Hellenides and Anatolides-Taurides.

2. Plate tectonic setting 2. collision 3. extension 4. Neotectonics
5. Cross section
Schmid et al., in prep.

3. Sava Izmir Plate tectonic setting 2. collision 3. extension
4. Neotectonics
5. Cross section
Sava
Izmir
Schmid et al., in prep.

4. Neotethys: closure at the Cretaceous – Paleogene boundary
Plate tectonic setting
2. collision
3. extension
4. Neotectonics
5. Cross section
Schmid et al. 2008
Sava
Izmir
Neotethys: closure at the Cretaceous – Paleogene boundary
Schmid et al., in prep.

5. Neotethys: closure at the Cretaceous – Paleogene boundary
Plate tectonic setting
2. collision
3. extension
4. Neotectonics
5. Cross section
Schmid et al. 2008 1 2 3
Neotethys: closure at the Cretaceous – Paleogene boundary
Schmid et al., in prep.

6. Sava Zone ‘type locality’
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey C E
Thrust ages
Latest Cretaceous
Eocene J
Late Jurassic
Sava Zone
‘type locality’
Ustaszewski et al. 2010

7. 2. Dinarides cross section 3. W Turkey
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Ustaszewski et al. 2010

8. Late Cretaceous magmatism & flysch
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Late Cretaceous magmatism & flysch
Ustaszewski et al. 2010

9. Late Cretaceous ophiolites Western Vardar ophiolites
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Late Cretaceous ophiolites
81-82 Ma
Late Jurassic
Western Vardar ophiolites
158 Ma
Ustaszewski et al. 2009

10. Maastrichtian turbiditic sandstones & shales = “Sava Flysch”
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Maastrichtian turbiditic sandstones & shales = “Sava Flysch”
Ustaszewski et al. 2010

11. 2 100 km 1. Sava Zone 2. Dinarides cross section 3. W Turkey
Schmid et al., 2008
100 km

12. Polarity of coherent Adriatic shelf from proximal to distal
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section 2
3. W Turkey
Internal Adriatic platform:
pelagic limest. (Tr.), radiolarites (Early-Mid Jur.)
& ophiolites obducted in Late Jurassic
Adriatic Plate
Schmid et al., 2008
100 km
External Adriatic platform:
mostly neritic limestones
Polarity of coherent Adriatic shelf from proximal to distal
See also: Schefer et al., Geologica Carpathica, 2010

13. 1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Lower Plate = Adriatic margin
suture
Upper Plate = Europe
Drina-Ivanjica composite
nappe:
includes obducted
W-Vardar ophiolites
Jadar-Kopaonik
composite nappe:
includes
obducted W-Vardar
Sava Zone
ophiolites
& flysch
Carpatho-Balkan orogen
incl. obducted E-Vardar &
Transylvanian ophiolites
Top SW
Top E
Adriatic Plate
East Bosnian-
Durmitor
composite nappe:
includes obducted
W-Vardar ophiolites
100 km
Ophiolites of the Dinarides form part of composite nappes but not sutures!

14. Obduction ≠ Suturing Meliata Vardar Sava 1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Meliata
Vardar
Sava
Obduction ≠ Suturing
Ustaszewski et al. 2009, modified
Coleman 1981
Schmid et al

15. 2. Dinarides cross section 3. W Turkey
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Okay & Altiner 2007 (modified)

16. 1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Conclusions
Sava-Izmir-Ankara Suture Zone is the only End-Cretaceous Neotethys suture between Europe & Adria
Data from the Dinarides – Hellenides support a single-ocean concept
Further reading:
Schefer et al., 2010, Geologica Carpathica
Schefer et al., 2010 in press, Int J Earth Sciences
Schmid et al , Swiss J Geosciences
Ustaszewski et al., 2008, Swiss J Geosciences
Ustaszewski et al., 2009, Lithos
Ustaszewski et al., 2010, Tectonics 16

18. Bonus material

19. Early Campanian (81-82 Ma) intra-oceanic magmatism
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. W Turkey
Pillow basalts intercalated with scaglia rossa
Contusotruncana patelliformis GANDOLFI
Biostratigraphy
U-Pb dating
Nd-Sr isotopy
Early Campanian (81-82 Ma) intra-oceanic magmatism
Ustaszewski et al. 2009

20. Late Cretaceous intra-oceanic magmatism & subsequent metamorphism
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
Late Cretaceous intra-oceanic magmatism & subsequent metamorphism

21. 1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
Ustaszewski et al. 2010

22. Late Cretaceous metapelites
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
Late Cretaceous metapelites
P ≈ kbar
T ≈ °C

23. Peak-T: between 70.6 & 65 Ma Geochronology 58 1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
Geochronology 58
Peak-T: between 70.6 & 65 Ma

24. 1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions

25. Regional cross section
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
Regional cross section

26. Adria in lower-plate position
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
Dinarides
Sava Zone
suture
MOHO from Horvath et al. 2006
Adria in lower-plate position

27. Time intervals of fault activity End Cretaceous thrusts …
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions Ma
Time intervals of fault activity
End Cretaceous thrusts …

28. Time intervals of fault activity
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
2. ≥40-26 Ma
Time intervals of fault activity
… propagate into the foreland during the Paleogene

29. Time intervals of fault activity Supradetachment basin
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions Ma
Time intervals of fault activity
Supradetachment basin
… extensional reactivation of suturing thrust as low angle detachment …

30. Time intervals of fault activity
1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions Ma
Time intervals of fault activity
… in conjunction with Pannonian Basin subsidence

31. present 1. Sava Zone 2. Dinarides cross section 3. Conclusions
Ustaszewski et al. 2008

32. 1. Sava Zone
2. Dinarides cross section
3. Conclusions
20 Ma BP
Subduction polarity between Alps and Dinarides switches across Mid-Hungarian Fault Zone
Sava Zone
Ustaszewski et al. 2008