Onset of subduction as the cause of rapid Pliocene-Quaternary subsidence in the South Caspian basin

Research Article| September 01, 2002 Onset of subduction as the cause of rapid Pliocene-Quaternary subsidence in the South Caspian basin Mark B. Allen; Mark B. Allen 1Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, West Building, 181A Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DH, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Stephen Jones; Stephen Jones 2University of Cambridge, Department of Earth Sciences, Bullard Laboratories, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0EZ, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Arif Ismail-Zadeh; Arif Ismail-Zadeh 3Geology Institute, Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, 29A H. Javid Prospect, Baku, Azerbaijan Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mike Simmons; Mike Simmons 4Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, West Building, 181A Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DH, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lester Anderson Lester Anderson 4Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, West Building, 181A Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DH, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Mark B. Allen 1Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, West Building, 181A Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DH, UK Stephen Jones 2University of Cambridge, Department of Earth Sciences, Bullard Laboratories, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0EZ, UK Arif Ismail-Zadeh 3Geology Institute, Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, 29A H. Javid Prospect, Baku, Azerbaijan Mike Simmons 4Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, West Building, 181A Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DH, UK Lester Anderson 4Cambridge Arctic Shelf Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, West Building, 181A Huntingdon Road, Cambridge CB3 0DH, UK Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 08 Mar 2002 Revision Received: 16 May 2002 Accepted: 17 May 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 Geological Society of America Geology (2002) 30 (9): 775–778. https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.CO;2 Article history Received: 08 Mar 2002 Revision Received: 16 May 2002 Accepted: 17 May 2002 First Online: 02 Jun 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation Mark B. Allen, Stephen Jones, Arif Ismail-Zadeh, Mike Simmons, Lester Anderson; Onset of subduction as the cause of rapid Pliocene-Quaternary subsidence in the South Caspian basin. Geology 2002;; 30 (9): 775–778. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/0091-7613(2002)0302.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Backstripping a representative stratigraphic column from the northwest of the South Caspian basin shows that ∼2.4 km of tectonic subsidence has occurred since ca. 5.5 Ma, at ∼1.5–10 times the rate recorded in typical foreland basins. Roughly half the basin's sedimentary thickness of ∼20 km has accumulated in this time, while the upper part of the succession has begun to deform by buckle folding. The South Caspian basement appears to be either thick oceanic crust, or thinned, high-velocity continental crust. Seismicity and gravity data indicate that the basement is in the initial stages of subduction under the middle Caspian region to the north. We propose that basement subduction began ca. 5.5 Ma to create the major Pliocene-Quaternary subsidence. Subduction may have been triggered by a regional reorganization in the Arabia-Eurasia collision at that time, possibly following the construction of the Turkish-Iranian Plateau. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.