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Spatial and temporal evolution of rifting and continental breakup in the Eastern Black Sea Basin revealed by long-offset seismic reflection data

Spatial and temporal evolution of rifting and continental breakup in the Eastern Black Sea Basin revealed by long-offset seismic reflection data
Spatial and temporal evolution of rifting and continental breakup in the Eastern Black Sea Basin revealed by long-offset seismic reflection data
The age and distribution of the syn-rift and early post-rift infill records the spatial and temporal distribution of extension and breakup processes in a rift basin. The Eastern Black Sea Basin (EBSB) is thought to have formed by back-arc extension during Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic time. However, a lack of direct constraints on its deep stratigraphy leaves uncertainties over the time, duration and location for rifting and breakup processes in the basin. Here we use the enhanced imaging provided by 2D long-offset seismic reflection profiles to analyze the deep structural and stratigraphic elements of the EBSB. Based on these elements, we infer the presence of two distinct Late Cretaceous syn-rift units, recording initial extension (rift stage 1) over the continental highs (Shatsky Ridge and the Mid Black Sea High), followed by strain localization along the major basin-bounding faults and rift migration towards the basin axis (rift stage 2). Overlying these units, Palaeocene(?)-Eocene and Oligocene units show a syn-kinematic character in the NW, with evidence for ongoing extension until Oligocene time. Towards the SE, these sequences are instead post-kinematic, directly overlaying a basement emplaced during breakup. We interpret the Palaeocene(?)-Oligocene units to record the time spanning from the initiation of breakup (Late Cretaceous-Palaeocene, in the SE) to the end of extension (Oligocene, in the NW). The first ubiquitously post-rift infill is the Lower Miocene Maykop Formation. Our results highlight the along-strike temporal variability of extension and breakup processes in the EBSB.
0278-7407
2646-2667
Monteleone, Vanessa
8edcf456-5bfa-44cf-99b0-a504c1c2cc0d
Minshull, Timothy A.
bf413fb5-849e-4389-acd7-0cb0d644e6b8
Marin-Moreno, Hector
e466cafd-bd5c-47a1-8522-e6938e7086a4
Monteleone, Vanessa
8edcf456-5bfa-44cf-99b0-a504c1c2cc0d
Minshull, Timothy A.
bf413fb5-849e-4389-acd7-0cb0d644e6b8
Marin-Moreno, Hector
e466cafd-bd5c-47a1-8522-e6938e7086a4

Monteleone, Vanessa, Minshull, Timothy A. and Marin-Moreno, Hector (2019) Spatial and temporal evolution of rifting and continental breakup in the Eastern Black Sea Basin revealed by long-offset seismic reflection data. Tectonics, 38 (8), 2646-2667. (doi:10.1029/2019TC005523).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The age and distribution of the syn-rift and early post-rift infill records the spatial and temporal distribution of extension and breakup processes in a rift basin. The Eastern Black Sea Basin (EBSB) is thought to have formed by back-arc extension during Cretaceous to Early Cenozoic time. However, a lack of direct constraints on its deep stratigraphy leaves uncertainties over the time, duration and location for rifting and breakup processes in the basin. Here we use the enhanced imaging provided by 2D long-offset seismic reflection profiles to analyze the deep structural and stratigraphic elements of the EBSB. Based on these elements, we infer the presence of two distinct Late Cretaceous syn-rift units, recording initial extension (rift stage 1) over the continental highs (Shatsky Ridge and the Mid Black Sea High), followed by strain localization along the major basin-bounding faults and rift migration towards the basin axis (rift stage 2). Overlying these units, Palaeocene(?)-Eocene and Oligocene units show a syn-kinematic character in the NW, with evidence for ongoing extension until Oligocene time. Towards the SE, these sequences are instead post-kinematic, directly overlaying a basement emplaced during breakup. We interpret the Palaeocene(?)-Oligocene units to record the time spanning from the initiation of breakup (Late Cretaceous-Palaeocene, in the SE) to the end of extension (Oligocene, in the NW). The first ubiquitously post-rift infill is the Lower Miocene Maykop Formation. Our results highlight the along-strike temporal variability of extension and breakup processes in the EBSB.

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Accepted/In Press date: 6 June 2019
e-pub ahead of print date: 17 June 2019
Published date: 5 August 2019
Additional Information: Funding Information: We thank reviewers, Donna Shillington and Tiago Alves, for their constructive comments. We thank Geology Without Limits for making the seismic data set available to us. We are grateful to GWL for permission to show their confidential seismic sections. Parties interested in acquiring these data and corresponding data reports can contact the vendors through their websites at www.gwl-geo.com. We thank Schlumberger for providing the Petrel software that was used for seismic display, interpretation, and depth conversion. V. M. was supported by NERC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Oil and Gas. TAM was supported by a Wolfson Research Merit Award.

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 431743
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/431743
ISSN: 0278-7407
PURE UUID: 550b416b-40fe-4825-a19d-56d3e4c58367
ORCID for Vanessa Monteleone: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-5188-5879
ORCID for Timothy A. Minshull: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-8202-1379
ORCID for Hector Marin-Moreno: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3412-1359

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Date deposited: 14 Jun 2019 16:30
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 07:55

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Contributors

Author: Vanessa Monteleone ORCID iD
Author: Hector Marin-Moreno ORCID iD

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