Evolution of the Levant Margin and Western Arabia Platform since the Mesozoic (Geological Society Special Publication 341)

339 Pages·2010·18.55 MB·English

by  C Homberg

Evolution of the Levant Margin and Western Arabia
Platform since the Mesozoic
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HOMBERG, C. & BACHMANN, M. (eds) 2010. Evolution of the Levant Margin and Western Arabia
PlatformsincetheMesozoic.GeologicalSociety,London,SpecialPublications,341.
GARDOSH,M.A.,GARFUNKEL,Z.,DRUCKMAN,Y.&BUCHBINDER,B.TethyanriftingintheLevant
RegionanditsroleinEarlyMesozoiccrustalevolution,In:HOMBERG,C.&BACHMANN,M.(eds)2010.
Evolution of the Levant Margin and Western Arabia Platform since the Mesozoic. Geological Society,
London,SpecialPublications,341,9–36.
GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY SPECIAL PUBLICATION NO.341
Evolution of the Levant Margin and Western Arabia
Platform since the Mesozoic
EDITED BY
C. HOMBERG
University Pierre et Marie Curie, France
and
M. BACHMANN
University of Bremen, Germany
2010
Published by
The Geological Society
London
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Preface
This volume belongs to a series of four regional margin (Leturmy & Robin 2010), and the Levant
GeologicalSocietyofLondonSpecialPublications (thisvolume).
presenting the results of the Middle East Basin TheLevantvolumecombinesnewdatacoming
Evolution (MEBE) Programme working groups from several working groups. In 2005, MEBE
and associated research teams. MEBE was a 4- workers joined colleagues from various institutes
year consortium (2003–2006) funded by several and countries leading ongoing research in the
oil companies (BP, ENI, PETRONAS, SHELL, Levant. Several workshops occurred and the last
and TOTAL), the French Research Organization one was held in the University Pierre and Marie
INSU-CNRS, as well as the French University Curie, Paris, on 14–15 December, 2006. This
PierreandMarieCurie(UPMC).Thisprogramme volume stems from scientific presentations and
was a multi-disciplinary study of the Middle active discussions arose during this last Levant
East, spanning the Arabian–Peri-Arabian and Meeting.Theeditorswouldliketothankcolleagues
Caucasian–Caspian areas and a detailed presen- whochoosetopublishtheirdatainthisvolume,as
tationcanbefoundinthePrefaceofacompanion wellasotherswhokindlyhelpedustoreviewthe
volume (Brunet et al. 2009). The four MEBE paperssubmittedtothevolume.
volumes cover the Black Sea–Caucasus (Sosson The following companies are thankedfor fund-
et al. 2010), the South Caspian–Central Iran ingseveralresearchprojectsundertheframeofthe
(Brunet et al. 2009), the Zagros–East Arabian MEBEProgrammeandwhoseresultsareshownhere.
References
BRUNET, M.-F., WILMSEN, M. & GRANATH, J. W. SOSSON, M., KAYMAKCI, N., STEPHENSON, R. A.,
(eds) 2009. South Caspian to Central Iran Basins. STRAROSTENKO, V. & BERGERAT, F. (eds) 2010.
Geological Society, London, Special Publications, SedimentaryBasinTectonicsfromtheBlackSeaand
312. Caucasus to the Arabian Platform. Geological
LETURMY,P.&ROBIN,C.(eds)2010.TectonicandStra- Society,London,SpecialPublications,340.
tigraphicEvolutionofZagrosandMakranduringthe
Meso–Cenozoic.GeologicalSociety,London,Special CATHERINE HOMBERG &
Publications,330. MARTINA BACHMANN
Contents
Preface vii
HOMBERG,C.&BACHMANN,M.EvolutionoftheLevantmarginandwesternArabiaplatform 1
sincetheMesozoic:introduction
GARDOSH,M.A.,GARFUNKEL,Z.,DRUCKMAN,Y.&BUCHBINDER,B.Tethyanriftinginthe 9
LevantRegionanditsroleinEarlyMesozoiccrustalevolution
MOUSTAFA,A.R.StructuralsettingandtectonicevolutionofNorthSinaifolds,Egypt 37
YOUSEF,M.,MOUSTAFA,A.R.&SHANN,M.Structuralsettingandtectonicevolutionof 65
offshoreNorthSinai,Egypt
CAME´RA,L.,RIBODETTI,A.&MASCLE,J.Deepstructuresandseismicstratigraphyofthe 85
Egyptiancontinentalmarginfrommultichannelseismicdata
BACHMANN,M.,KUSS,J.&LEHMANN,J.ControlsandevolutionoffaciespatternsintheUpper 99
Barremian–AlbianLevantPlatforminNorthSinaiandNorthIsrael
FRANK,R.,BUCHBINDER,B.&BENJAMINI,C.Themid-Cretaceouscarbonatesystemof 133
northernIsrael:faciesevolution,tectono-sedimentaryconfigurationandglobalcontrolonthe
centralLevantmarginoftheArabianPlate
WENDLER,J.E.,LEHMANN,J.&KUSS,J.Orbitaltimescale,intra-platformbasincorrelation, 171
carbonisotopestratigraphyandsea-levelhistoryoftheCenomanian–TuronianEasternLevant
platform,Jordan
MORSI,A.-M.M.&WENDLER,J.E.Biostratigraphy,palaeoecologyandpalaeogeographyofthe 187
MiddleCenomanian–EarlyTuronianLevantPlatforminCentralJordanbasedonostracods
JOSEPH-HAI,N.,EYAL,Y.&WEINBERGER,R.Mesoscalefoldsandfaultsalongaflankofa 211
SyrianArcmonocline,discordanttothemonoclinetrend
COLLIN,P.-Y.,MANCINELLI,A.,CHIOCCHINI,M.,MROUEH,M.,HAMDAM,W.&HIGAZI,F. 227
MiddleandUpperJurassicstratigraphyandsedimentaryevolutionofLebanon(Levantine
margin):palaeoenvironmentalandgeodynamicimplications
HOMBERG,C.,BARRIER,E.,MROUEH,M.,MULLER,C.,HAMDAN,W.&HIGAZI,F.Tectonic 245
evolutionofthecentralLevantdomain(Lebanon)sinceMesozoictime
HENRY,B., HOMBERG,C.,MROUEH,M.,HAMDAN,W.&HIGAZI,F.RotationsinLebanon 269
inferredfromnewpalaeomagneticdataandimplicationsfortheevolutionoftheDeadSea
Transformsystem
MU¨LLER,C.,HIGAZI,F.,HAMDAN,W.&MROUEH,M.RevisedstratigraphyoftheUpper 287
CretaceousandCenozoicseriesofLebanonbasedonnannofossils
AL ABDALLA,A.,BARRIER,E.,MATAR,A.&MULLER,C.LateCretaceoustoCenozoic 305
tectonicevolutionoftheNWArabianplatforminNWSyria
Index 329
Evolution of the Levant margin and western Arabia platform
since the Mesozoic: introduction
CATHERINEHOMBERG1*&MARTINABACHMANN2
1UniversityPierreetMarieCurie,ISTEP,Case129,4PlaceJussieu,
75252ParisCedex05,France
2UniversityofBremen,DepartmentofGeosciences,P.O.Box330440,
28334Bremen,Germany
*Correspondingauthor(e-mail:[email protected])
Abstract: The Levant area comprises the offshore Levant Basin (LB) (eastern corner of
the Eastern Mediterranean) as well as the adjacent continental slopes and platforms of the
AfricanandArabianplates.Thisareaexperiencedmajoreventsofthegeodynamicalevolution
of the Middle East, such as the Late Palaeozoic–Early Mesozoic Pangea break up, the Late
Cretaceous–CenozoicclosureoftheNeo-TethysandindividualizationoftheArabianplate,as
wellasasetofexternalfactorslikeglobalsea-levelandclimatechanges.Thisvolumecombines
originaldatafromtheoffshoreandonshoreLevantinvariousfields,includingsedimentology,
palaeontology,sequencestratigraphy,geochemistry,structuralgeology,stressreconstitutionand
geophysics (seismic lines, palaeomagnetism). All together, these multidisciplinary approaches
allowthereviewofthedevelopmentoftheLBandgainabetterinsightonthelatergeological
historyanddeformationprocessesoftheLevantprovinces.
TheLevantdescribesacompositeareathatincludes surroundings correlate in a high degree with the
(1)theoffshoreLevantBasin(LB)(easterncorner tectonicprocesses.However,variousfurtherfactors
of the Eastern Mediterranean) in the west, (2) the acted on top, such as global sea-level or climate
Afro–Arabian continental slope and platform, changesandtherecognitionoftheirrelativecontri-
which is today largely emerged along the eastern bution to the sedimentation processes is a still not
MediterraneancoastofEgypt,Israel,Lebanonand finishedpuzzle.
Syria, and in Jordan and disrupted by the Dead This Special Publication of the Geological
SeaFaultand(3)theCyprianArcandNWSyriacol- SocietyofLondoncombinesnewmultidisciplinary
lisionzonesthatmarkthesouthernboundaryofthe datasets acquired recently onshore and offshore
Eurasian plate (Fig. 1). During the last decades, Levant. A special aim of the volume is to dem-
acquisition of geophysical and geological data onstratenewconceptsonthetectonic,stratigraphic,
allowed imaging of the crustal structures and the sedimentologicandenvironmentalevolutionofthe
sedimentaryinfilloftheLB.Togetherwithdetailed LB and African and Arabian platforms. Periods
tectonicandsedimentaryfieldinvestigationsinthe considered cover both the Late Palaeozoic–Early
onshore Levant, these studies discover the basin Mesozoic phase of basin development and the
forming and filling processes. Modern interpret- Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic deformation period
ations indicate that the LB resulted from rifting, associated with the closure of Neo-Tethys and the
but much controversy exists on several aspects, incipienceoftheDeadSeaTransform.
such as the age and kinematics of its opening or
thenatureofitscrust.
The Late Cretaceous to Present-day period MiddleEastBasinEvolutionLevant
includesseveraldiscrete,moreorlesswidespread, GroupandOthers
tectonic events in relation with the interaction of
the Arabian, African and Eurasian plates that Thisspecialvolumecontainsnewdatacomingfrom
resulted in the division of the Levant into several several working groups. From 2003 to 2006, the
provinces. Depending on the areas, tectonic struc- Middle East Basin Evolution (MEBE) Programme
tures and timing of deformation are more or less funded multidisciplinary studies in the Middle
constrained. The sedimentation patterns observed East, some of them devoted to the Levant. After
in the Meso-Cenozoic sequences of the LB and field data acquisitions, a working group, the
From:Homberg,C.&Bachmann,M.(eds)EvolutionoftheLevantMarginandWesternArabiaPlatformsincethe
Mesozoic.GeologicalSociety,London,SpecialPublications,341,1–8.
DOI:10.1144/SP341.1 0305-8719/10/$15.00#TheGeologicalSocietyofLondon2010.
2 C.HOMBERG&M.BACHMANN
Fig.1. SituationoftheLevantandsurroundings.DigitaltopographymodelSRTM30fromNASAShuttleRadar
TopographyMission,30arc-secondgridsmosaic(http://www.jpl.nasa.gov.srt).Numbersindicateapproximate
locationofareasinvestigatedinthisvolume.1,Gardoshetal.;2,Moustafa;3,Yousefetal.;4,Cameraetal.;
5,Bachmannetal.;6,Franketal.;7,Wendleretal.;8,Morsi&Wendler;9,Haietal.;10,Collinetal.;11,Homberg
etal.;12,Henryetal.;13,Mu¨lleretal.;14,AlAbdallaetal.Insetshowsgeodynamicalframe.Ar,EuandNu:Arabia,
Eurasia,Nubiaplates.DSFandEAF:DeadSeaFaultandEastAnatolianFault.RS,CAandCZ:RedSearift,Cyprian
ArcandArabia–Eurasiacollisionzone.
‘Levant Group’ led by C. Homberg, Universite´ GeneralevolutionoftheLevant
Pierre et Marie Curie, was created in which
MEBE workers joined colleagues from various It is generally accepted that the LB formed as a
institutes and countries leading ongoing research result of rifting during Early Mesozoic time,
intheLevant.Severalworkshopsoccurredandthe which started perhaps in the Late Palaeozoic
last one was held in the University Pierre and period. This is supported by crustal thinning from
Marie Curie, Paris, on 14–15 December, 2006. 30–35km on the African and Arabian continents
This volume stems from scientific presentations to c. 8km below the LB overlain by a 10–14km
and active discussions that arose during this last thicksedimentarypileofMesozoic(andPermian?)
Levantmeeting. to present age (Makris et al. 1983; Ginzburg &
EVOLUTIONOFTHELEVANTMARGINANDWESTERNARABIAPLATFORM 3
Ben-Avraham 1987; Vidal et al. 2000; Ben- (e.g.Baueretal.2003;Schulzeetal.2005).Since
Avraham et al. 2002). The affinity of the crust the Senonian period sedimentation was controlled
belowtheLBisregardedeitherasahighlystretched by a variety of tectonic factors. In some places,
continent(Woodside1977;Hirschetal.1995;Vidal largegrabensdevelopedlikeintheinteriorsofthe
et al. 2000) or as oceanic (Makris et al. 1983; Arabian plate (Euphrates and Azraq grabens),
Ginzburg & Ben-Avraham 1987; Ben-Avraham while other areas underwent a strong inversion.
et al. 2002). Shallow-marine conditions prevailed ThelastoneisreferredtoastheSyrianArctecton-
inthe basinduringTriassic andLiasictimes,later ism that produced broad folds and high-angle
followed by the formation of the deep-marine reverse faults in southern Levant and northern
basin (Bartov & Steinitz 1977; Garfunkel 1998). Africa(Israel,EgyptandoffshoreoftheMediterra-
These marine conditions were interrupted by a nean coast), associated with breaks in deposition,
strongperiodoferosionduringthelatestJurassic– angular unconformities and lateral thickness vari-
Neocomian time, with huge and widespread ations within sedimentary sequences (e.g. Bartov
volcanic activity and deposition of terrestrial, etal.1980;Mimran1984;Cohenetal.1990;Lewy
fluvio-deltaic sediments, which became very thick 1991;Moustafa&Khalil1994;Lu¨ningetal.1998;
in some places (e.g. Said 1971; Bartov & Steinitz Gardosh & Druckman 2006). Although the age of
1977;Hirsch2005a). faulting is still debated (see references above and
The basin and its surroundings went through Shalar1994forareview),thereisageneralconsen-
intense normal faulting during this period. The susthattheSyrianArctectonismincludestwoepi-
most common trend recognized in many places sodes, a main one during Senonian time and a
is NE–SW (Cohen et al. 1990; Garfunkel 1998; secondduringPalaeogenetime(possiblycontinuing
Vidaletal.2000;Gardosh&Druckman2006)but upintoEarlyMiocenetime).Thecurvedeast–west
others like NW–SE structures exist as well to NE–SW belt is assumed to continue northward
(Garfunkel & Derin 1984; Homberg et al. 2009). intoLebanonandPalmyrides.Furthertothenorth,
Kinematic models (Dercourt et al. 1986; Stampfli the Tethyan ophiolites were obducted onto the
& Borel 2002) predict a north–south opening of ArabianplatforminLateCretaceoustimeandthere-
the basin and some difficulties arise in adaptation forenowoutcropoccursinCyprusandNWSyria.
of these models with the local extensional fabrics During the Neogene, individualization of the
of the basin and surroundings. Another character- ArabiaplateaffectedtheLevantwiththedevelop-
istic of the area is the long-lived rift activity, mentoftheDeadSea(orLevant)Fault(DSF)that
which likely included several rifting pulses, and runs almost parallel to the eastern Mediterranean
various ages for the opening of the basin have coastwithageneralnorth–southtrendandconnects
been proposed, from Triassic or Late Permian to theRedSeaRiftinthesouthtothecollisionzonein
Cretaceous (Freund et al. 1975; Dercourt et al. thenorth.Thec.1000kmtransformplateboundary
1986; Garfunkel 1998; Ben-Avraham et al. 2002; includes a major NNE–SSW restraining bend in
Stampfli&Borel2002). its central part (Lebanon–Palmyrides), which is
General coastal onlap and the development regarded either as primary (Butler et al. 1998) or
ofshallowmarinefaciesbeltsisa mainfeatureof as resulting from a later clockwise rotation
the Levant platform starting during the late Early (Quennel 1984). Since recognition of the 70–
Cretaceous period, overprinted by second- and 110km left-lateral displacement along the DSF
third-order relative sea-level changes (Said 1971; (Quennel 1958; Freund et al. 1970), continuous
Kussetal.2003;Rosenfeld&Hirsch2005).Until progresshasbeenmadeintheidentificationofthe
the Mid-Albian, second-order sea-level changes onshore and offshore plate tectonic structures and
generallydidnotcoincidewiththoseonesobserved understandingoftheirrelationships.
in other parts of the Tethys, but do in parts with These tectonicfeatures resultedin latest Creta-
those ones documented from other parts of the ceous to Neogene sedimentary processes, marked
Arabianplate,suggestingthatthesouthern Levant bysmall-scalestructuresandapronouncedpalaeo-
regionalsea-levelhistorywastriggeredbytheinter- relief with basins, sub-basins, swells and local
actionofsubsidenceandsedimentsupply,withan unconformities, observable in many parts of the
increasing eustatic influence since the Mid-Albian Levant. A great range of sediments reach from
(Bachmannetal.2003). outer shelf to deltaic-fluviatile deposits (e.g.
A general flooding of the Levant continued Buchbinder et al. 2005; Hirsch 2005b; Rosenfeld
during Cenomanian to Senonian time (e.g. &Hirsch2005;Kuss&Boukhary2008).
Bartov & Steinitz 1977; Kuss et al. 2003). Since
the Mid-Cenomanian a palaeorelief developed at Mainoutlineofthepapers
several localities on the southern Levant platform
and the subsidence control in relation with exten- Papers in this volume deal with the LB, adjacent
sional tectonics is discussed by several authors deformed margins, and platforms (Fig. 1). They