Crustal flow driving twin domes exhumation and low-angle normal faulting in the Menderes Massif of western Anatolia

Ömer Bodur; Oğuz Hakan Göğüş; Sascha Brune; Ebru Şengül Uluocak; Anne Glerum; Andreas Fichtner; Hasan Sözbilir

doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118309

Crustal flow driving twin domes exhumation and low-angle normal faulting in the Menderes Massif of western Anatolia

Ömer Bodur^*, Oğuz Hakan Göğüş, Sascha Brune, Ebru Şengül Uluocak, Anne Glerum, Andreas Fichtner, Hasan Sözbilir

^*Corresponding author for this work

Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Lower crustal flow in regions of post-orogenic extension has been inferred to explain the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and associated low-angle normal (detachment) fault systems. However, the origin of detachment faults, whether initially formed as high-angle or low-angle shear zones, and the extension is symmetric or asymmetric remains enigmatic. Here, we use numerical modeling constrained by geophysical and geological data to show that symmetric extension in the central Menderes Massif of western Anatolia is accommodated by the crustal flow. Our geodynamic model explains how opposite dipping Gediz and Büyük Menderes detachment faults are formed by ∼40° footwall rotation. Model predictions agree with seismic tomography data that suggests updoming of lower crust beneath the exhumed massifs, represented as “twin domes” and a flat Moho. Our work helps to account for the genetic relation between the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and low-angle normal faulting in both Cordillera and Aegean orogenic regions and has important implications on crustal dynamics in extensional provinces.

Original language	English
Article number	118309
Journal	Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Volume	619
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118309
Publication status	Published - 1 Oct 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Funding

We thank the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (geodynamics.org) which is funded by the National Science Foundation under award EAR-0949446 and EAR-1550901 for supporting the development of ASPECT. The numerical experiments presented here are available through contacting the authors. Meanwhile, documentation and the details for the numerical code can be found online (at https://aspect.geodynamics.org). OHG, AF and EŞU acknowledge Anatolian Tectonics Project-ANATEC (funded by International Lithosphere Program). The authors gratefully acknowledge the computing time granted by the Resource Allocation Board and provided on the supercomputer Lise at NHR@ZIB as part of the NHR infrastructure. The calculations for this research were conducted with computing resources under the project bbp00039. We are grateful to Paul Kapp and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments on the manuscript. OHG acknowledges Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) for GEBIP support and TUBITAK for 2219 fellowship programme. ACG is funded by a Helmholtz Recruitment Initiative. We thank the Computational Infrastructure for Geodynamics (geodynamics.org) which is funded by the National Science Foundation under award EAR-0949446 and EAR-1550901 for supporting the development of ASPECT. The numerical experiments presented here are available through contacting the authors. Meanwhile, documentation and the details for the numerical code can be found online (at https://aspect.geodynamics.org ). OHG, AF and EŞU acknowledge Anatolian Tectonics Project-ANATEC (funded by International Lithosphere Program). The authors gratefully acknowledge the computing time granted by the Resource Allocation Board and provided on the supercomputer Lise at NHR@ZIB as part of the NHR infrastructure. The calculations for this research were conducted with computing resources under the project bbp00039. We are grateful to Paul Kapp and an anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments on the manuscript. OHG acknowledges Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) for GEBIP support and TUBITAK for 2219 fellowship programme. ACG is funded by a Helmholtz Recruitment Initiative .

Funders	Funder number
Anatolian Tectonics Project-ANATEC	bbp00039
TUBA
National Science Foundation	EAR-0949446, EAR-1550901
Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu
Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi

Keywords

geodynamic modeling
lower crustal flow
western Anatolia

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10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118309

Cite this

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title = "Crustal flow driving twin domes exhumation and low-angle normal faulting in the Menderes Massif of western Anatolia",

abstract = "Lower crustal flow in regions of post-orogenic extension has been inferred to explain the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and associated low-angle normal (detachment) fault systems. However, the origin of detachment faults, whether initially formed as high-angle or low-angle shear zones, and the extension is symmetric or asymmetric remains enigmatic. Here, we use numerical modeling constrained by geophysical and geological data to show that symmetric extension in the central Menderes Massif of western Anatolia is accommodated by the crustal flow. Our geodynamic model explains how opposite dipping Gediz and B{\"u}y{\"u}k Menderes detachment faults are formed by ∼40° footwall rotation. Model predictions agree with seismic tomography data that suggests updoming of lower crust beneath the exhumed massifs, represented as “twin domes” and a flat Moho. Our work helps to account for the genetic relation between the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and low-angle normal faulting in both Cordillera and Aegean orogenic regions and has important implications on crustal dynamics in extensional provinces.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118309",

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AU - Bodur, Ömer

AU - Göğüş, Oğuz Hakan

AU - Brune, Sascha

AU - Şengül Uluocak, Ebru

AU - Glerum, Anne

AU - Fichtner, Andreas

AU - Sözbilir, Hasan

PY - 2023/10/1

Y1 - 2023/10/1

N2 - Lower crustal flow in regions of post-orogenic extension has been inferred to explain the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and associated low-angle normal (detachment) fault systems. However, the origin of detachment faults, whether initially formed as high-angle or low-angle shear zones, and the extension is symmetric or asymmetric remains enigmatic. Here, we use numerical modeling constrained by geophysical and geological data to show that symmetric extension in the central Menderes Massif of western Anatolia is accommodated by the crustal flow. Our geodynamic model explains how opposite dipping Gediz and Büyük Menderes detachment faults are formed by ∼40° footwall rotation. Model predictions agree with seismic tomography data that suggests updoming of lower crust beneath the exhumed massifs, represented as “twin domes” and a flat Moho. Our work helps to account for the genetic relation between the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and low-angle normal faulting in both Cordillera and Aegean orogenic regions and has important implications on crustal dynamics in extensional provinces.

AB - Lower crustal flow in regions of post-orogenic extension has been inferred to explain the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and associated low-angle normal (detachment) fault systems. However, the origin of detachment faults, whether initially formed as high-angle or low-angle shear zones, and the extension is symmetric or asymmetric remains enigmatic. Here, we use numerical modeling constrained by geophysical and geological data to show that symmetric extension in the central Menderes Massif of western Anatolia is accommodated by the crustal flow. Our geodynamic model explains how opposite dipping Gediz and Büyük Menderes detachment faults are formed by ∼40° footwall rotation. Model predictions agree with seismic tomography data that suggests updoming of lower crust beneath the exhumed massifs, represented as “twin domes” and a flat Moho. Our work helps to account for the genetic relation between the exhumation of metamorphic core complexes and low-angle normal faulting in both Cordillera and Aegean orogenic regions and has important implications on crustal dynamics in extensional provinces.

KW - geodynamic modeling

KW - lower crustal flow

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DO - 10.1016/j.epsl.2023.118309

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85165541320

SN - 0012-821X

VL - 619

JO - Earth and Planetary Science Letters

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M1 - 118309

ER -

Crustal flow driving twin domes exhumation and low-angle normal faulting in the Menderes Massif of western Anatolia

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