Neotectonics of the Anatolian Scholle

The Anatolian Scholle (and its surroundings) represents one of the best places on the earth for the study the inhomogeneous style of continental deformation due to its unique location within the Alpide Plate Boundary Zone. The westerly escape of this continental block commenced as a consequence of the boundary forces generated by the collision in the east, which were subsequently reinforced by the slab pull of the retreating Hellenic Trench and/or the gravitational potential energy of the rising topography in the east and stretching in the west as extra forces. The aforementioned driving forces have resulted in the formation of four distinct neotectonic provinces within and around the Anatolian Scholle. These are: (a) the East Anatolian Province of Shortening (EAPS), (b) the Central Anatolia “Ova” Province (CAOP), (c) the North Turkish Province (NTP) and (d) the West Anatolian Extensional Province (WAEP). The strong correlation between the spatial distribution of discrete structures of these provinces and the Tethyside accretionary complexes demonstrates the impact of low-strength mechanical profile of the fine-grained sediments that host the deformation products of the neotectonic forces.