Neotectonic evolution of the island of Rhodes (Greece) during the Pleistocene: an integrated micropaleontological and structural geology approach (NERHO)
Final Report Abstract
The Island of Rhodes in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is situated at the collision zone between the African and Eurasian plates and contains microfossil-rich sedimentary archives along its east coast. In the frame of our project, we have combined micropaleontological and structural geological investigations to unravel the Plio-Pleistocene neotectonic and paleoenvironmental history of the island. Specifically, we quantified vertical motions of individual sediment depocenters of the Lindos Bay Formation and conducted remote sensing and field-based kinematic analyses of fault zones at multiple scales. We were able to reconstruct the entire cycle of subsidence and uplift, including a maximum surface uplift of ~700 m during the past 1.4 million years. The individual paleo-water depth histories reveal differences in rates, timing and amplitudes of vertical surface motions. Short-term tectonically controlled surface movements of up to 10.4 mm a-1 occurred regularly throughout the Plio-Pleistocene and are related to the formation of local tectonic grabens. Our integrated approach revealed that long- and short-term tectonic motions can be explained by the dynamics of the accretionary wedge of the eastern Hellenic forearc zone, which Rhodes is part of. Specifically, long-term cycles of surface motion are likely due to accretion of material at the wedge base and its intermittent removal by tectonic erosion, whereas short-term cycles adhere to a diachronous and local formation of tectonic grabens at the wedge top.
Publications
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Paleoecologic evolution of the eastern island of Rhodes (Greece), 14th International Conference on Paleoceanography, Bergen, Norway
Eichner, D.
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The island of Rhodes in the Early Pleistocene – paleoecological evolution and dysoxic events, The Micropalaeontological Society Annual Conference, Bremen, Germany
Eichner, D.
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Dysoxia in shallow bathyal marine deposits of the Island of Rhodes (Greece) during the Early Pleistocene, Forams – International Symposium on Foraminifera, Perugia, Italy
Eichner, D.
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Early Pleistocene dysoxia in circalittoral to shallow bathyal marine deposits of the island of Rhodes (Greece). International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) Congress, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Eichner, D.
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Basin formation caused by plate boundary-parallel extension, Island of Rhodes, Greece. 20th Symposium on Tectonics, Structural Geology and Geology of Crystalline Rocks, Freiburg, Germany
Szuba, M.A., Grolms, N., Ferreira, M.M.M. & Riller, U.
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Humid climate phases on the Island of Rhodes (Greece) during the late Pliocene at times of sapropel formation. Marine Micropaleontology, 187, 102341.
Eichner, Daniela; Schmiedl, Gerhard; Titschack, Jürgen; Ferreira, Malu; Triantaphyllou, Maria; Andersen, Nils & Milker, Yvonne
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Impact of hydrological changes and vertical motions on Pleistocene marine environments of the eastern coast of the island of Rhodes (Greece). Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 636, 111980.
Eichner, Daniela; Schmiedl, Gerhard; Titschack, Jürgen; Triantaphyllou, Maria; Andersen, Nils; Forster, Nina & Milker, Yvonne
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Neotectonic deformation of Pleistocene sedimentary deposits in the Lardos Basin, Rhodes Island, Greece, points to tightening of the Hellenic arc. 20th Symposium on Tectonics, Structural Geology and Geology of Crystalline Rocks, Freiburg, Germany
Kanzler, L., Ferreira M.M.M. & Riller, U.
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Pleistocene-Recent deformation regime of the Eastern Hellenic forearc inferred from multiscale fault-kinematic analysis, Island of Rhodes, Greece, EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024
Ferreira, M.M.M. & Riller, U.
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Reconstruction of tectonically induced vertical motions and paleo-ecological evolution of the Island of Rhodes during the Plio-Pleistocene. PhD thesis, University of Hamburg, 184 pp.
Eichner, D.
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Tectonically induced vertical motions on the Island of Rhodes (Greece) during the Plio-Pleistocene. The Micropalaeontological Society & The Cushman Foundation for Foraminiferal Research (TMS-CFFR) Foraminifera Spring Meeting, Cologne, Germany
Eichner, D.
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Usage of high-resolution UAV-based photogrammetry for elucidating the kinematics of large-scale faults. 20th Symposium on Tectonics, Structural Geology and Geology of Crystalline Rocks, Freiburg, Germany
Ferreira, M.M.M. & Riller, U.
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Variation of principial strain axis directions with proximity to first-order fault zones and its importance for elucidating forearc deformation on the Island of Rhodes, Greece. 20th Symposium on Tectonics, Structural Geology and Geology of Crystalline Rocks, Freiburg, Germany
Grolms, N., Szuba, M.A., Ferreira, M.M.M. & Riller, U.
