Atlas DARIUS - Paleotectonic reconstruction of the Central Tethyan Realm - PDF

Atlas of 20 maps
Scale: 1:15 000 000
Mercator projection
CCGM-CGMW © 2018
Authors : E. Barrier & B. Vrielynck, J.-F. Brouillet, M.-F. Brunet (CNRS-Université Pierre et Marie Curie)
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PROGRAM ON THE GEODYNAMIC AND GEOTECTONIC EVOLUTION

OF THE MIDDLE EAST AND CENTRAL ASIA BASINS.

RECONSTRUCTION OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE THE MESOZOIC

The 4-year DARIUS program brought together the efforts of major oil companies (BHP Billiton, BP, ENI, MAERSK Oil, PETRONAS, Shell, Statoil and TOTAL) and French research institutions (INSU-CNRS, UPMC). DARIUS brought together a group of scientists whose expertise covered several areas of tectonics (structural analysis, paleostress reconstructions, subsidence modeling), stratigraphy (paleontology, sequence stratigraphy, sedimentology, organic matter analysis), petrography, kinematics and geophysics. Its objective was to characterize major tectonic events and establish a precise chronology, from Upper Permian to Pliocene, of the tectonic evolution of the chains rising from the Middle East to Central Asia.

From 2009 to 2013, 116 scientific projects were funded. 350 researchers from 150 scientific organizations located in 25 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Western Central Asia were involved. A final 2-day conference was held in Paris at the premises of the UPCM in December 2014. 53 communications related to the geology of the area studied, reported on the results of the program.

Content of the Atlas

The set presents 20 maps at the scale of 1:15,000,000 for each of the periods indicated below:

• Lopingian

• Anisian

• Upper Norian

• Toarcian

• Callovian

• Upper Tithonian

• Hauterivian

• Upper Aptian

• Cenomanian

• Turonian

• Lower Campanian

• Upper Maastrichtian

• Danian

• Ypresian

• Lutetian

• Priabonian

• Rupelian

• Burdigalian

• Tortonian

• Piacenzian

Our palinspastic reconstruction starts in the late Permian. Two major periods can be distinguished: pre- and post-Arabian-Eurasian collision. The paleotectonic maps are based on an updated kinematic reconstruction of the movements of Africa-Arabia relative to Eurasia. In 20 steps, the cards show:

1) the main tectonic elements including rifts, basins of various types, main mountain ranges and fold belts, main strike-slip faults, subduction zones, accretionary prisms, etc.;

2) the main paleofacies.

DARIUS' work has led to the publication of the following volumes:

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, volume 102 (2015)

International Journal of Earth Sciences, volume 105 (2016)

Geological Society London Special Publications 427(1):SP427.17 (2017)

Geological Society London Special Publications 428(1):SP428.16 (2017)

The publications of these volumes call for other work carried out during the DARIUS program.