Palaeostress inversion in a multiphase deformed area: Kinematic and structural evolution of the Cankiri Basin (central Turkey), Part 1 - northern area

Abstract

The kinematic and structural evolution of the major structures affecting the Çankırı Basin, central Turkey, has been deduced from a palaeostress inversion study. Four palaeostress tensor configurations indicative of four-phase structural evolution have been constructed from the fault slip data collected from the Çankırı Basin. The first two phases indicate the dominant role of thrusting and folding, and are attributed to the collision between the Pontides and the Taurides, the proposed interface of which is straddled by the Çankırı Basin. Phase 1 occurred in the pre-Late Palaeocene and Phase 2 in the Late Palaeocene-pre-Burdigalian. The third phase is dominated by extensional deformation in the Middle Miocene. The latest phase has been active since then and is characterized by regional transcurrent tectonics.