Major rotation difference along the "Mid - Cycladic Lineament" on the island of Paros, Central Greece.

Abstract

Metamorphic formations in the Cycladic Islands of the Aegean sea (Greece) are of great interest due to their structural characteristics and complexities. Extension occurred after 25 Ma in the Central Aegean region, resulting in major detachment faults producing stretching lineation of different orientation. While the NW part shows NE – SW trending lineations, the SE part is affected by lineations trend in a N-S direction. The boundary between these two domains is defined by a conceptual line known as “Mid Cycladic Lineament (MCL). Although this structure is supported by structural and paleomagnetic indications, a pronounced structure to confirm its presence in the field has not been discovered so far. Therefore, we attempted to decipher whether such a border corresponds to an actual structure on the only island of the Cyclades where both stretching lineation trends has been identified: Paros. A multidisciplinary approach involving paleomagnetic and petrological study reveal the presence of two distinct domains (NW and SE) defined by different stretching lineations, magnetic lineation and paleomagnetic declinations. These two domains are separated by the “MCL”, a SE dipping detachment fault accommodating the vertical axis rotations after 12-17 Ma with their coeval exhumation. More specifically, the NW part underwent a clockwise rotation (~100°), while the SE experienced minor anticlockwise rotation (~10°). These opposite sense rotation generated trench parallel extension in the Central Aegean which was accommodated along the “MCL”.