A chronology of alluvial fan response to Late Quaternary sea level and climate change, Crete

To better understand how fluvial systems respond to late Quaternary climatic forcing OSL and U-series dating was applied to stratigraphically significant sedimentary units within a small (<6.5 km) alluvial fan system (the Sphakia fan) in southwest Crete. The resultant chronology (comprising 32 OSL and U-series ages) makes Sphakia fan one of the best dated systems in the Mediterranean and suggests that Cretan fans responded to climate in two ways. First, during the transitions between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a/4 and MIS 2/1 Sphakia fan was characterised by significant entrenchment and distal shift in the zone of deposition. It is proposed that the phases of entrenchment were driven by sea level induced base level fall during MIS 5a/4 and landscape stabilisation during the onset of the current interglacial (MIS 2/1). Second, with the exception of these two entrenchment episodes fan alluviation occurred across the entire last interglacial/glacial cycle in all climatic settings i.e. interglacials, interstadials and stadials. It is likely that the topographic setting of the catchment supplying sediment to Sphakia fan maintained high sediment transfer rates during most climatic settings enabling fan aggradation to occur except during major climatic driven transitions i.e. major sea level fall and postglacial vegetation development.N/

Long-term glacial and fluvial system coupling in southern Greece and evidence for glaciation during Marine Isotope Stage 16

Pleistocene glacial activity was a major influence on runoff and sediment supply in many river systems across the Mediterranean. The geomorphological impacts of changes in sediment supply between glaciated headwater terrains and downstream depocentres spanning several glacial cycles are, however, poorly understood. By applying uranium-series and optically stimulated luminescence dating to fluvial and glacial sediments preserved on Mount Chelmos (2355 m a.s.l.) in southern Greece, we show how changes in the long-term coupling between glacial and fluvial systems are preserved within a major glaciofluvial outwash fan system that functioned during multiple cold stages. We also present evidence in the form of a cemented till unit, stratigraphically below younger Middle Pleistocene glacial deposits, yielding a U-series age close to the limit of the technique, indicating glaciation during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 16 - one of the most severe cold stages recorded in the Mediterranean. This is the first time such early glaciation has been directly recorded in Greece and the wider Balkans and is defined here as the Valvousian Stage based on glacial deposits on Mount Chelmos. Geomorphological and geochronological data point to the formation of a more extensive plateau ice field over Chelmos during MIS 12, another severe glacial period in the Balkans that corresponds with the Skamnellian Stage glaciation of Northern Greece. During this phase, very strong coupling of glacial and fluvial systems led to meltwater flood events transferring large volumes of sediment to lower valley zones culminating in the formation of an extensive glaciofluvial outwash fan complex and glaciofluvial terraces. A smaller plateau ice field during MIS 6 and localised valley glaciers between MIS 5d to 5c correlate with the Vlasian and early Tymphian Stage glaciations in Greece, respectively. The delivery of much less meltwater and sediment through a single valley during MIS 6 and MIS 5b to MIS 4 signalled the transition to progressively weaker glacial and fluvial system coupling. After MIS 4 the uncoupling of depositional zones from sediment sources in glaciated catchments led to fluvial incision of glaciofluvial outwash deposits in several valleys. Despite this incision, the glaciofluvial outwash fans preserve a record of glacial and fluvial system interactions during the Middle Pleistocene and early stages of the Late Pleistocene

Transition from Late-Miocene syn-orogenic extension to Plio-Pleistocene Corinth Rifting in the Southern Hellenides, Northern Peloponnese, Greece

This study investigates the Late Miocene to Pliocene transition from contractional to extensional tectonics in the upper plate of the Western Aegean retreating subduction system focusing on the Northern Peloponnese area, Greece. A new 3D tectonic model based on field data and cross-sections clarifies the relationship between Corinth Rift (CR) normal faulting and inherited structures of the Hellenides belt. The tectonic history is divided into five stages: (a) Late Oligocene to Early Miocene ductile high-pressure, low-temperature metamorphism of the Phyllite-Quartzite (PQ) Unit in the Hellenic subduction channel, synchronous with emplacement of overlying Hellenides nappes, (b) syn-orogenic ductile exhumation of the PQ Unit at the subduction interface below the Cretan detachment (24–14 Ma), (c) Late Miocene underplating and vertical exhumation of the PQ Unit accommodated by thinning of the Hellenides nappe stack on low-angle normal faults (LANFs) rooting into the Cretan detachment, followed by (d) NW-SE-trending high-angle normal faulting, and (e) initiation of Corinth rifting by N-S extension at 4–3.5 Ma. New results show that the LANFs all pre-date Corinth rifting, forming above and around the NNW-SSE-trending, N-plunging PQ dome, so that their strike varies from E-W in the north to NE-SW further south. Alluvial sediments deposited above E-W-striking LANFs are crosscut by early high-angle CR faults. The northern termination of the PQ dome partially controls the location and segmentation of the CR. The transition from regional contraction to extension is attributed to changes in subduction dynamics at 8–5 Ma and to the SW propagation of the North Anatolian fault.publishedVersio

Deep‐water sediment transport patterns and basin floor topography in early rift basins: Plio‐Pleistocene syn‐rift of the Corinth Rift, Greece

Our current understanding on sedimentary deep‐water environments is mainly built of information obtained from tectonic settings such as passive margins and foreland basins. More observations from extensional settings are particularly needed in order to better constrain the role of active tectonics in controlling sediment pathways, depositional style and stratigraphic stacking patterns. This study focuses on the evolution of a Plio‐Pleistocene deep‐water sedimentary system (Rethi‐Dendro Formation) and its relation to structural activity in the Amphithea fault block in the Corinth Rift, Greece. The Corinth Rift is an active extensional basin in the early stages of rift evolution, providing perfect opportunities for the study of early deep‐water syn‐rift deposits that are usually eroded from the rift shoulders due to erosion in mature basins like the Red Sea, North Sea and the Atlantic rifted margin. The depocentre is located at the exit of a structurally controlled sediment fairway, approximately 15 km from its main sediment source and 12 km basinwards from the basin margin coastline. Fieldwork, augmented by digital outcrop techniques (LiDAR and photogrammetry) and clast‐count compositional analysis allowed identification of 16 stratigraphic units that are grouped into six types of depositional elements: A—mudstone‐dominated sheets, B—conglomerate‐dominated lobes, C—conglomerate channel belts and sandstone sheets, D—sandstone channel belts, E—sandstone‐dominated broad shallow lobes, F—sandstone‐dominated sheets with broad shallow channels. The formation represents an axial system sourced by a hinterland‐fed Mavro delta, with minor contributions from a transverse system of conglomerate‐dominated lobes sourced from intrabasinal highs. The results of clast compositional analysis enable precise attribution for the different sediment sources to the deep‐water system and their link to other stratigraphic units in the area. Structures in the Amphithea fault block played a major role in controlling the location and orientation of sedimentary systems by modifying basin‐floor gradients due to a combination of hangingwall tilt, displacement of faults internal to the depocentre and folding on top of blind growing faults. Fault activity also promoted large‐scale subaqueous landslides and eventual uplift of the whole fault block

Instagram,*como*instrumento*para* fomentar*una*juventud*pacífica,*crítica*y* constructiva

Treball Final de Màster Universitari en Estudis Internacionals de Pau, Conflictes i Desenvolupament (Pla de 2013). Codi: SBG120. Curs acadèmic: 2018-201

Evidence for and significance of the Late Cretaceous Asteroussia event in the Gondwanan Ios basement terranes

The Late Cretaceous Asteroussia event as recorded in the Cyclades is a potential key to the tectonic evolution of Western Tethys. Microstructural analysis and Ar-40/Ar-39 geochronology on garnet-mica schists and the underlying granitoid basement terrane on the island of Ios demonstrates evidence of a Late Cretaceous high-pressure, medium-temperature (HP-MT) metamorphic event. This suggests that the Asteroussia crystalline nappe on Crete extended northward to include these Gondwanan tectonic slices. In this case, the northern part of the Asteroussia nappe (on Ios) is overlain by the terrane stack defined by the individual slices of the Cycladic Eclogite-Blueschist Unit, whereas in the south (in Crete) the Asteroussia slices are near the top of a nappe stack defined by the individual tectonic units of the external Hellenides. This geometry implies that accretion of the Ios basement terrane involved a significant leap of the subduction megathrust (250-300 km) southward. Accretion needs to have commenced at or about similar to 38 Ma, when the already partially exhumed slices of the Cycladic Eclogite-Blueschist Unit began to thrust over the Ios basement. By similar to 35-34 Ma, the subduction jump had been accomplished, and renewed rollback began the extreme extension that led to the exhumation of the Ios metamorphic core complex

Clarifying stages of alluvial fan evolution along the Sfakian piedmont, southern Crete:New evidence from analysis of post-incisive soils and OSL dating

Analysis of fan sediments and post-incisive soils was combined with luminescence dating to re-assess Nemec and Postma's [Nemec, W., Postma, G., 1993. Quaternary alluvial fans in southwestern Crete: sedimentation processes and geomorphic evolution. In: Marzo, M., Puigdefábregas, C. (Eds.), Alluvial Sedimentation. Special Publication of the International Association of Sedimentologists, vol. 17, pp. 235-276] model of fan evolution on the Sfakian piedmont, southern Crete. Field mapping supports the assertion that sedimentation occurred in three developmental stages. Stage 1 sediments comprise angular debris flows forming small cone-like deposits; stage 2 fluvial gravels form large, relatively steep streamflow-dominated telescopic fans; and stage 3 sediments consist of coarse sieve-type alluvium, localised mudflows and hyperconcentrated flow deposits. Irrespective of gradient, fan surfaces are capped by post-incisive soils that form a chronosequence comprising remnant chromic luvisols. The most developed profiles, highest redness rating, and greatest concentrations of Fe d and magnetic minerals are associated with soils formed on stage 1 surfaces. The stage 2 and 3 soils record progressively lower redness rating, Fe d , and magnetic values, indicating that the stage 1 soils and fan surfaces formed first, followed by stage 2 and 3 soils and fan surfaces. Nanofossil data strongly suggest that stage 1 sedimentation commenced no earlier than the Early Pleistocene. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) results suggest that sedimentation responsible for stage 2 surfaces occurred between Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 6 and MIS 2, while archaeological data indicate that stage 3 sedimentation is of Holocene age. The re-investigation of fan sediments and morphology corroborates the sedimentary and morphological elements of Nemec and Postma's model. The soil data support the model's assumptions that sedimentation was broadly synchronous across the piedmont and the locus of deposition progressively shifted away from the range-front zone. OSL dating suggests that previous age estimates assigned to fan stages 1 and 2 are too old. Climate appears to exert a fundamental control over fan development, with sedimentation occurring during cold stages and cold stage-interglacial transitions. Tectonic activity provides the relief required for fan development and controls fan incision. Local uplift resulted in variable rates of incision that culminated in differential fan segmentation across the piedmont. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Inventory of Historical and Recent Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Assessment of Related Susceptibility by GIS-Based Analytic Hierarchy Process: The Case of Cephalonia (Ionian Islands, Western Greece)

Cephalonia, located in the middle of the central Ionian Islands, has been affected by destructive earthquakes during both the instrumental and the historical period. Despite the fact that it is widely studied from several scientific viewpoints, limited research has been conducted so far regarding the earthquake-triggered landslides (ETL) and the related susceptibility. In the context of the present study, an inventory with 67 ETL from 11 earthquakes that occurred from 1636 to 2014 is presented. Given this record, the study further examines the ETL susceptibility exploiting 10 landslide causal factors in the frame of a GIS-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Four factors (i.e., slope, PGA, tectonic structures and lithology) were associated in a higher degree to the locations where ETL occurred on the island. Based on the comparison of the ETL inventory and the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) map, the distribution of ETL in Cephalonia is not random, as their majority (82%) were generated within high to critically high susceptible zones. This fact, along with the AUC values of 80.3%, reveals a fair-to-good accuracy of the landslide susceptibility assessment and indicate that the contribution of the studied variables to the generation of ETL was effectively determined

Inventory of Historical and Recent Earthquake-Triggered Landslides and Assessment of Related Susceptibility by GIS-Based Analytic Hierarchy Process: The Case of Cephalonia (Ionian Islands, Western Greece)

Cephalonia, located in the middle of the central Ionian Islands, has been affected by destructive earthquakes during both the instrumental and the historical period. Despite the fact that it is widely studied from several scientific viewpoints, limited research has been conducted so far regarding the earthquake-triggered landslides (ETL) and the related susceptibility. In the context of the present study, an inventory with 67 ETL from 11 earthquakes that occurred from 1636 to 2014 is presented. Given this record, the study further examines the ETL susceptibility exploiting 10 landslide causal factors in the frame of a GIS-based Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Four factors (i.e., slope, PGA, tectonic structures and lithology) were associated in a higher degree to the locations where ETL occurred on the island. Based on the comparison of the ETL inventory and the landslide susceptibility index (LSI) map, the distribution of ETL in Cephalonia is not random, as their majority (82%) were generated within high to critically high susceptible zones. This fact, along with the AUC values of 80.3%, reveals a fair-to-good accuracy of the landslide susceptibility assessment and indicate that the contribution of the studied variables to the generation of ETL was effectively determined

Building up or out? Disparate sequence architectures along an active rift margin-Corinth rift, Greece

Early Pleistocene synrift deltas developed along the southern Corinth rift margin were deposited in a single, dominantly lacustrine depocenter and were subject to the same climate-related base-level and sediment supply cyclicity. Two synrift deltas, just 50 km apart, show markedly different sequence geometry and evolution related to their location along the evolving border fault. In the west, strongly aggradational fan deltas (>600 m thick; 2–4 km radius) deposited in the immediate hanging wall of the active border fault comprise stacked 30–100 m thick stratal units bounded by flooding surfaces. Each unit evolves from aggradational to progradational with no evidence for abrupt subaerial exposure or fluvial incision. In contrast, in the central rift, the border fault propagated upward into an already deep lacustrine environment, locating rift-margin deltas 15 km into the footwall. The deltas here have a radius of >9 km and comprise northward downstepping and offlapping units, 50–200 m thick, that unconformably overlie older synrift sediments and are themselves incised. The key factors driving the marked variation in sequence stratigraphic architecture are: (1) differential uplift and subsidence related to position with respect to the border fault system, and (2) inherited topography that influenced shoreline position and offshore bathymetry. Our work illustrates that stratal units and their bounding surfaces may have only local (<10 km) extent, highlighting the uncertainty involved in assigning chronostratigraphic significance to systems tracts and in calculating base-level changes from stratigraphy where marked spatial variations in uplift and subsidence occur