DISPLACED TERRANES AND CRUSTAL EVOLUTION OF THE LEVANT AND THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN

Geophysical data from the Levant and the eastern Mediterranean suggest that this area can be divided into distinct crustal units of different origins. For example, a marked difference in crustal structure and structural style exists in the Levant between Samaria and Judea, south of the Carmel structure, and the Galilee and Lebanon, north of it. On the other hand, several microcontinental fragments such as Cyprus, and the Eratosthenes and Anaximander Seamounts are embedded within the oceanic crust of the eastern Mediterranean. The present location of these units has resulted from complex tectonic processes which were active during the mid Paleozoic‐Mesozoic evolution of this area. During this period several crustal units were accreted to the northern margin of Africa while others were detached away from it. The crustal evolution of the eastern Mediterranean and the Levant is intimately linked with the closure of the Paleo‐Tethys, the formation of the Neo‐Tethys, and its subsequent closure. Copyright 1990 by the American Geophysical Union.