Anatomy of an intracratonic fold belt: Examples from the southwestern Palmyride fold belt in central Syria

Conference · Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5694525

Chaimov, T A; Barazangi, M; Best, J A ^[1]; Al-Saad, D; Sawaf, T; Gebran, A ^[2]

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1. Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY (United States)
2. Syrian Petroleum Co., Damascus (Syria)

The Palmyride fold belt, a 400 {times} 100 km, NE-trending, transpressive belt in central Syria, represents the late Mesozoic and Cenozoic inversion of a linear intracratonic basin. The southwestern Palmyrides are characterized by short wavelength (2-5 km) folds separated by small intermontane basins. To elucidate the subsurface structure, a three-dimensional model, based mainly on about 450 km of two-dimensional seismic reflection data, was generated using a LandMark{reg sign} graphics workstation. The new model includes many features not identified in outcrop. Short, NW-trending transcurrent, or transfer, faults link the short, en echelon NE-trending thrust faults and blind thrusts of the Palmyrides. Varying structural styles are observed within the southwestern part of the belt. In one instance the structure of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks mimics that in deeper Paleozoic rocks; elsewhere, a strong discordance between Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks appears to be related to the development of a regional detachment in Triassic rocks at about 4 km depth. Shortening the southwestern palmyrides totals about 20-25 km, based on palinspastic restoration of a balanced cross section across the belt. Seismic stratigraphy constrains the timing of at least three distinct episodes of Palmyride shortening: Late Cretaceous, middle Eocene, and Miocene to present. All three episodes were penecontemporaneous with specific tectonic events along the northern Arabian plate boundaries.

• OSTI ID: 5694525
• Report Number(s): CONF-910403-; CODEN: AABUD
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:3; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Dallas, TX (United States), 7-10 Apr 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
PLATE TECTONICS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
STRATIGRAPHY
SYRIA
ANTICLINES
COMPUTER GRAPHICS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
ASIA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MIDDLE EAST
SURVEYS
TECTONICS
580000* - Geosciences