MESOZOIC-CENOZOIC ACCRETIONARY COMPLEXES OF THE GREATER CAUCASUS

Abstract

The present-day structure of the Caucasian segment of the Mediterranean mobile belt resulted from three stages of its evolution during the last 1 Ga of its geological history (older rocks are practically unknown in this region). The first of these stages (mainly, the Neoproterozoic) known as the Baikalian (in Russia) and Cadomian (in Europe) produced the consolidated basement in the southern (Gondwanan) part of the region extending up to the Transcaucasian Massif in the north. As for the Greater Caucasus and, probably, Ciscaucasia region, their structure resulted from subsequent Paleozoic (Hercynian or Variscan) and Meso–Cenozoic (Alpine or Cimmerian–Alpine) stages as is inferred from recent isotopic geochronological data. It should be emphasized that the tectonomagmatic development of the study region was different at each of these stages.