Neotectonics and the Upper Mantle Structure of Central Asia

Geotectonics - Studies carried out by the authors show that the uplift of Central Asia situated between the eastern Alpine–Himalayan and western Altai–Stanovoy orogenic belts formed in...     

Recent Mountain Building at the Junction Zone of the Northwestern Caucasus and Intermediate Kerch–Taman Region,Russia

Geotectonics - The recent evolution of the marginal segment of the Northwestern Caucasus orogen at its junction with the Kerch–Taman periclinal trough has been studied. Geomorphological...     

Quaternary tectonics of recent basins in northwestern Armenia

New data on the stratigraphy, faults, and formation history of lower to middle Pleistocene rocks in Late Cenozoic basins of northwestern Armenia are presented. It has been established that the low-mountain topography created by tectonic movements and volcanic activity existed in the region by the onset of the Pleistocene. The manifestations of two geodynamic structure-forming factors became clear in Pleistocene: (i) collisional interaction of plates due to near-meridional compression and (ii) deep tectogenesis and magma formation expressed in the distribution of vertical movements and volcanism. The general uplift of the territory, which was also related to deep processes, reached 350–500 m in basins and 600–800 m in mountain ranges over the last 0.5 Ma. The early Pleistocene (~1.8 Ma) low- and medium-mountain topography has been reconstructed by subtraction of the latest deformations and uplift of the territory. Ancient human ancestry appeared at that time.     

Neotectonic transformation of Cenozoic fold structures in the northwestern Caucasus

The performed morphotectonic regionalization of the northwestern Caucasus shows that the fold structures directly expressed in the topography of the territory and continuing to evolve under the settings of contemporary lateral shortening predominate in the northwestern Caucasus. A map of fold structures expressed in the topography of the northwestern Caucasus is presented. The districts distinguished therein correspond to the largest regional tectonic units, the fold topography of which occurs at various stages of tectonic evolution from primary brachyanticlinal ridges of the Taman and Sochi districts to the complex fold–thrust and inversion fold ridges of the axial zone. Data on active newly formed fold and inversion structures are given. These inherited structures develop under the combined action of selective denudation, beddingplane upthrow faulting, and thrusting.