Tectonic Processes and Geodynamics of the Caucasus Region

The Caucasus region forms a complex collision zone between the Arabian and Eurasian plates. This area comprises several microplates, including the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, whose interaction has shaped one of the most seismically and volcanically active mountain belts on Earth. Continental collision has produced intense crustal shortening, thrusting and folding expressed in large-scale nappes and accretionary prisms along both slopes of the range. Delamination of dense lower crust and lithospheric mantle has facilitated uplift and exhumation of metamorphic rocks, while continued convergence sustains frequent moderate to large earthquakes. In the south, subduction-related processes and partial melting in the mantle wedge have generated Quaternary volcanism. Back-arc extension and basin evolution in the South Caspian and Kartli basins record episodes of rifting, thermal subsidence and sediment loading. Modern geodetic observations reveal ongoing microplate rotations and lateral extrusion, preserving a dynamic geodynamic regime. Understanding these interlinked processes is critical for seismic hazard assessment, hydrocarbon exploration in sedimentary basins and insights into mountain building in continental collision zones worldwide.

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Tectonic Processes and Geodynamics of the Caucasus Region publication trend

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Technical terms

Back-arc basin: A basin formed by extension in the overriding plate behind a volcanic arc in a subduction zone.

Lithospheric delamination: The process by which dense lower lithosphere detaches and sinks into the mantle, promoting uplift of the overlying crust.

Accretionary prism: A wedge-shaped body of sediments and oceanic crust scraped off a subducting plate and accreted onto the overriding plate.

Seismic tomography: A geophysical imaging technique that uses seismic wave velocities to map variations in Earth's interior structure.

Focal mechanism: A representation of the orientation and sense of slip on a fault during an earthquake, often depicted as a “beach-ball” diagram.

References

1. Nature of orogenesis and volcanism in the Caucasus region based on results of regional tomography. Solid Earth (SE) (2012).
2. Subsidence history and basin-fill evolution in the South Caspian Basin from geophysical mapping, flexural backstripping, forward lithospheric modelling and gravity modelling. Geological Society London Special Publications (2015).
3. Landscape evolution in orogenic plateaus: Insights from quantitative morphotectonic analysis of the Turkish–Iranian Plateau and Caucasus regions. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms (2023).
4. Quaternary Collision-Zone Magmatism of the Greater Caucasus. Journal of Petrology (2022).
5. Recent geodynamics, active faults and earthquake focal mechanisms of the zone of pseudosubduction interaction between the Northern and Southern Caucasus microplates in the southern slope of the Greater Caucasus (Azerbaijan). Geodynamics & Tectonophysics (2018).
6. Tectonic Evolution of the Eastern Black Sea and Caucasus: an introduction. Geological Society London Special Publications (2017).