Miocene to recent stratigraphy, structural arcitecture and tectonic evolution of the florence rise, Eastern Mediterranean sea

New multi-channel seismic data were acquired by Dokuz Eylül University and Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) over the Florence Rise, eastern Mediterranean Sea, during the summer of 2007. The Miocene-Recent structural architecture, tectonic and sedimentary evolution of the Florence Rise south of Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean Sea is delineated using detailed interpretation of ~700 km of high-resolution multi-channel seismic reflection profiles. Three seismic stratigraphic units are identified. Unit 1 is Pliocene-Quaternary in age and is characterized by a strongly reflective acoustic package which shows considerable lateral continuity and three subunit which 1a,1b,1c identified in Unit 1. Unit 2 is generally characterized by a low reflectivity package with weak and often discontinuous reflections: it represents the Messinian evaporite succession and two subunit which 2a, 2b are identified in Unit 2. Unit 3 underlies the Messinian evaporites of Unit 2, and constitutes the acoustic basement in the study area.Analysis of structural and stratigraphic architectures reveals that the Florence Rise can be divided into four structural domains: a) Domain 1- In the north, the salt cored fold belt, with predominantly (but not ubiquitously) south-verging thrusts, extends into the Antalya Basin b) Domain 2- is composed of a broad corrugated seafloor high, in which the corrugations are mirrored at the pre-Pliocene-Quaternary `M? reflector. Narrow (1 km-wide) zones of discontinuity in this area may be interpreted as basin inversion structures bounded by high-angle faults. c) Domain 3- To the south of the broad core of Florence Rise, lies a 15-20 km bathymetric high zone of complexly faulted slivers with Pliocene-Quaternary growth strata wedges and the folded faulted and shear zone in core of the Florence Rise, d) Domain 4- the strike slip belt.